For Veterinarians - Services

The specialty departments at PVSEC see new cases by referral only. Generally a referral is made by the patient's primary care veterinarian. In the case of walk-in emergencies, the PVSEC Emergency veterinarians can refer cases needing further diagnostics or specialized treatment to the PVSEC specialty practices.

PVSEC considers its clientele to be both the pet owner and their referring veterinarians. Good communication and cooperation with the referring veterinarian is essential to PVSEC's goal of offering the best patient care and customer service.

We look forward to fostering a healthy partnership with you and your staff and share your goal of providing your patients with the best quality of life. If you would like to read further about partnerships in patient care, please click here.

To refer a case for further treatment, please fax a completed patient referral form PDF (Word Doc) to our office 412-366-3489.

In order to help us serve you better, please refer to the following referral guidelines:

• Please summarize all pertinent records and supporting lab reports.
• Please inform your clients that the specialists review each referral within 24 hours.
• Referrals are scheduled based on medical priority. If the case is particularly urgent, please speak with one of the specialists directly. We are often able to expedite scheduling.
• We ask that your clients call our office to schedule a consultation. If you prefer that our receptionist call your client to schedule, please note this on the referral sheet.
  

Internal Medicine/Oncology

Consultation appointments with the internal medicine or oncology services at PVSEC include a complete review of existing medical records, thorough patient evaluation, and discussion of diagnostic and therapeutic options, including a written estimate. Delays experienced by the client can be minimized by having all records and results faxed to PVSEC in advance of the scheduled appointment. In addition, clients are asked to bring all x-rays, medications, and prescription diets to the consultation appointment. For your convenience the PVSEC referral can be downloaded and printed from this page.

Clients should follow medication instructions given to them by the referring veterinarian prior to seeing the internist/oncologist.

Diagnostic procedures are generally performed the same day as the initial consultation. Upon discharge from the hospital, the client will have the opportunity to speak with a veterinary technician who will go over discharge instructions, medications and answer any questions. If the owner has additional questions or concerns after reviewing discharge instructions, the doctor will discuss them with the owner in person or after pending test results have returned. A case summary also is provided to the referring veterinarian at the time of discharge, and test results as they become available.

When possible, patients are returned to their regular veterinarian for long-term follow-up care. Referring veterinarians are welcome to consult with the internal medicine service regarding follow-up care; however, concerns regarding prompt care and patient safety dictate that we can not provide treatment recommendations to owners whose pets are not directly under our care. If your practice is not comfortable managing the patient's follow-up care (e.g. immunosuppressive medications or chemotherapy), this should be performed through the internal medicine or oncology service.