The U.S. Army Public Health Command has temporarily suspended routine surgeries on pets at all military veterinary clinics in a move designed to increase revenue and return the clinics to their main function of providing basic physicals and sick call hours for privately owned animals.
The command, which assumed responsibility two years ago for all military veterinary clinics on Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps installations, informed facility chiefs Oct. 15 of the decision to temporarily halt surgical care such as spaying, neutering, dental work, tumor removals and other surgeries as of Nov. 1.
Army Lt. Col. Matt Takara, USAPHC animal medicine program manager, said veterinary offerings on many military bases have grown in the last several years from basic medical care like vaccinations and routine appointments to nearly full-service hospitals.
The expansion has forced clinics to hire more civilian providers and reduce the number of routine appointments available, since surgeries take more time to conduct.
The change has cut into the clinics’ bottom line, Takara said. As nonappropriated fund facilities that do not receive taxpayer support, the clinics rely on revenues from routine exams to cover basic operating expenses, and in the time that most clinics perform surgeries, they could provide appointments to 50 or 60 animals.
On the other hand, surgeries have been done at cost.
“[This will] greatly increase the number of service members and families we provide support to within our military communities and generate the profits required to cover our basic operating expenses,” Takara said.
The surgery ban is expected to stay in effect for several months; Takara declined to provide a date for when they might resume.
About 100 of roughly 150 clinics perform surgical procedures, officials said.
Also effective Nov. 1, clinics raised their prices to $35 from $25 for a basic exam and increased prices for over-the-counter products such as flea and tick medications and heartworm pills.
Even with those increases, most veterinary clinics on base will remain a relative bargain compared with civilian veterinary hospitals, which charge from $50 upward to $300 for annual checkups, depending on location.
“It’s important to remember that ... our prices for care are lower than the civilian sector in many locations,” Takara said.
USAPHC has not tracked the number of surgeries performed on pets at on-base veterinary clinics but has recently started using electronic medical records that will allow the command to monitor treatment and care at facilities.
Military veterinarians have a dual mission — to provide veterinary care to military working animals and protect military bases from animal-borne illnesses, and oversee food safety and inspection at on-base dining facilities and commissaries.
According to Takara, USAPHC has hired 100 new personnel in the past year for the veterinary mission and has roughly 700 nonappropriated employees, including health technicians, veterinarians, operations assistants and clerks.
Takara said the changes are designed to ensure that on-base veterinary clinics can continue to provide the valuable care military families have come to expect.
“While we strive to keep our prices as low as possible, we must generate enough revenue to cover our operating costs. These changes are occurring globally, but our goal is to increase access to care and provide more wellness and sick call appointments to our military families’ pets,” he said.
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