Pet owner complaint talking points and process
This SOP will explain the process and responsibilities for how a pet owner complaint is submitted and how to properly respond to the complaint. The SOP will also address who has access to the complaints and how they are properly tracked.
Responsibility:
The MX Specialists and Accreditation Specialists have a responsibility to understand how pet owner complaints are submitted and addressed. The MX Specialists and Accreditations Specialists will instruct the pet owner how to properly submit a complaint and inform them that complaints cannot be submitted via a phone call.
All submitted pet owner complaints are reviewed by the Policies and Procedures set forth by AAHA bylaws and the Membership Audit and Control committee (MACC).
Script Templates:
The following scripts/templates can be utilized when a member calls and wishes to submit a pet owner complaint against an Accredited practice:
First and foremost, you will need to determine if the practice is an AAHA Accredited practice:
We are very sorry to hear about your experience at Shingle Springs Veterinary Clinic. AAHA only accepts complaints against AAHA-accredited practices. Our records show that Shingle Springs Veterinary Clinic is not an AAHA-accredited practice; although AAHA cannot process your complaint you may submit your experience with the Veterinary State Board where you reside.
NOTE: You are allowed to tell the caller whether the practice they are inquiring about is accredited or not, but no other information is to be shared.
General response(s):
Thank you for your feedback regarding one of our accredited practices, we are very sorry to hear about your experience at (enter name of practice here). I too am a pet parent and understand the close bond that pet owners share with their pets.
AAHA is happy to review your complaint, our policy for reviewing complaints is that they must be submitted online via our website, aaha.org. There is a portion of our website dedicated for individuals to contact AAHA. Therefore, I am unable to process your complaint over the phone. You can provide full details of the situation online and each complaint is handled with the utmost sincerity and respect. All pet owner complaints are reviewed by our internal committee comprised of credentialed veterinary technicians and handled consistency in accordance with AAHA bylaws.
AAHA addresses complaints if and only if an AAHA-accredited practice has violated a mandatory standard within the AAHA Standards of Accreditation. We are a voluntary association and do not have any regulatory standard. Since we are not an investigative agency, we cannot take disciplinary action against a veterinarian’s license. We strive to uphold standards of veterinary excellence, but we do not instruct veterinarians how to practice medicine.
TIP: You may sympathize with the caller but do not become overly emotional, otherwise you will never get off the phone. Remain firm in your answer and reiterate that AAHA is a nonregulatory and voluntary organization. The best way to proceed is our complaint policy. If the caller becomes heated or aggressive, reiterate they are welcome to submit their complaint via our online process and it will be addressed by AAHA policy. Thank them for their call and hang up.
Here is a list of Veterinary State Board Websites:
https://www.avma.org/advocacy/state-and-local-advocacy/veterinary-state-board-websites
where you can look up that contact information. If you still feel like your complaint meets the criteria for a mandatory standard violation, click here to access the pet owner complaint portal.
https://ams.aaha.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=aaha&webcode=HospFeedback
If they want to submit the complaint anonymously:
It is a basic tenet of our justice system that the accused has the right to know his or her accuser; as such, our members have the right to know the identity of the complainant. Therefore, complaints cannot be submitted anonymously.
If they want access to the standards:
AAHA is the only outside, independent organization that accredits veterinary hospitals. As the
foundation of our Association and our accreditation program, the AAHA Standard of Accreditation are copyrighted material. As such, they are only available to veterinarians and staff associated with veterinary hospitals and are not released to the public.
If you feel the need to submit a complaint against one of our accredited practices, I can assure you that every complaint is handled in a consistent manner in accordance with our bylaws. Each matter is dealt with the utmost respect and severity.
Here is our policy for submitting a complaint…..
Common objections:
What do you mean you don’t accredit individuals? Isn’t the whole hospital staff *made* of
individuals?
We do not accredit individual veterinarians because our accreditation system is an umbrella membership that benefits the entire team at the practice. The practice itself has met or exceeded stringent quality standards in all aspects of veterinary medicine from pain management to medical record keeping.
Complaints about their pet’s medical records not being released to them AAHA is not a regulatory organization, we do not have the ability to make a facility release any patient medical records. I understand that this type of situation can be frustrating and in order to find a
resolution to this you would need to contact your Veterinary State Board.
Customer Complaint:
They just weren’t very professional/are ghosting me/the receptionist is being a gatekeeper, etc...
Response:
We appreciate your feedback regarding one of our accredited practices and we’re sorry to hear your experience did not meet your expectations. AAHA practices remain committed to continual
improvement, and we have found that direct feedback about an interaction such as this allows the practice the best ability to understand and correct any perceived behavior. Due to this understanding, AAHA does not address complaints regarding personality conflicts or perceived rude behavior.
Customer Complaint:
Aren’t you the BBB of vet medicine?
Response:
AAHA is a voluntary and non-regulatory body and therefore, it is up to the practice to determine what information they wish to make public. We do not regulate medical decisions or diagnosis. We recommend contacting the Veterinary State Board where you reside if you wish to submit a formal complaint.
Provisional talking points:
Provisional status is a temporary membership status within AAHA. The members are still accredited with AAHA; however, they are removed from the AAHA hospital locator. If you wish to submit a complaint regarding this accredited member, please contact petownercomplaints@aaha.org.
NOTE: If the pet owner continues to ask questions, you may tell them that it is confidential informationthat you are not at liberty to disclose. They are still accredited by the American Animal Hosptial Association and will address your complaint once it has been received.
Please do NOT state any of the reasons for provisional status with the caller as that is private knowledge between AAHA and the practice.
If there is a logo issue:
Thank you for bringing this to AAHA’s attention. I can confirm that Shingle Springs Veterinary Clinic is no longer accredited with the American Animal Hospital Association. That said, we will address this matter with the practice, and it will be handled accordingly.
NOTE: Please refrain from stating this is a logo violation as this may spur the pet owner. Simply thank them for bringing this to our attention and AAHA will address it.
Procedure once submitted:
Once your complaint is submitted online, it will be reviewed per the policies and guidelines set forth by AAHA. AAHA addresses complaints if and only if an AAHA-accredited practice has violated a mandatory standard within the AAHA Standards of Accreditation.
The Association takes complaints against our AAHA-Accredited hospitals very seriously and we can assure you it will be handled in accordance with the utmost sincerity and respect. The committee who handles these delicate situations will be in touch.
Procedure (for internal knowledge):
• The only way pet owner complaints are to be submitted is through aaha.org
o When complaints are called in, verify the practice is accredited and then update the
MACC tracking sheet for tracking purposes. Here is the link for the Tracking Document
o If a complaint is sent though snail mail, verify the practice is accredited and then update
the MACC tracking sheet for tracking purposes
NOTE: we do not process snail mail complaints but will track those for the Board
report
• Before they can access the complaint form, they must enter the state and city of the hospital to
verify it’s an AAHA-accredited hospital. This is tied in with the hospital locator so only
accredited hospitals will pull up and let them complete the complaint form. If it’s not an AAHAaccredited hospital, they will not have access to the complaint form
• Once the form is completed online it is submitted electronically to Pet Owner Complaint email
address within Outlook
• MACC liaison, Hana Delaney and the Director of the Accreditation team have access to this
mailbox
• An auto email will be sent to them letting them know their complaint has been received and will be reviewed within 30 day