We are Voices
for the Voiceless
And our voices are pretty loud…
We are VETERINARY MALPRACTICE CONSULTANTS, a coalition of experienced consultants in the fields of community advocacy and veterinary care. We work together to give beloved pets a voice. We guide others through a process that is foreign to most.
We were born from the growing needs of the nation’s largest Veterinary Malpractice 501(c)3 nonprofit — Joey’s Legacy — who could no longer handle the increasing demand for veterinary case reviews. We still work closely with Joey’s Legacy and adhere to the high standards they created.
We hope that you never have a need for our services (how often do you hear a company say that?!) but if you do, we are here and READY TO RESPOND. We offer a FREE recommendation review of your records.
Values that lead us at VMC
01
We cannot truly make things whole again but we do strive to bring comfort and understanding with a thorough examination and review of the situation, clearing up miscommunications or identifying negligence and malpractice. We are the voice for the voiceless.
02
We strive to shine the spotlight on those who live and practice with honesty and moral principles; however, we turn that light on even brighter to those who choose the opposite path. No more hiding in the shadows with a lack of consequences for those who choose the easy way out.
03
Ok…yes, we can come up with several other synonyms for Truth like sincerity, honesty, genuineness (and yes we know we already listed Truth) but we cannot stress enough how important exposing the truth is to us. TRUTH, SO IMPORTANT WE HAD TO LIST IT TWICE!
Scott Fine
THE FIRST 60 YEARS OF MY LIFE were uneventful with all of my pet companions. I had never heard of veterinary malpractice in any form until my wife and I sadly experienced it directly ourselves. It changed our lives and Joey’s Legacy was formed in our sweet boy’s memory.
For the next 6 years our help to others has grown and grown to the point that Joey’s Legacy could no longer handle the demand. We were advised to create a partner company that would take over the responsibility of reviewing veterinary records and helping others throughout the process while still closely following the values established by Joey’s Legacy. VMC is that entity and welcomes well-vetted veterinarians to our expert group. This expansion allows us to assist even more pet parents who have suffered the horror of dealing with veterinary practice below the standard of care.
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Note: For your convenience, your subscription is shared with our partner Joey Legacy’s. You can find out more about our non-profit partner HERE. And of course, you can unsubscribe at any time. Joey’s Legacy provides breaking industry news and monthly newsletters, which are too great to miss out on. We promise you do not hear from us too often. We would never, ever sell your information.
By law, you are entitled to receive your companion animal’s medical records within a reasonable period of time — typically three business days. Beware of excuses as to why you can’t have them or that there will be a delay. For example, “the doctor is out of town,” “the records need to be reviewed before we give them to you,” “we don’t keep those kinds of records” and many others. Typically, professionally operated offices will not hesitate to provide you with a copy of the records. They have nothing to hide.
When you meet resistance, consider that to be a red flag (in most cases) that there is more going on than what meets the eye. Unfortunately, when a practice realizes they may be under investigation for negligence or malpractice, they will hesitate to provide records and may actually falsify records in an attempt to cover up their malpractice. Sadly, we see this too often.
If you do not already have your records, and if possible, we suggest you visit the location where the records are kept. We understand that may be difficult in light of what just happened. Perhaps a relative or friend could obtain the records for you. In any case, be very even-tempered and unemotional, to the extent you are able, when requesting and obtaining those records. You are legally entitled to them, and don’t allow yourself to be told otherwise.
Once you have the records in hand, find a quiet area (i.e., in your car) to review the records. To the best of your ability, make sure the records are complete and accurate before you leave the premises, and that they reflect information supporting your claim of negligence or malpractice. For example, if the vet told you verbally that a surgical knot came loose and caused internal bleeding but that information is not reflected in the medical records, you should advise the staff that the records are incomplete. Taking care of these issues before you leave the vet’s office will make your records review with our veterinarian move along faster and provide an accurate opinion letter to use for the legal action part of the process.
If you obtain records by email or other method (not in person), please follow the same process. Review records and contact the veterinarian’s office if you find missing information. Ask them to send your revised records so that you can continue with the rest of the process.
Legal action is going to require a Certificate of Merit before starting any case. We have independent veterinarians who review your case and all your documents, including the medical records you gathered from all the veterinary facilities that provided services and your Client Testimonial Statement (see below). If our veterinary team finds negligence or malpractice after reviewing your case, they will write an opinion letter (also known as a “Certificate of Merit” depending on the state you are in). Medical records and your testimony are critical to ensuring an accurate opinion letter. In order to further ensure accuracy, we will have one of our veterinarians of your choosing review your case and determine whether there was a breach(es) in the standard of care provided by the practitioners. Cost for our review and a resulting opinion letter is drastically less than the $450 an hour with $3,000 retainer outside consultants in the public market may ask to proceed with a case. We hope this helps provide a means to get the answers you are seeking. We are able to offer this discount through our partnership with our 501(c)3 nonprofit partner, Joey’s Legacy.
Our veterinarians are highly experienced and have expertise in many areas of veterinary medicine, including specialties such as surgical trauma, exotic animals, cancer, and equines. We want to cover all bases and make sure nothing is missed. If negligence or malpractice is found, then your Opinion Letter should be presented to the attorney of your choice or we can refer you to some attorneys in your area. Our advocates are happy to speak with you and can make introductions and referrals, if you need to learn about other legal options.
So what can you do with your opinion letter? Everyone’s case and circumstances are unique, so we can not guarantee a specific usage, as there are too many variables outside of our control. Most attorneys will require a certificate of merit/opinion letter before they will take on a case. For example, you may be able to take this letter to small claims court or use it to dispute a credit or debit card charge. Generally, 85% of all cases settle out of court when an opinion letter exists. There may be an opportunity for punitive damages for fraud if you can prove the veterinarian falsified records or committed other acts of fraud. Please discuss this, and any other circumstances of your case, with your attorney.
