Survey Results: Economic Impact On Patient Care In GA

228 Georgia veterinarians participated in a survey by the Stanton Foundation (and received Amazon gift cards) on the impact of finances on patient care. The goal of the survey is to identify conditions and treatment options which are most impacted by client finances to find solutions which will help Georgia pets in need.

I. Overview of Preliminary Survey Results – Georgia

The following tables show the top 5 conditions/diseases/medication classes by mean rating for each question, as of Nov. 30.

Scoring Key 
Very Frequently4
Frequently3
Occasionally2
Rarely1
N/A0

Question 1: “Conditions Leading to Economic Euthanasia”

Conditions/DiseasesMean
Cancer3.118
Chronic Kidney Disease2.623
Major Trauma2.439
Behavioral Issues2.434
Heart Disease2.316

Question 2: “For which medication classes do you prescribe differently due to client’s financial situation?”

Conditions/DiseasesMean
Atopic Medications2.636
Antibiotics2.404
Anti-inflammatory2.228
Analgesics2.013
Cardiac Drugs1.991

*Note on Question 2: When analyzing trends in the data for Question 2: “Medications” it is important to recognize the specific wording of the question. The question asks when does the participant “prescribe differently due to the clients’ financial limitations.” This means for medication classes with few substitutes (e.g. monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy drugs) the high number of ‘N/A’ scores corresponds with a low overall mean since we consider an N/A as a zero.

Question 3: “Conditions for which referral is declined for financial reasons?”

Conditions/DiseasesMean
Cancer3.044
Behavioral Issues2.794
Cataracts2.702
Intervertebral Disc Disease2.588
Atopy2.504


Bottom 25% of Respondents by Median Household Income[1] – Georgia

[1] Median Household Income is determined by the Zip code of their practice using 2018 census data.

Question 1: “Conditions Leading to Economic Euthanasia”

Conditions/DiseasesFrequently %
Cancer79%
Major Trauma64%
Chronic Kidney Disease57%
Heart Disease46%
Osteoarthritis46%
Fractures Requiring Surgical Int.45%
Parvovirus43%
Behavioral Issues41%

Question 2: “For which medication classes do you prescribe differently due to client’s financial situation?”

Conditions/DiseasesFrequently %
Atopic Medications66%
Antibiotics48%
Anti-inflammatory41%

Question 3: “Conditions for which referral is declined for financial reasons”

Conditions/DiseasesFrequently %
Cancer80%
Behavioral Issues66%
Fractures Requiring Surgical Int.64%
Cataracts64%
Intervertebral Disc Disease64%
Cranial Cruciate Injury63%
Major Trauma61%
Heart Disease54%
Atopy52%
Seizures50%
Chronic Gastrointestinal Disease50%
Cushing’s Disease48%
Chronic Kidney Disease46%
Immune Mediated Blood Diseases45%
Parvovirus43%
Addison’s Disease41%

The table below shows the overlap in conditions/diseases from the Question 1 and Question 3 tables above. These 7 conditions represent the conditions that most frequently create cost barriers to clients living in areas with the lowest median household incomes.

Conditions/Diseases
Cancer
Major Trauma
Chronic Kidney Disease
Heart Disease
Fractures Requiring Surgical Intervention
Parvovirus
Behavioral Issues

II. Survey Respondents

Survey Distribution by Zip code of Respondents’ Practice – Georgia

III. Appendix

a. Survey Questions
Question 1: “Conditions Leading to Economic Euthanasia”
How often do you encounter each of the following common canine conditions that are likely to result in “economic euthanasia” due to the clients’ financial limitations?
Question 2: “For which medication classes do you prescribe differently due to client’s financial situation?”
How often do you prescribe differently due to the clients’ financial limitations, for each of the following medication classes?
Question 3: “Conditions for which referral is declined for financial reasons”


For the following canine conditions, please rate how frequently clients decline a referral due to financial limitations.

b. Conditions/Diseases/Medication Classes Word Bank
Conditions/Diseases
• Addison’s Disease
• Atopy
• Behavioral Issues
• Cancer
• Cataracts
• Chronic Gastrointestinal Disease
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Cranial Cruciate Injury
• Cushing’s Disease
• Dental Disease
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Diarrhea
• Ear Infections
• External Parasites
• Fractures Requiring Surgical Intervention
• Heart Disease
• Heartworm
• Immune Mediated Blood Disease
• Intervertebral Disc Disease
• Kennel Cough
• Major Trauma
• Obesity
• Osteoarthritis
• Parvovirus
• Pyometra
• Seizures
• Skin Diseases
• Urinary Tract Infections
• Urolithiasis

Medication Classes
• Analgesics
• Anti Inflammatories
• Anti Parasitics
• Antibiotics
• Antifungals
• Atopic Medications
• Cardiac Drugs
• Chemotherapy Drugs
• Immunosuppressives
• Monoclonal Antibodies