VetCentric?

Anyone know anything about this company?

 

It sucks...

 

Vetcentric is an unscrupulous online veterinary pharmacy that charges on the average three times as much as other pharmacies for medications. Worse yet, they give kick backs to the vets who call in the prescription. Check out:

http://vtprofessionals.org/opr1/veterinarians/vetnews2003.pdf

Go to the third page, third column at the bottom.

 

More of the blind leading the blind here. Let me shed some light on VetCentric since nobody here seems to know much about them. My cat gets his methimazole tuna flavored suspension from VetCentric now, & it's cheaper than I use to get it before from another compounding pharmacy that my vet use to use. Fleas were pretty bad this year, and so my vet also gave me a break on the Frontline I use to buy from her, but that I'm getting cheaper through VetCentric now. So I'm saving money... sorry to hear you weren't. It doesn't sound like your vet knows how to use them.

 

What a bunch of misinformation! Let's hear it from your vet! How about a name and number?

 

Misinformation!?!?! Give me your e-mail jackass. You think you have an axe to grind? Be prepared moron before you pop off like that. What the hell do you think you know. If nothing, keep your worthless thoughts to yourself. That's the problem with this fucking website... whenever someone has something worthwhile to add, someone else with zero information to add chimes in with their gut-reaction response based in ignorance or some hidden agenda. Is this site really here just to tear down and nullify information and ideas?

 

okay, but does anybody know anything valuable like....pay, bonus, etc.??????

 

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okay, but does anybody know anything valuable like....pay, bonus, etc.??????

[/ QUOTE ]

I interviewed with them, I was told my salary was too high, This could of ment I sucked as a candidate though. I'm making a 78 Base Salary.

 

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[ QUOTE ]
okay, but does anybody know anything valuable like....pay, bonus, etc.??????

[/ QUOTE ]

I interviewed with them, I was told my salary was too high, This could of ment I sucked as a candidate though. I'm making a 78 Base Salary.

[/ QUOTE ]

Whoops, "MEant" not ment

 

78 base is a little high for them. they suck - stay were you are at.

 

To the above poster regarding price, they may be cheaper than some other compounding pharmacy that you have used, but that's not saying much. They may be less expensive than other compounding pharmacies, but if you do some shopping around they are no bargain either. Also, it has little to do with a vet knowing how to use their service, they dial in the order and that's it. Vets are tied into them because of the dispensing fee. When you discuss this with a vet they dance around the issue, they are not as concerned with the price the client pays for medications they don't carry, they only look at those prescriptions as lost revenue like any business owner would. The article from the above poster regarding Vermont was interesting. Its amazing that if a pharmacy did this in human health, they would be probabaly be fined or put out of business for violating the Stark Laws.

 

The Stark I Amendment is a federal law that prohibits physicians from referring a Medicare patient to an entity for the furnishing of laboratory services if the physician or an immediate family member of the physician has a direct or indirect financial interest in the entity providing such services. The Stark II Amendment extends this prohibition by prohibiting physicians from referring Medicare and Medicaid patients for certain types of services known as "designated health services."** A financial interest includes an ownership interest or a compensation arrangement (the latter includes both the giving and receiving of compensation).

Ex VetCentric rep here... obviously, stark law doesn't apply to the vet industry, there is no medicare or medicaid here, and when a Dr does an Rx through VetCentric, it isn't a referral because he owns the service, is charged for the product, and he manages his profit markup... just like he does when he buys resale inventory, marks it up and sells it in-clinic. There are things I liked and disliked about VetCentric, however, much of the info on this thread isn't educating anyone.

 

It's not the markup that's in question, its the practice of paying professional dispensing fees to veterinarians for using the service. If it was just the markup, then it would be like a traditional wholesale arrangement. It's amazing that when you try to ask veterinarians why they are using VetCentric, they always dance around the issue of the dispensing fee, they know that its questionable. The practice of paying veterinarians to fill out paperwork to use a service in which both parties benefit is questionable at least. You are correct in that Stark laws originally applied to Medicare/Medicaid and lab services, but it was the basis of subsequent case law used on a state by state basis that made this practice a punsishable offense on the human side beyond Medicare/Medicaid. Also, you need to look at the state pharmacy regulations regarding human health in which the practice of paying physicians for using a service can cost you your license. You don't even have to look up case law regarding that, just ask any pharmacist and they can tell you that one by heart.

 

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It's not the markup that's in question, its the practice of paying professional dispensing fees to veterinarians for using the service. If it was just the markup, then it would be like a traditional wholesale arrangement.

(it is a traditional wholesale arrangement... the vet is charged for the product).

It's amazing that when you try to ask veterinarians why they are using VetCentric, they always dance around the issue of the dispensing fee, they know that its questionable. The practice of paying veterinarians to fill out paperwork to use a service in which both parties benefit is questionable at least.

(you mean like when a vet sends off for lab work from Antech and then turns around and charges the client with a markup included... which fits your definition of shuffling paperwork).

You are correct in that Stark laws originally applied to Medicare/Medicaid and lab services, but it was the basis of subsequent case law used on a state by state basis that made this practice a punsishable offense on the human side beyond Medicare/Medicaid. Also, you need to look at the state pharmacy regulations regarding human health in which the practice of paying physicians for using a service can cost you your license.

(looking up human health pharmacy laws in regards to the vet industry would be like me taking my dog to my MD for an examination).

You don't even have to look up case law regarding that, just ask any pharmacist and they can tell you that one by heart...

(again, what would a human-side pharmacist know about state pharmacy law in the vet industry?... nothing).

[/ QUOTE ]. You keep making references from human-side medicine in your argument. MDs don't have in-clinic pharmacies... vets do have in-clinic pharmacies... Laws that apply to MDs and human-side pharmacists don't apply to vets and vet pharmacies, so nothing that you quote applies to vet medicine. Lawyers from several different vet industry entities have looked at VetCentric and found its business model to be rock-solid legal. You need to talk to the state VMAs of CA, IL, NJ, & PA and all 50 state vet pharmacy boards, along with Merial & Novartis's lawyers because then you will be better informed.

 

Yup

 

Its complete rubbish

 

Anyone hear that VetCentric is actively looking to sell the company? Hope vets know that as part of the sale, purchasing company would have access to their clients contact information (email, etc)... Hope it's not major retailer like PetMeds or PetCareRx

 

Yes it's for sale... sold already??? I hear they have laid off a bunch of people and may be selling out to a direct to consumer retailer.

 

Agenda galore on all boards. It would be comical to watch if it wasn't so destructive.

 

VetCentric acquired by Vets First Choice?! Great move, now forms the largest, only independent provider in the space. Oh, anyone notice the news about MyVetDirect?

http://www.esecurityplanet.com/network-security/myvetdirect.com-suffers-security-breach.html

Amazing that But/Schein is still offering this unaccredited, lost leading service

Similar to the distribution space, home delivery providers are consolidating.