A plain-English result.
Strong, Worth a closer look or Needs attention across each applicable area, with a clear explanation, not an unexplained number.
VIP MEDICINES MARGIN CHECK
Where is your
margin going?
Know what your medicines really cost. See what deserves attention. Leave with a practical next step.
Most of what a practice can recover sits in two places: rebates it is owed but may not see in full, and lines where a licensed equivalent costs materially less. The Check shows you where to look first, across how you buy, what you can see, how you dispense and what you hold in stock.
Around 5 minutes No invoices to start
Add your details at the end for your result and PDF by email.
A RESULT YOU CAN ACT ON
VIP.GROUPIndependent togetherILLUSTRATIVE RESULT
MEDICINES MARGIN CHECKYour purchasing.
Your purchasing.
A clearer picture.
Five areas. Three actions. One useful next step.
Buying termsWorth a closer look
Price visibilityNeeds attention
Dispensing marginWorth a closer look
CMA exposureNeeds attention
Stock & wasteStrong
THREE THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH
1Ask for your latest line-by-line rebate statement.
2Check one month of invoices against your agreed terms.
3Review your slowest-moving and earliest-expiring stock.
YOUR RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPA free 12-month purchase analysis
Example only. Not a practice assessment or a promise of savings.
5areas where medicines margin is won or lost
3practical actions for this month
1next step matched to your practice
FROM "I THINK" TO "I UNDERSTAND"
Clarity first.
Better decisions next.
You don't need another generic score. You need to know which parts of how your practice buys, dispenses and stocks medicines deserve a closer look, and what to do about them.
A view of your biggest lines.
Optionally compare up to five identical medicine products against eligible aggregated VIP member bands, where a reliable comparison is available.
A separate dispensing scenario.
For household-pet services, explore what changing repeat-medicine sales could mean for gross profit.
A plan you can use.
Three practical actions, one recommended next step and an emailed PDF to review with your business partner or practice manager.
A useful result doesn't always need a pound figure. Estimates appear as ranges only where there is enough supporting evidence. Unknown answers flag a need for review, not proof of overpayment.
THE WHOLE MEDICINES PICTURE
Five areas.
No blind spots.
From the terms on your next order to the stock on your shelves. The Check brings the commercial details into one clear conversation.
StrongWorth a closer lookNeeds attention
CMA exposure is shown only for household-pet services. Equine and farm-only practices skip it.
01Buying terms
Does your fee rise when your spend does?
Review how your current arrangement charges you, what share of your rebates your group keeps, when you last compared offers and when your agreement renews. A reason to review is not proof that your terms are poor.
- How your buying group is paid
- Share of rebates reaching your practice
- Comparison and renewal dates
02Price visibility
Do you get a line-by-line rebate statement every month?
Look at your highest-spend lines, how often you check invoices against agreed prices and whether your rebate statements show every manufacturer and every line.
- Your biggest lines by spend
- Invoices versus agreed prices
- A monthly, line-by-line rebate statement
03Dispensing margin
Do you know what each sale leaves behind?
Understand markup on cost, any medicines sold at or below cost and the prescription-fee rules where they apply. Your selling prices are never compared with those of other practices.
- Markup versus gross margin
- Lines sold at or below cost
- Applicable prescription-fee rules
04CMA exposure
How much depends on repeat medicines?
For household-pet services, consider medicines as a share of turnover, repeat prescribing, own-label products and written prescriptions. Equine and farm-only practices skip this area.
- Repeat-medicine dependence
- Own-label and prescription exposure
- A scenario, not a forecast
05Stock & waste
What's sitting on the shelf?
Review days of stock, expiry write-offs and how often you count. Buying better is only one part of the picture; holding the right stock matters too.
- Days of stock held
- Expiry-related write-offs
- Stock-counting routines
THE SAME PRODUCT. THE SAME BASIS.A comparison worth making.
OPTIONAL · YOUR FIVE BIGGEST LINES
Make it about
what you actually buy.
Add up to five of your highest-spend products. Where a suitable member band exists, see whether your purchasing price sits above, within or below that band.
- Same product, strength, formulation and pack size
- Consistent VAT, rebate and date basis
- No individual member or supplier net prices revealed
A reliable band matters more than a long product list. Where the evidence isn't available, the free purchase analysis is the better next step.
FOR HOUSEHOLD-PET SERVICES
The selling side
is changing.
Understand your exposure.
The CMA changes make medicines easier for clients to compare. You can't predict how every client will respond. You can understand your repeat-medicine economics and review the buying side.
If dispensing margin comes under pressure, what you pay for medicines matters more. That's where the Check starts.
Price visibility. Published price lists and parasiticide information make comparisons easier.
Prescription choices. Medicines notices, written-prescription requirements and fee caps change the conversation.
Overview for applicable businesses with 14 or fewer practices. Businesses with 15 or more have earlier deadlines. Consult the official Order and guidance for exact requirements and dates.
