To compare prices, Checkbook’s shoppers, without revealing their affiliation with Checkbook, checked prices on various procedures. The percentage of customers who rated the overall perfor-mance of a clinic as “superior” is given on our list. Each of the clinics listed was rated by at least 15 customers. This chart lists 23 veterinary clinics rated highest among the 220 clinics evaluated in Chicago Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and at .Ĭheckbook asked area consumers to rate several aspects of their service experience “inferior,” “adequate,” or “superior.” More than 6,300 surveys were compiled. Percentage of customers who rated clinic "superior" for overall qualityĪmount you might expect to pay for care that would cost $100 at the average Chicago-area clinic And you pay premiums to cover a pool of other policyholders, some of whom may be more wasteful-i.e., more prone to using excessive care-than you are. Buying insurance to cover noncatastrophic expenses means you pay profit, sales costs, and administrative costs for an insurance company to process bills that you could pay yourself. You must decide whether what you get is worth the price.
No coverage of vaccinations and routine care-unless you pay an additional premium of $144 and For example, one veterinary insurance policy charged a $305 annual premium, but imposed lots of potentially costly limitations, including:Ī fixed reimbursement plan that might not cover the total cost of a procedure Ī $50 deductible for each accident or illness (rather than a per-year deductible) If you’re considering health insurance for cats or dogs, read the fine print. “They actually took the time to listen to me,” he says. Some veterinarians did shine here-a few clinics received a “superior” rating on 95 percent of the surveys-but a number of clinics pulled in superior marks from only 30 percent of their clients.Īs for Marquez, he finally found a vet worth keeping-Hobson Valley Animal Clinic in Woodridge.
On average, clients gave veterinarians their lowest marks on this category of the survey. Many clients surveyed complained that veterinarians pushed costly treatments that benefited their pocketbooks over owners’ pets. Unfortunately, local vets didn’t score so well when it came to keeping medical costs down. You want a vet who informs you about lower-cost care alternatives, offers preventive advice, and doesn’t do more than necessary. Low prices are not the only way a vet can save you money. All of the 23 clinics here had prices that were either below average or close to it. For example, at Beverly Hills Animal Hospital in Chicago, you could expect to pay $65 for services that, on average, cost $100 at all of the area’s clinics surveyed. The chart this page also shows how the prices of the top 23 stacked up against the average prices for all the clinics evaluated.
The nonprofit magazine ( ) evaluated 220 veterinarians across the Chicago metropolitan area, compiled more than 6,300 customer surveys, and narrowed down the list to 23 of the best. That’s why Chicago Consumers’ Checkbook is here to help. It might take some investigating, but great (and affordable) vets are out there. Marquez’s story isn’t uncommon, which is why it is vital to shop around for a good, caring veterinarian: Your pet’s health, your hard-earned money-and your peace of mind-are all at stake. Marquez says the veterinarian failed to explain the diagnosis: “He simply wrote a prescription and sent us on our way.” The clinic’s assembly-line approach to treatment was an immediate red flag for Marquez, who never returned to that “dreadful place.”
CHICAGO CONSUMERS CHECKBOOK SKIN
“He looked at me like I had three heads when I asked for some preventive advice,” recalls Juan Marquez, a Downers Grove resident who took his Boston terrier, Tiki, to a clinic to treat a skin condition.
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