Diagnostics get declined when they arrive as a surprise on the invoice.
Radiographs, ultrasound and bloodwork are the recommendations most often trimmed at the counter. Not because the owner disagrees, but because nobody priced them before the appointment. Sending the workup as a plan they approve in advance changes what gets done.
What actually goes wrong
The consultation runs late, the owner is holding a nervous cat, and someone has to say "the ultrasound would be another $340". That is the worst possible moment to ask for a decision.
So the workup gets trimmed to what fits the mood of the room. The diagnosis takes two visits instead of one, and the second visit is the one that never gets booked.
Sent the day before as a priced plan, the same list reads differently: the owner sees what is included, what you recommend and why, and what can wait. They decide at home, and arrive having already paid a deposit.
What the owner sees on their phone.
Sample workup: 11-year-old cat, weight loss and vomiting. Example figures, not our prices.
| Line | Status | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation and physical examination | Included | $75.00 |
| In-house bloodwork and electrolytes | Included | $145.00 |
| Three-view abdominal radiographs | Included | $220.00 |
| Abdominal ultrasoundThe test most likely to answer the question in one visit | Recommended | $340.00 |
| Specialist radiologist review | Recommended | $95.00 |
| Sedation for imaging if needed | Optional | $110.00 |
| Urine culture and sensitivity | Optional | $95.00 |
- Included
- $440.00
- Approved total, options ticked
- $875.00
- Deposit at signature, 25%
- $219.00
Marking the ultrasound as recommended rather than optional is a clinical statement, and the owner reads it as one. The line detail is where you explain, in one sentence, why you would do it.
Say it once, the same way, every time.
Copy these lines into your practice manual and change the names. The point is not the wording. It is that everyone at the counter says the same thing.
How to present it at the front desk
Send this the day before, not on arrival. The point is that the decision is already made when they walk in.
- 1
"Before tomorrow's visit I am sending you the workup Dr. Patel wants to run on Suki, with the prices."
- 2
"The blood test and X-rays are the baseline. The ultrasound is marked recommended. That is the one most likely to give us an answer in a single visit."
- 3
"Tick what you want. Anything you leave out we can always do later; it just means a second appointment."
- 4
"There is a 25% deposit when you sign, and it comes off the bill tomorrow."
- 5
"If something changes during the exam, we call you before doing anything that is not on the plan."
Questions clinics ask.
What if the workup changes once we start?
Anything not on the signed plan is a new conversation, and most clinics write exactly that on the plan: we call before doing anything you have not approved. You can also send a short second plan mid-visit. It takes about a minute.
Should diagnostics be marked recommended or optional?
Use recommended when you would do it, optional when it is a reasonable extra. Owners read the difference, and the distinction is the whole reason the plan is not just a price list.
Does a deposit make sense for a same-day workup?
Sometimes not, and you can set the template to no deposit. Where it earns its keep is on scheduled imaging with sedation, where a no-show costs you a slot and a technician.
Can we send the plan the evening before?
Yes, and that is what we would suggest. It arrives by email, opens on the phone with no account, and takes about twenty seconds to approve.
Other situations
Ten clinics. Then we close the door for a while.
We are onboarding the first cohort by hand, one clinic at a time, to get the templates right for your species and procedures. Tell us where you are and we'll send the payment link and a 15-minute slot.