treatment-plan-estimate

# Treatment Plan Estimate Skill The hardest conversation in a vet practice is money, and avoiding it hurts everyone — the owner feels ambushed by the bill, the pet gets under-treated, the practice eats the loss. This skill builds a plan with honest options at different price points and frames the estimate so the owner can choose with full information and no shame. ## Working from a brief Given the presentation and the recommended workup/treatment, **produce the full plan and estimate** — offer tiered options, use plain owner-facing language, and label cost figures as estimate ranges to be confirmed by the practice. Never diagnose beyond the information given or state prices as exact. ## Required Inputs Ask for (if not provided, else infer and label): - **The patient** (species, age, presenting problem) and the **recommended diagnostics/treatment** - **Practice pricing** (or a note to fill from the fee schedule) and typical ranges - **Owner context if known** — budget sensitivity, attachment, prior decisions ## Output Format ### The plan, in plain language What's going on (or what we need to find out), and why each step is recommended — jargon translated for the owner. ### Tiered options | Tier | What it includes | Why | Estimated cost (range) | |---|---|---|---| | **Recommended** (gold standard) | full workup/treatment | best outcome/certainty | | | **Acceptable alternative** | the pragmatic middle | good care within constraints | | | **Minimum / palliative** | comfort + essentials | when budget is tight or prognosis guarded | | Line items with ranges; note what could change the total (findings, complications). ### The money conversation How to present it with empathy: normalize asking about cost, present options without judgment, avoid pressure, and offer any payment options/financing the practice supports. Make clear a "no" to the top tier is a valid, respected choice. ### Consent & next step What the owner is agreeing to, the deposit/authorization, and the decision point (what happens if findings change the plan mid-procedure). ## Quality Checks - [ ] At least two tiers are offered (not a single take-it-or-leave-it number) - [ ] Medical rationale is in plain, owner-friendly language - [ ] Costs are honest ranges with what could change them, labeled as estimates - [ ] The framing is empathetic and pressure-free; declining the top tier is respected - [ ] Consent and the mid-procedure "if findings change" decision point are covered - [ ] No exact-price claims or diagnoses beyond the information provided ## Anti-Patterns - One expensive plan with no alternative (owner declines everything or feels trapped) - Vet jargon the owner can't act on - Hiding or downplaying cost until the invoice - Guilt or pressure ("if you loved your pet…") - Stating estimates as fixed prices - No plan for when intra-op findings change the scope and cost