How We Source Pricing
VetCostIQ pricing data comes from four sources, each with a confidence tier: Hospital-Published (Tier 1 — published directly by clinics), Invoice-Verified (Tier 2 — extracted from real pet owner invoices), State Average (Tier 3 — calculated from invoice data within a state), and National Average (Tier 4 — calculated from all invoice data nationwide). Each price is labeled with its source so you know exactly how reliable it is.
Hospital-Published | Tier 1 → Hospital admins publish prices directly from their dashboard → highest confidence |
Invoice-Verified | Tier 2 → AI OCR extracts line items from real pet owner invoices → mapped to standard procedures |
State Average | Tier 3 → Calculated from all invoice data within a state → benchmark for comparison |
National Average | Tier 4 → Calculated from all invoice data nationwide → broadest benchmark |
1Invoice-Verified (Tier 2)
When a pet owner uploads their vet invoice, our AI OCR system extracts line items and prices. These are mapped to standard procedures using keyword matching and procedure code lookups. Each invoice-verified price includes the date it was observed and the source (invoice ID). The invoice image is deleted immediately after processing — only structured text data is retained. Invoice-verified prices are the most reliable source of real-world pricing.
2Hospital-Published (Tier 1)
Hospitals can publish their own prices directly through their dashboard using the Pricing Manager. These are the highest confidence tier because they come straight from the clinic. However, they may not reflect the final billed amount after discounts or additional fees. Hospital-published prices are labeled "Hospital-Reported" on the profile.
3State Average (Tier 3)
When no invoice or published data is available for a specific hospital, we show state averages. These are calculated from all invoice-verified data within that state, per procedure. State averages are generated by the State Benchmarks admin tool and are clearly labeled as estimates. Local markets can vary significantly from state averages.
4National Average (Tier 4)
National averages are calculated from all invoice data nationwide. They're the broadest benchmark and should be used only when no state or local data is available. Prices can vary significantly by region — a national average may not reflect your local market at all.
5No Unauthorized Scraping
VetCostIQ does not scrape prices from hospital websites without permission. All pricing data is either contributed by pet owners (invoices), published by hospitals (Pricing Manager), or calculated as a benchmark average from contributed data. The AI enrichment tool does read hospital websites for services and staff, but not for pricing — pricing is only added through the Pricing Manager or invoice uploads.
Pro Tips
- •Look for the "Invoice-Verified" badge for the most reliable pricing data.
- •State averages are useful for budgeting but may not reflect your local market.
- •The more invoices the community shares, the more accurate our data becomes.
- •Prices can vary significantly by pet size, age, and condition — always get a quote.
- •Hospital-published prices are Tier 1 but may not include all fees — check reviews for hidden-fee flags.