father in pattaya memorial hospital...need advice

[pumpjack]

our dads been admitted to pattaya memorial hospital, he fell 3 -4 day ago cut his leg, turned to infection and he went to hospital and told them that it was due to " him falling " 

he has insurance through his nationwide bank.

insurance are not paying though ,   insurance have stated that if he signs himself out     ( he cant as he is 28 stone ,  74 years old and he is delirious and incoherrant )   so he is left there ,  he is currently paying from his credit card approx 700 uk pounds per day .  though this money will run out , i think he has 1000 more pounds in his account. 

 

doctors are saying that infection has spread but they giving him treatment for it and he has cellulitis in legs.  he needs wait untill meds start kicking in and they monitor for at least further 3 days .   family members have told insurance company that he cannot make anymore payments for treatment fees but insurance has apparently said if he signs himself out they are not paying.   plus doctor sent medical form to insurer to state that he had cellilitis but this was not the case, he went to hospital for an infection as he fell and cut his leg.   he had past history of cellulitis 4-5 years ago but it went away.  

 

so , due to not being able to sign out himself ,     not that he can what will be likely scenario ?      will hospital turf him out when they know he has no money ?   would embassy help ? ( doubt it )

  

family no money to pay hospital costs £700 a day .     im helping all i can  but bear in mind he needs fly back home buiness class maybe and ill need pay his flight plus i need pay my own flight back over there on monday to help him out from hospital etc.   i just returned from thailand 10 days ago and ill surely be fired from my company now also .

Edited November 4, 2017 by pumpjack

[Sheryl]

I do not follow what the reason is that the insurer is not paying? You say "insurance has apparently said if he signs himself out they are not paying" Of course not, no insurer does, but why will they not pay if he stays in the hospital? . Please explain that and also state where the policy is issued from so I can refer you to appropriate complain channel.

 

You say: "doctor sent medical form to insurer to state that he had cellulitis but this was not the case, he went to hospital for an infection as he fell and cut his leg.   he had past history of cellulitis 4-5 years ago but it went away. "  He does have cellulitis, that is what it is called when  the tissue gets infected regardless of whether the infection resulted from  a cut, fall or whatever. . From what you describe he may also have septicemia, which is very serious and potentially fatal. The form the hospital sent to the insurer was correct.

 

Embassy will not help.

 

What happens when someone cannot pay their bill is usually that the hospital will transfer them to a public (government) hospital. However they will do that only after they have given up all hope of being paid, first they will try every possible means to extract payment including refusing to discharge or transfer the patient (even if no well enough to go home). And for every day they hold the patient, the bill goers further upo, so it is highly desirable to tarnsfer out of a private hospital before it gets to that point.

 

It is a little hard to advise when I don't understand the status of insurance payment - apparently the insurance company has received forms from the hospital. Why have they refused to pay then? And also, why has he been paying himself by credit card when he has insurance that should be billed? That was the initial mistake, should never have paid but rather insisted the hospital; deal with the insurance company (and, if they were unwilling to do so, transfer to a government hospital).

 

Since he has apparently paid his bill to date, and it is unclear when or if the insurance company will reimburse him (and why), best advice I can give is to have him transferred to a government hospital, quickly before he has wracked up unpaid bills (which might lead to the hospital refusing to transfer him until settled). Since it sounds like he may have progressed to  septicemia (based on now being delirious, and doctors saying infection has spread) I suggest either the Red Cross Hospital in Sri Racha  or  the provincial hospital in Chonburi town. Of the two the first is better. This will rapidly reduce the daily charges and there should be no problem with the insurance company for a simple transfer from one hospital to another.

http://www.somdej.or.th/ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pumpjack]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

I do not follow what the reason is that the insurer is not paying? You say "insurance has apparently said if he signs himself out they are not paying" Of course not, no insurer does, but why will they not pay if he stays in the hospital? . Please explain that and also state where the policy is issued from so I can refer you to appropriate complain channel.

