In January 2024, we launched the pilot program for our shiny new integration with CareCredit, a healthcare credit card that pet owners can use at locations in the CareCredit network to pay for a range of veterinary services, including routine appointments, grooming services, emergency care, surgeries, treatments, and more. The integration allows CareCredit transactions to be processed directly within ezyVet, helping busy veterinary practices save time and eliminate the risk of data entry errors.
Since the launch, hundreds of practices have deployed the integration, including Sunbury Animal Hospital, a full-service animal hospital located in the heart of Pennsylvania.
We caught up with a few members of the Sunbury Animal Hospital team to learn more about their experiences with the CareCredit integration.
Flexible payment options enable access to care
Emergency veterinary care is, by definition, unpredictable. In many cases, it’s expensive. As an emergency hospital, it’s important for Sunbury Animal Hospital to be able to provide flexible payment options to help remove some of the financial barriers to care and enable clients to address the immediate needs of their pets. One of those payment options is CareCredit.
“We’ve taken CareCredit payments for a long time - it’s really well-known in this area,” said Sunbury Animal Hospital Executive Director Jamie Doering. “Being an emergency hospital, many of our clients are looking for alternative ways to pay. Most of our clients know about CareCredit, and I would say that we have about two clients each month who apply for CareCredit through us.”
In the past, processing CareCredit transactions was a largely manual process. Staff would have to open up the CareCredit website, log in, search for the pet owner’s CareCredit account, type in the payment information, process the payment, and then mark the invoice as paid in ezyVet. The workflow was inconvenient, slow, and prone to human error.
It was such an annoyance, in fact, that it sparked a lively conversation during a team meeting in early 2024, with staff lamenting the fact that there wasn’t a better process. However, in an oddly serendipitous turn of events, a solution was just around the corner.
“We had a lengthy discussion at a staff meeting about CareCredit,” recalled Jamie. “And, no lie, I think it was either that afternoon or the next morning, I got the email about the integration."
For Sunbury Animal Hospital, the integration was the perfect fit. Setup was straightforward and learning how to use the integration was a breeze. Tracy said it took her “about five minutes” to read the training email, and getting other members of the team up to speed on the integration has been similarly simple.
Integration saves hospital 4 minutes per CareCredit transaction
Enabling the CareCredit integration means that Sunbury Animal Hospital can now add CareCredit as an integrated payment method within ezyVet, eliminating the need to open separate browser windows. The team can stay logged into CareCredit, look up client accounts, and process transactions directly inside ezyVet.
According to Tracy Rudd, Director of Client Finance at Sunbury Animal Hospital, the integration saves “at least four to five minutes” on each CareCredit transaction, allowing staff to spend less time on manual data entry and more time with patients and clients. With CareCredit transactions accounting for about 12% of the hospital’s total sales, the integration has the potential to save hours of admin time every single month, while contributing significantly to the hospital’s overall revenue.
While the integration has changed the way Sunbury Animal Hospital processes CareCredit payments, the core benefits of CareCredit continue to revolve around care. Offering a flexible payment option encourages pet owners to seek immediate care for their animals. This, in turn, contributes to better treatment outcomes, as prompt intervention can prevent conditions from worsening and improve the chances of successful recovery.
“CareCredit allows our clients to be able to go ahead with the care that we’re recommending. They can proceed with surgery or get more diagnostic work than they would have if they didn't have CareCredit. It provides access to care in situations where it would otherwise be impossible,” said Tracy.
Enable the CareCredit integration
Ready to save time on your CareCredit transactions and eliminate manual errors?
As of mid-February 2024, the CareCredit integration is now available for all US-based ezyVet customers. It’s free to use, easy to learn, and only takes a couple of minutes to set up.
Check out the CareCredit integration page to learn more!