Read the official CMA guidance WORKED EXAMPLE · NOT YOUR PRACTICE
What if repeat-medicine
sales move elsewhere?
Move the slider to explore a hypothetical dispensing scenario.
Annual repeat-medicine cost£100,000
Markup on cost50%
Gross profit exposed in this scenario£12,500 / year
Cost × markup × share moving
Illustrative inputs, excluding VAT and using purchasing cost after rebates. Assumes the same product mix and markup on the lines moving elsewhere. Excludes changes in prescription-fee income, service costs and behaviour. A scenario, not a forecast or a savings claim.
SIMPLE TO START. USEFUL TO FINISH.
Start with what you know.
Go deeper when you're ready.
The optional product comparison is there if you want it. Your next step should fit your practice, not the other way round.
Tell us about your practice.
Ownership, role, sites and practice type put your answers in context. Corporate-owned practices are directed to official CMA information.
Review how you buy and dispense.
Answer relevant questions about buying, visibility, dispensing and stock. "Don't know" is a useful answer. Add products only if you want to.
Receive your result.
Add your details for the result and emailed PDF. Get clear explanations and three practical actions.
Choose your next move.
Book a discovery call with Ross or ask for a free 12-month purchase analysis. Ross receives a Practice Brief so you don't have to start from scratch.
Before you start
Have your site count, medicines spend band and buying arrangements in mind. No invoice is needed. Allow extra time if you want to look up exact product prices.
AFTER THE RESULT
One useful next step.
Not another sales script.
The recommendation follows your circumstances. Already in a group? Looking after several sites? Dispensing lots of repeat medicines? Start with the review that helps you most.
A discovery call with Ross.
Go through your result, your purchasing and any dispensing exposure with a vet who owned and ran his own practice for 12 years.
A free 12-month purchase analysis.
Send us a year of purchase data. We reconcile it line by line and show you what your practice would have kept as a member, from your own invoices. If the figure doesn't justify it, we'll say so.
Dr Ross M. Kelly · Veterinary surgeon & founder
Prefer to talk first? Your Practice Brief puts the context in front of Ross before the first conversation.
Your purchasing answers are yours.
They are used to prepare your result and the follow-up you choose. No other practice sees your individual answers or prices, and this is not a comparison of what other practices charge their clients.
01Who is the Check for?
Independent veterinary practice owners and managers, from single-site practices to multi-site groups. Equine, farm and mixed practices can review their purchasing and stock; the CMA questions and scenario apply only to household-pet services. If your practice is corporate-owned, use the official CMA guidance instead. Joint-venture ownership can be discussed with VIP before proceeding.
02What do I need before I start?
Around five minutes and what you already know about your practice: site count, medicines spend band, buying arrangements and rebate visibility. No invoice is needed to start. If you don't know an answer, say so. Looking up exact product prices for the optional comparison may take longer.
03Will I be asked for contact details?
At the end of the Check, you add your details to receive your result and PDF by email, and choose whether and how VIP follows up. Marketing is a separate, optional choice, not a condition of receiving your result.
04I'm already in a buying group. Is it still useful?
Yes. It helps you see your effective costs, how much of your rebates reaches your practice and the terms behind your current arrangement. Being in a buying group does not mean your terms are poor, and the Check does not assume they are.
05How does the optional product comparison work?
Choose up to five of your biggest medicine lines and enter the price you pay. Comparisons are like for like: the same product, strength, formulation, pack size and pricing basis. You only see aggregated VIP member bands, shown where supplier permission and appropriate safeguards are in place, never another practice's or a supplier's net price. Where no reliable band exists, the free purchase analysis is the next step.
06Is the result a quote or a promise of savings?
No. It is an initial assessment based on your answers. Buying estimates appear as ranges only where the evidence supports them, and the dispensing scenario is a separate what-if calculation, not a forecast.
07What happens after I get my result?
You receive three practical actions and one recommended next step: a discovery call with Ross or a free 12-month purchase analysis from your own invoices. If the figure doesn't justify membership, we'll say so. Any detailed comparison is checked by Ross or a named VIP colleague before it is sent.
08Is the Check a CMA compliance assessment?
No. It helps you think about medicines economics and relevant exposure; it is not a compliance certificate or legal advice. The CMA Order applies to household-pet veterinary services and has business-size-dependent deadlines. Always consult the official guidance, full Order and Explanatory Note for your business.
NO OBLIGATION. NO INVOICES TO START.
Around five minutes.
A clearer next step.
You don't need all the answers to begin.
That's what a useful Check is for.
"Great level of rebates with a flat rate management fee that means I get to keep far more than with my previous buying groups."
An initial assessment, not a quote or a promise of savings. Buying estimates depend on evidence; dispensing scenarios depend on stated assumptions. CMA information is general guidance, not legal advice.