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Hospital Policies
At Alpine Animal Hospital, we pride ourselves in providing high-quality individualized veterinary
medical, surgical, and dental care for pets in our community. We have developed the following
hospital policies to allow us to serve our patients in a timely manner, deliver excellent service to
our clients, and ensure that our patients feel comfortable and safe.
Appointment Policy
Alpine operates with a scheduled appointment model. Please call in advance to schedule an
appointment for your pet’s needs. The further in advance you schedule, the more likely that your
preferred date, time, and veterinarian will be available. Scheduled appointment times are
reserved exclusively for you and your pet. We ask that you help us by keeping your scheduled
appointments and arriving on time. We believe optimal veterinary care can be provided only if
we have enough time set aside to adequately examine and diagnose your pet, then discuss
treatment options in detail with you.
Multiple same day appointments are reserved for urgent care needs each day, allowing us to
accommodate your pet to the best of our abilities. If your pet has a medical emergency during
our open hospital hours, please try to call us on your way in as soon as you can. This will give
us a chance to prepare for emergency assistance as soon as you arrive, and notify other clients
if their pet’s appointment may be affected.
There may be times when our case load is high or intensive enough that we may recommend
another area hospital for your pet’s care. If that is needed, please understand that this referral is
made with your pet’s best interests in mind if our veterinarians and staff cannot provide your pet
the immediate attention that they deserve due to other circumstances that day. If your pet needs
urgent or emergent care after our normal hospital hours, please contact the local emergency
room at the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, (509) 335-0711.
Arrival Policy
All patients must be safely and securely restrained within the hospital grounds, parking lot, and
lobby. This can mean either that they are leashed or crated. No matter how well trained a dog or
cat may be, this policy applies and is in the best interest of all clients and their pets.
If you suspect your pet is suffering from a potentially contagious disease (kennel cough,
parvovirus, ringworm, etc.), please inform us at the time of scheduling, and upon arrival, so we
can make special accommodations to reduce spread of disease. Please remain in your vehicle
with your pet until instructed otherwise by our staff, to minimize exposure to other pets.
Please take note of any posted signs that may indicate limited access to our lobby. This is
especially important for our cats-only hours, scheduled on the 3rd Tuesday of each month
between 3-8pm.
Payment Policy
Payment is due at the time of service. For your convenience, the following payment methods
are accepted:
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Cash |
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Check |
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Debit
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Credit (VISA, Mastercard, Discover, American Express)
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Care Credit |
We encourage all of our clients to evaluate and obtain a pet insurance policy for their pet(s). To
read more about whether you need pet insurance, and the many companies providing policies, click here. We are happy to provide appropriate documentation as needed for insurance policy
holders to receive their reimbursement for paid veterinary services performed at our hospital.
Cancellation/No Show Policies
In order to be respectful of the medical needs of other patients, please be courteous and contact
us promptly by phone, email, or app chat if you are unable to arrive for your scheduled
appointment time. This allows us to accommodate other patients in need of care. Appointments
are in high demand, and your early cancellation will give another pet owner the ability to have
access to timely medical care for their pet.
We understand that emergencies will happen; however, we respectfully request that you notify
us a minimum of 8 hours in advance if you are unable to meet your appointment time. A “no
show” is someone who misses an appointment without canceling it, or arrives more than 10
minutes after the scheduled appointment time. A "late cancellation" is when an appointment is
canceled within 8 hours of the appointment time, or within 48 hours for surgical or dental care
procedures. When you do not call to cancel an appointment, you may be preventing another
patient from receiving much needed care and treatment.
Failure to comply with this policy will result in the following steps:
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Arrival 10 or more minutes past your scheduled appointment time will necessitate
rescheduling of the appointment for another available day and/or time, unless
accommodation can otherwise be made. This will be documented as a no show/missed
appointment. |
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First late cancellation or no show/missed appointment - our staff will contact you to
ensure you and your pet are all right, to reschedule your appointment, and review our
cancellation/no show policies. This will be documented as a first policy violation. |
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Additional failures to comply with our cancellation/no show policies will require a $55
non-refundable deposit to schedule appointments in the future. This deposit is then
applied to your pet’s appointment invoice total for the visit.
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Due to the large block of time needed for surgery and dental care, at least 48 hours
notice is needed for cancellation. If not met, a $100 non-refundable deposit will be
needed to reschedule your pet’s procedure. This amount is then applied to your pet’s
procedural fees for the day.
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Three or more failures to comply with our cancellation/no show policies will result in non-
refundable prepayment of all expected fees when an appointment is scheduled, or separation of
service.
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