UK's Competition and Markets Authority caps vet prescription fees at £21
Change
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority capped written veterinary prescription fees at £21 for the first medicine and £12.50 for additional medicines and ordered practices to publish comprehensive price lists for standard services.
Why it matters
Veterinary practices are now required to disclose prices and ownership status, and to provide written cost estimates for treatments expected to cost £500 or more, narrowing their ability to bill without prior cost disclosure except in emergencies. Price and ownership data must be supplied into the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' 'Find a Vet' service for use by third-party comparison sites, making fee opacity harder to maintain.
Implications
- • Veterinary practice owners and managers must publish comprehensive price lists that include ownership status and a prescription fee schedule aligned with the caps or face enforcement by the Competition and Markets Authority.
- • Veterinary reception and billing teams must provide a written estimate in advance for any treatment forecast to cost £500 or more, including aftercare and an itemised bill, or register non-compliance that can trigger regulatory action.
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Source
Topics
Policy & Regulation Regulatory Actions Compliance Markets Healthcare Systems