Private hospitals overcharging ‘unreasonably’

[Oxx]

37 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Why would you guess I haven't?

 

I have plenty of business and management consulting and personal business experience to make the points I raised.

 

 

Because if you were remotely competent in the "business and management consulting and personal business experience" that you claim to have, well you'd have come to a totally different conclusion.

[KhunFred]

My, what a surprise. THey just need about seventy years of socialism to restore proper perspective to where human needs rate on the importance scale. May capitalism wither and die along with the fossils who still believe in it.

[janvranckx]

What is a MAXIMUM fine of 140000 THB if per example BangkokPattaya Hospital charge till 165000 THB PER DAY !!!!!!

[kevin612]

Even government hospital is expensive.

[user343434]

18 hours ago, Sealbash said:

I have heard that some people actually check costs at various vendors prior to purchasing?

 

 

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Sure but the places to go for international recognized offshore checks are rare. If you have only one doc available and the others are on vacation you have to bite the sour apple even aware that BKK Hospital Pattaya is know for writing bills with a fork.

[Prissana Pescud]

Guess what. Shop around, barter, make a deal.

You do not need to be over charged if you make a prior deal;

This is called in a few societies "sensible"

But you can  stonewall and you will lose, everytime

[cmsanuk]

why Take your child to hospital with a cough?  Unless there is an underlying condition that you do not want to tell TV about, (fair enough if that is the case) , I don't see the need. Kids get coughs and colds all the time as their immune system develops, with sometimes wild fluctuations in their body temperature.  Go to a pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist. A lot cheaper and probably a lot more effective. 

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[rumak]

21 hours ago, scorecard said:

I didn't, I refused to buy the medicine at the hospital, several senior hospital staff tried hard to insist that patients cannot buy medicines outside, eventually I put 1155 (tourist police) on my smartphone screen and showed them and said 'If you insist I have to buy the medicines here I will call the police and then immediately call Thai Rath newspaper.'

 

They backed away quickly with one of the senior staff saying 'farng ruu mark' (farang know too much).

 

I then attacked about the doctors fee, and quickly got again to 'I'll call the police and Thai Rath. The bill was cancelled. As I was walking away about 6 or 7 people were waiting to pay their bill, they all clapped (they understood, most of this was in Thai language), and very quickly most of them had fronted the cashier's window saying "I will buy the yaa outside."

 

Good going.   yes, usually just saying that you know me will have good results !

[scorecard]

12 minutes ago, rumak said:

Good going.   yes, usually just saying that you know me will have good results !

What encouraged me is that I had heard gossip (repeat gossip) of 2 similar 'events' in Chiang Mai hospitals, where the hospital was forced to back down and the patient bought the medicines outside.

 

Plus I has recently attended another hospital to ask the doctor to comment and sign a small medical report which I had to send back to the government in my original country.  I have got to know this doctor and the doctor speaks perfect English. At the last visit the subject of 'buy medicines outside' had come up and the doctor shared that the hospital policy is that doctors or any staff must without question follow the law, so if a patient asks the doctor or anybody at any stage in the administration of that patient about this matter the doctor must immediately say 'yes. you can buy the medicines outside, would you like me to write the medicine names on a piece of blank paper?' 

 

 

[scorecard]

14 hours ago, Prissana Pescud said:

Guess what. Shop around, barter, make a deal.

You do not need to be over charged if you make a prior deal;

This is called in a few societies "sensible"

But you can  stonewall and you will lose, everytime

'stonewall and you will lose every time' Not true if the hospital is not following the law. 

[sambum]

22 hours ago, Brigand said:

Bangkok Hospital has been conspicuous by their absence from being mentioned in this thread and I bet they are one of the worst offenders.

See Post #98

 

More recently - 1 stitch in a cut 19,000 baht!

[bapoboy]

https://www.topmastersinhealthcare.com/30-most-technologically-advanced-hospitals-in-the-world/

 

3 of the them are in Thailand and all are overpriced!!

[Oxx]

1 hour ago, bapoboy said:

https://www.topmastersinhealthcare.com/30-most-technologically-advanced-hospitals-in-the-world/

 

3 of the them are in Thailand and all are overpriced!!

 

Overpriced because, of course, providing some of the most technologically advanced services in the world can be done at a budget price.

