From: joanne holland <joandvmmd@yahoo

From: joanne holland <joandvmmd@yahoo.com>
Sender: Practiceimprovement1@yahoogroups.com
Mailing-List: list Practiceimprovement1@yahoogroups.com; contact Practiceimprovement1-owner@yahoogroups.com
Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 19:25:55 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: [Practiceimprovement1] philosophy of "form physical" charges
Reply-To: Practiceimprovement1@yahoogroups.com

From the Old Vet in Drain, Oregon

I charge $85 dollars for commercial driver's physicals, and that includes a urine test, and I supply the appropriate forms, copies, and mail them in. If they drive for a company, the company pays for this. It is a few dollars more than some other MDs charge 30 miles away. However, I learned many years ago not to have the lowest charge for your services: have the second lowest charge if you want. If you have the lowest charge, you get the kind of people for whom the low cost is the only issue, and they tend not to be good clients.

I learned this after I started charging $20 to neuter a male cat in the small town I was in. I thought it was a public service at the time. I wound up with people bringing in cats that no human being had ever touched in their lives, brought by people who said " Well, I wasn't going to put any money into him, but if it is only going to cost $20.00...." Then they would release this wild cat in my office and walk out the door. One of them threw the cat into the office. I still have some scars. After I increased the fee to $30.00 these folks disappeared.

Never, never be the lowest cost professional in town.

Joanne from Drain