Dear Client,
As we have previously communicated, due to the high demand for veterinary care and nationwide staff shortages, we are constantly re-evaluating our operational procedures. At this time, we find it necessary to institute the following protocols in order to allow for a work-life balance for our veterinarians and peripheral staff members. Please help us so we can help you!
Phone Calls: We are experiencing a very high call volume. The average number of calls received daily is 207. We ask that when calling, if you get a message to leave a voicemail, please leave a message, and the call will be returned. Hanging up and redialing, adds to call volume and only creates a further delay in getting to you. If you select the option for a pet emergency and it is actually not an emergency, you will be placed back into the phone tree to leave a message or hold for a client service representative.
Call Backs: Phone messages will be returned in priority order.
- Urgent messages: If you have called and left an urgent message and have not received a callback in a timely manner, please call the office again and let the client service representative know so that a licensed member of our staff can speak with you.
- Non-Urgent messages: All non-urgent matters will require several days to receive a callback. You will be asked to provide detailed information regarding your questions. If you choose not to provide information, the message will be considered non-urgent. Please note, depending on the question, you may receive a call back from one of our licensed technicians and not the veterinarian.
Lab & Diagnostic test results: Lab & Diagnostic test results can take 7-10 days for our office to receive and interpret results. If your lab or diagnostic tests are normal, you may receive a text message or email message. Phone calls are prioritized for pets with abnormal findings.
Prescription Refills: All prescription refill requests including online orders, will require a minimum of 48 hours to be filled or approved. Further delays may occur if the original prescribing veterinarian is out of the office and the file needs to be reviewed by another veterinarian. Due to supply chain issues, we suggest that you call 1 week prior to your medication or prescription food running out. We cannot guarantee that we will have what you need in stock.
Appointment request: We try very hard to be able to accommodate all of our clients in a timely manner.
- Urgent and Emergency appointments: We offer emergency and urgent care appointments daily but at times due to the volume of these cases and our staffing levels, we cannot accommodate everyone and you may be referred to the local emergency clinic for care.
- Follow-up and Technician appointments: We highly recommend that you schedule any recommended follow-up, rechecks, or technician appointments during checkout. If you choose not to schedule these appointments at checkout, you will be given the next available appointment when you call to schedule, however, it may not be within the recommended time frame given.
- Annual Exams, Puppy/Kitten visits, Senior Wellness appointments: Clients should allow a minimum of 2 weeks for a non-urgent and/or routine service exam. During peak season May through October, there may be longer wait times for these types of visits. It is our recommendation that you pre-book your next annual exam to help eliminate some of these scheduling delays.
The doctors and staff at Community Animal Care