Veterinarians' suggested fees may leave physicians feeling ill
CMAJ 1997;156:1689
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Physicians who take a close look at fees charged by veterinarians can't be faulted for thinking that medicine is going to the dogs.
The Ottawa Citizen recently looked at what pet owners pay for veterinary care. "On average," said the article, "Canadians spent $479 on their pets in 1990, the latest year for which data were available from Statistics Canada. That's more than double what families spent on pharmaceuticals for themselves and just slightly more than what humans pay on average to care for their own teeth."
The charges are only guidelines, since the voluntary veterinary association is not allowed to set fees. The following table, which accompanied the article, compares veterinarians' fees with those paid to physicians by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).
| Table 1: What veterinarians charge to provide medical care for dogs/cats and how much physicians receive from OHIP for human patients
|
| Medical service | Ontario Veterinary Fee Guide
| What OHIP pays to MDs |
| Diagnostic ultrasound |
| Pregnancy | $104.00
| $ 77.90 |
| Abdominal scan | $144.40
| $ 77.90 |
| Diagnostic x-ray |
| Colon, barium enema | $136.20
| $ 70.77 |
| Urethrogram | $159.20
| $ 24.32 |
| Femur, 1 joint (2 views) |
$ 84.20 | $ 20.25 |
| Inravenous pyelogram |
$128.10 | $ 71.23 |
| Other services |
| Electrocardiogram | $ 66.30
| $ 15.50 |
| Annual physical exam |
$ 39.30 | $ 48.20 |
| Mileage (house call) |
$ 1.70/km | $ 0.00
|
| House call (normal hours)
| $ 52.50 + exam | $ 16.70 + exam
|
| Injection (outpatient) |
$ 18.20 + drug/vaccine | $ 8.00 + drug/vaccine
|
| Blood test (hemoglobin) |
$ 10.60 | $ 2.07
|
| Abdominocentesis | $ 30.60
| $ 23.20 |
| Urinalysis (complete) |
$ 32.90 | $ 4.14
|
| Amputation (foreleg, at elbow)
| $363.80 | $266.40 |
| Source: Ottawa Citizen
|
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| CMAJ June 15, 1997 (vol 156, no 12)
/ JAMC le 15 juin 1997 (vol 156, no 12) |
|
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