Veterinary Referral Center

First off I will say that our dog did receive great care and made it home to us. One of the Nurses was one of the most compassionate people we have met But, they have very poor communication on costs, we got initial estimate and agreed, the pup had complications and needed to increase, and we agreed. We asked them to reach out to our normal vet because of a chronic issue, and although they said they would they never did. 4 days later we got a call and were now a $3500 dollars over the amount from the second estimate, and they wanted authorization for $3000 more on top of that. When we called to complain about the charges and the amount of care the manager was polite but essentially told us he would get back with us, and he did not until we called again. He handwaved again and had the "head Doctor" call the next day. He accused us of making it all up and if we had a problem we should get a lawyer if we had a problem, he was very abrasive and condescending to us, and regretfully ended up in a shouting match before he hung up on us. To top it all off they never even called to see how the dog was doing after he was discharged. They care about the bottom line as a corporate business. I am sure if I response is posted to this it will be all about how uninformed we are. I would not do business there again since there are an abundance of options in the area. The first time we came here was due to a wait at Hope.. now I know why there is no wait....

unknown

Ignored our phone call for hours for help for our dog.

Our dog needed her first TPLO 2011, unfortunately recently she required surgery on her other leg. VETERINARY REFERRAL CENTER was wonderful for both surgeries. From start to follow up they provided excellent care

My dog was admitted to another vet hospital and he needed to see a radiologist for a liver/abdominal/pancreatic/gallbladder ultrasound. I called on Tuesday and he was given an appt the next day with Dr. Shelling.
When I arrived, the front desk informed me that there was an emergency so they were running about 30-40 minutes behind schedule. I didn't have a problem, as it is a hospital and cases need to be triaged appropriately. I did appreciate the heads up, though.
Dr. Shelling spoke to me before the ultrasound (to obtain a history) and again, after it was completed. He called the vet from the other hospital immediately to inform him of the results and discuss the plan of care.
I feel very comfortable with the care my dog received. Be aware, though. These vets are specialists, and as such, the cost reflects their expertise.

I was pleased with my experience with Dr. Bagshaw. Although the appt did not start on time, he did spend a great deal of time with me and my family. He examined the xray I brought from my vet and explained that there were several areas that were unclear that needed a repeat of the xray. I explained to the doc that I wanted to be cost cautious and needed to know the cost of any procedures and recommendations prior to starting. He was very good about showing me the areas of concern with the images on his ipad. He performed the chest xray and indicated that an isolated ultrasound was recommended due to 2 areas of concern - 1 pneumonia and 1 a mass. He did an ultrasound on the mass and delivered the bad news that it was in advanced stages. He recommended treatment for the pneumonia and qulaity of life care for my dog. Although it was very upsetting news, he was very professional and compassionate with my dog and took a good deal of time with us answering all of our questions. I was pleased with my experience, even though we received such bad news.
One thing to note about this place - it is actually 3 separate practices. The doctors that I saw were part of the Hope Veterinary Specialists - which fall under the VRC. They also do the Emergency Services. I was pleased with this part of the practice but I cannot comment on the other 2 parts.

SEE ABOVE
A consistent story and updated forms would save a lot of customer irritation and anger directed at VRC office staff!

