Skip NavigationSkip to Primary Content
New Client Center
Visitation
The hospital strongly believes family visitation of hospitalized and critical care (CC) patients is important to their recovery and well-being.
While I-20 Animal Hospital embraces the client-patient bond, our primary concern must be the overall health status and care of all hospitalized patients.
Patient visitation cannot compromise the hospital's staff's ability to meet all patients' medical needs in an efficient manner. We have developed a visitation protocol to serve as a means to provide clients an opportunity to spend time with their ill or injured pets while allowing for continued care of all patients.
Visitation Protocols
Visitation hours: 8am - 12am. If you are unable to visit during these hours, special arrangements may be arranged by the doctor and staff on duty during the requested time.
It is recommended that visits be scheduled ahead of time. This can be arranged through the CC technician or doctor on duty.
Visitation times could be altered at a moment's notice since they are dependent on your pet's and other patients' status as well as procedures or activities occurring at that particular time in the CC/treatment area - especially if another patient suddenly becomes critical and requires immediate attention and care.
Any child under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by an adult and they will be responsible for that child.
Patients who are unable to leave the Critical Care area: visits will be limited to 10 minutes every 4 hours and limited to 3 family members per visit in the CC/treatment area.
Patients able to leave the Critical Care area during visitation: visits will be limited to 30 minutes every 4 hours and is dependent upon the availability of an area other than the critical care/treatment area.
The hospital does not have the capability for clients to stay at the hospital, or with their pet, for extended periods of time or around the clock. We will strive to be as accommodating as possible. As a rule, veterinary hospitals do not have the luxury of private or semi-private rooms for their patients nor facilities for extended stays for patients' owners. If you are from out of town, other arrangements should be made to remain in the area.
Feel free to call at any time to get an update on your pet while he/she is in the hospital.
Please remember that frequent calls can decrease the amount of time available to care for your pet as well as other patients. We do request that a single person be the principal contact and have the authority to make treatment and financial decisions with the hospital. By law, we are not to give medical information to anyone other than the owner, owner's immediate family, or designated representative.
If you have any concerns with the status of your charges, you are welcome to ask at any time for an update on the current charges for treatment and care. We recommend you check on the status of your charges at least once a day. Please inform us if financial concerns do develop so that everyone is on the same page and adjustments to the treatment plan may need to be made.
From time to time when your pet's admitting doctor is not present, your pet's attending doctor may need to contact you to discuss a change of status or treatment.
On a similar note, when the patients' admitting doctor's work week has ended before a patient has been discharged from the hospital, the patient will need to be transferred to one of our other doctors for continued care. When this occurs, you will be informed by your pet's primary hospital doctor.
Because of shift changes and workweek endings, patients can have different caretakers at different times of the day and week. We all work as a team and make rounds twice daily (sometimes more often) to be current with our hospitalized patients' conditions and status.
Having multiple doctors making clinical rounds and being able to consult with one another, aids in improving patient diagnosis, treatment, and care as well. We all take pride in trying to attain the best solutions for our patients to expedite the resolution of their conditions.
With your permission, we will keep their primary/referring DVM updated while in the hospital and, or, after being discharged from the hospital. At your request, any patient may be transferred to their primary/referring DVM or specialist for continued treatment and care.
We believe open communication with all parties is vital to the hospital/doctor-client-patient relationship. Please be respectful and mindful of other patients, clients, and our staff as you would expect from them.
Always remember that the doctor and staff are attempting to give you information concerning diagnostics and treatments including the present and the future. We, as doctors, generally know what some diagnostics and treatments are in the beginning, but other items listed on the estimated treatment plan could change based on diagnostic results, changes in symptoms, and clinical response. Therefore, some of the items listed on the estimate may not appear on the final invoice. Your invoice will only have what has specifically been completed for our patient. We will always diligently try to stay within the estimated parameters or parameters allowed.
If your pet has been hospitalized and you have any concerns with the status of your charges, you are welcome to check at any time for an update on your charges for treatment and care. Our most important focus here is always to aspire to provide and deliver paramount health care and treatment our patients deserve to correct adverse health conditions and prevent adverse health conditions. With that said, you as the patient's owner will indirectly receive the same.