 

You say: "doctor sent medical form to insurer to state that he had cellulitis but this was not the case, he went to hospital for an infection as he fell and cut his leg.   he had past history of cellulitis 4-5 years ago but it went away. "  He does have cellulitis, that is what it is called when  the tissue gets infected regardless of whether the infection resulted from  a cut, fall or whatever. . From what you describe he may also have septicemia, which is very serious and potentially fatal. The form the hospital sent to the insurer was correct.

 

Embassy will not help.

 

What happens when someone cannot pay their bill is usually that the hospital will transfer them to a public (government) hospital. However they will do that only after they have given up all hope of being paid, first they will try every possible means to extract payment including refusing to discharge or transfer the patient (even if no well enough to go home). And for every day they hold the patient, the bill goers further upo, so it is highly desirable to tarnsfer out of a private hospital before it gets to that point.

 

It is a little hard to advise when I don't understand the status of insurance payment - apparently the insurance company has received forms from the hospital. Why have they refused to pay then? And also, why has he been paying himself by credit card when he has insurance that should be billed? That was the initial mistake, should never have paid but rather insisted the hospital; deal with the insurance company (and, if they were unwilling to do so, transfer to a government hospital).

 

Since he has apparently paid his bill to date, and it is unclear when or if the insurance company will reimburse him (and why), best advice I can give is to have him transferred to a government hospital, quickly before he has wracked up unpaid bills (which might lead to the hospital refusing to transfer him until settled). Since it sounds like he may have progressed to  septicemia (based on now being delirious, and doctors saying infection has spread) I suggest either the Red Cross Hospital in Sri Racha  or  the provincial hospital in Chonburi town. Of the two the first is better. This will rapidly reduce the daily charges and there should be no problem with the insurance company for a simple transfer from one hospital to another.

http://www.somdej.or.th/ 

hi

   thankyou very much for your very informative reply,  im getting mixed messages from family who have tried speak with him on whatsaap.  hes delirious and they cant get much sense from him,  family seem to think that he has paid himself untill now. 

nationwide bank insurance is reluctant to speak to family members,  and hospital has not confirmed who is now paying the bill. 

i think i need fly back over there on monday .  though i will have a massive problem even moving him as he is 25 stone or more  and even british airways may not let him fly .  he has flight booked to return to uk on wed / thurs this week .

 

my cousin has emailed and talked to british airways today to ask can they hold or put back his flight untill he is better but they said they need talk with him direct, cousin has said he is delirious and cant talk so how can they possbly talk with him direct.

 

nightmare. 

 

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sheryl]

It does not sound like your father can safely fly, nor that the airlines would allow him to. They will require a medical certificate stating he is fit to fly and you will not be able to get it.

 

I cannot stress enough how dangerous his situation may be, If he has sepsis, even a one day interruption in his care could kill him.

 

Transfer to the government hospital mentioned is the best option. In addition to being much less expensive it also has much better facilities for something like this.

 

Regarding airline, just get a letter from the hospital stating he is a patient there and too ill to fly, and send them scanned copy. That will resolve that matter. Same letter can also be used to extend his visa if necessary - do not forget that issue or he may incur overstay fine.

 

His weight is not barrier to being transferred to another hospital. Ambulance and hospital staff on both ends will see to that.

[al007]

So sad, so scary, I feel great pain on your behalf

 

700 per day rip off

 

I assume you refer to Nationwide Building Society in the UK

 

Generally UK bank insurance is often subcontracted out, Lloyds use AXA, find our who handles their emergency situations, it may well be AXA shits of the first order

 

Try and have any calls recorded, get next of kin to call they are legally bound to talk to them 

 

Make sure you have the name of the person you are talking too

 

Tell them you want formal complaint file opened, with FCA, ask if they are recording the call if they say yes say please keep, if they say no then ask they do tell them you are recording it

 

Normally they will accept reverse charge calls

 

Make sure no one signs any papers the hospital wants, he is at least in there

 

Do not expose yourself or others to guarantee claims being made

 

I am sending you by PM my tel no if you want to call I will do my best to assist

 

I am a UK retired Chartered Accountant and amongst many things used to sell insurance to expats

 

My thoughts are with you

 

 

[pumpjack]

thanks very much for your help on this matter to both of you, really appreciated !!