My wife and I have been dog owners, and foster parents for many dogs and cats, for a long time. We have experience dealing with many veterinarians at every level of care. The experience at the Veterinary Referral Center in Malvern PA when we put our friend and companion of 14 years to sleep was one of the worst customer service experiences, not only in a veterinary clinic but in our lives. We were customers of this clinic and had a surgery performed for another of our dogs in October of 2010. This was a herniated disc surgery that cost approximately $6,000. The service on the evening in question cost approximately $1,200. During the euthanasia process another doctor barged in and was complaining about the whereabouts of some veterinary techinicians. He refused to be quiet and continued to complan even though he knew what was occurring. Immediately after our dog was put to sleep were told that we had to do the paperwork and pay the bill. We asked for time alone with our dogs body but only I was permitted to stay with our dog and this took an argument on our part. One of the employees had to stay with my and watch me for some reason. My wife was told that she had to go out and pay the bill. The treatment from some of the staff and the attending vet was uncaring and unproffessional. I will not go into all the details of that. There was some staff who were sympathetic. We wrote a letter on Feb 6 to speak to the owner of the emergency service, Dennis Burkett, about the ofcustomer service and our experience that night. We waited for a response. And waited and waited. On March 7 or 8th my wife finally called two times to speak with someone. On the second try she got in touch with the office manager who told us he had hand delivered the letter to Mr. Burkett. On the night of March 10th Mr. Burkett finally called. Mr. Burkett told me that he had received the letter several weeks ago. The conversation started off cordially enough, but after a few minutess I realized that he had no intention of dealing with this incident proffessionally. He wanted to argue about whose fault it was and continued to critisize what he frequently called our "perception" of the incident. After realizing we were going to get absolutely nowhere with him I told him that I was going to do everything I could to let others know how we had been treated. He then began to call me a moron and idiot and said that just because we had spent several thousand dollars there did not entitle us to anything. I will be honest and say that after that point the name calling went both ways and went far beyond the moron and idiot stage. There are other customer service issues that I did not go into from our first visit. The bottom line is no pet owner should be treated like this at one of the most painful times of their lives. I don't believe the medical attention is bad there. But if customer service and being treated respectfully are important to you, your money will be much better spent at a vet that knows how to be sympathetic during these painful times and is interested in treating customers with respect.

It went as well as one can expect.

My dog, who had been feeling ill for several weeks, had been having tests performed at our veterinarian's office. The tests were not yet back. On a Saturday evening, when our regular vet was closed, things took a turn for the worse. I took him to the Veterinary Referral Center on an emergency basis, not knowing yet what was wrong. From the second I set foot in the door, they were in my face about how much money I was going to spend for every single thing. An overnight stay was going to cost me $2000-$3000 dollars, and if he needed surgery, it was going to cost me at least $3000 to revive him if his heart stopped, plus possibly upwards of $10,000 to keep him alive afterwards. Then, there would be the cost of surgery on top of that. I told them to do tests and diagnose him first. They made me fork over at retainer check for $1500 to start, before they would even do that. To make a long story short, he had cancer, as it turned out, and it would have cost me a good chunk of my life savings to even treat him, so, tearfully, I had to have him euthanized. I feel this service, while professionally competent, exists to get money from wealthy Main Line customers who are emotionally attached to their animals. At the worst possible time, we are all vulnerable. Most competent veterinarians would have performed the service for a lot less, though I realize it was a Saturday evening, when most vets are closed. Surely someone else exists in this area who is more reasonable, cost-wise. I could easily have spent $20,000-$30,000 for surgery and a few days hospital stay. Incidentally, this service is separate from the other side of the building, which houses animal specialists. I have used this service before, and have found their specialists to be quite good, and reasonably priced, considering what they do. However, one time when I was in there, I asked a question of the receptionist, and heard him make a rude comment about me to someone under his breath. I will never set foot in this place again after my experience with my poor dog!

I was very pleased with the doctors. they constantally called me and kept me informed of what they were doing and how my dog was doing. They did all the procedures they could at the same time saving me and the dog from coming back and have more tests done. They were very honest with their remarks. One issue she had needed xrays of her lungs. they very compasionatly told me that if there were spots on her lungs, all we could do was make her comfortable for as long as she had. They promplty called and told me her lungs were fine. They were going on to the next test. At this point I don't know what we can do to address her problems but plan to call and see if I can talk to the doctors.

I have been taking my dog to Veterinary Referral Center for three years. My experience has been very positive. They are very professional and warm. The office is beautiful and clean.

Even though I was miles away, the vet helped me understand what was going on with the kitty and I felt comforted that she was well cared for in my absence. I also appreciated that the vet waited to talk to me about the next steps rather than do a lot of very expensive testing without my approval.

Emergency Vet services are expensive no matter where you go. At VRC, they did an initial intake when our cat arrived, a thorough examination and blood tests. They gave us an estimate of what the costs would be for her initial treatment as they worked on the diagnosis. Our cat was there for five days, and we were consistently given updates on not only her health, but the cost for her stay. The staff was amazingly friendly and compassionate. They clearly care about all the animals at the hospital, and they were so wonderful to our cat, and always available for a consultation, update or reassurance. They were, however, completely candid. Ultimately, our cat went home and had to be readmitted. They assigned her care to the internist for consistent management, and Dr. Adler was able to develop a treatment for a heretofore unseen pathology. Our cat is now doing really well, and goes back regularly for checkups. I would go back for any pet emergency.