 

 

[petedk]

The disadvantages of living in Thailand.
Westerners are walking ATM’s as the Thai’s see it.
My case of believing this is as follows:
I’d had a few beers after golf (golf finished around 4:30) I then went to a bar for a few drinks with mates and got home around 6:30pm
Nothing unusual until I was having an outer body experience in my Condo?
My room mate then said we will take you too Hospital, I disagreed first up knowing this will not be cheap but I was only getting worse and not being able to walk now.
I remember the above but what follows is what my room mate told me!
On arrival to one of the biggest private hospitals in Pattaya was told need money upfront and passport! Can be B100,000
After guaranteeing the money they let me in.
First Doctor this is serious will need to operate (operate on what?)
I was flying that high I had to be restrained in the bed as all I wanted to do was go to the toilet and leave (keep in mind I could not balance myself to walk!
Staff all the time yelling at me to shut up when I ask to go to the toilet.
2 more Doctors attended me and asking no questions just walked into the room looked at charts and walked out.
Nurses were in and out all the time changing saline bottles and getting blood samples even had chest x Rays (for what I have no idea)
So now I’m fully aware of what’s happened and have a clear head around 15-17 hours later.
They then say you need to stay another night and see more doctors?
I said Nah I’m out of here! There was 4 staff that came in the change my mind but I stood my ground.
Give me the bill and I’ll pay and leave. No one was happy from the hospital point of view!
In the end they had no choice but to let me go.
They gave me the invoice B105,750
I examine the itemised bill ask each what was what.
3 Doctors consultancy
Room rent in ICU
3 different machines rented
Medicine supplies
3 utilising Nurses time
When came to paying I got a B1400 discount for paying in cash and debit card.
Then when leaving I still have no idea what had happened to me or what to do to stop it happening again.
No medical record given to me regarding blood tests or the X-ray?
Not being qualified in any medical field but I suspect My drink has been spiked?
Today I wake as good as any morning but B104,500 lighter in the pocket.
Maybe it was someone working in the hospitals doing the rounds and that is a great revenue raiser.
They only let me go when I signed a document saying I leaving of my own free will.
Happy to know any others experiences

You can always ask for your medical records.
I have done it several times

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[petedk]

I always use Saint Louis in Bangkok which, although private, is run by the Catholic Church on (supposedly) a not-for-profit basis. A friend of mine goes to the leading for-profit hospital nearby, pays a significant premium over what I pay, and as far as I can tell gets the equivalent treatment. Why does he do it? He's built up confidence in the doctor who treats him

The Catholic Church ... not-for-profit?

I don't mean to be rude, but how did the Vatican get its 10-15 billion dollars?

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[Oxx]

9 hours ago, petedk said:

The Catholic Church ... not-for-profit?

I don't mean to be rude, but how did the Vatican get its 10-15 billion dollars?

 

You do appear to be not very bright.  The hospital is "not for profit".  Nobody is claiming the Roman Catholic Church is "not for profit".

[Prissana Pescud]

On 4/9/2019 at 3:46 PM, scorecard said:

'stonewall and you will lose every time' Not true if the hospital is not following the law. 

So go to another hospital

[owl sees all]

On 4/8/2019 at 5:34 AM, ezzra said:

A 10 minute consultation with a GP at Bumrungrad gone from 800 to 1600 baht in two years, i have noticed that the aim of most specialist is to get you to do as many tests as possible, some useless and costly, and when you come to see them on a follow up visit, they send you again to the same tests... this is what happen when the cats are asleep and the rats having a field day...

To be honest Ezzra, my first point of call for all things medical is TVForum. Put me right virtually every time. 

 

There is more expertise amongst the members than in most big hospitals.

[scorecard]

55 minutes ago, Prissana Pescud said:

So go to another hospital

Of course.

[Prissana Pescud]

39 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Of course.

Cheers

[Prissana Pescud]

At its most basic, the rule of supply and demand rules.

If Bangkok Hospital puts itself out of competition, others will fill the gap.

Pure go for the throat competition. Thailand is starting to learn just how brutal US economics is.

It is very basic

 

[tomacht8]

Unfortunately, the Hippocratic Oath is bad in many private hospitals. It's all about money. The more the better. Even foreign travel health insurance companys complain about the rip-off mentality.

Especially as a foreigner you should, if it is not an emergency, insist on detailed estimates and perform price comparisons.

For my dental bridge, the doctor, who was paved with gold rings, tried to overcharge me by 60000 baht in comparison to other private clinics.

Some are unfortunately robbers in white coats.

 

 

 

[scorecard]

7 minutes ago, Prissana Pescud said:

At its most basic, the rule of supply and demand rules.

If Bangkok Hospital puts itself out of competition, others will fill the gap.

Pure go for the throat competition. Thailand is starting to learn just how brutal US economics is.

It is very basic

 

 Correct of course. I add another word greed.

[scorecard]

1 minute ago, tomacht8 said:

Unfortunately, the Hippocratic Oath is bad in many private hospitals. It's all about money. The more the better. Even foreign travel health insurance companys complain about the rip-off mentality.

Especially as a foreigner you should, if it is not an emergency, insist on detailed estimates and perform price comparisons.

For my dental bridge, the doctor, who was paved with gold rings, tried to overcharge me by 60000 baht in comparison to other private clinics.

Some are unfortunately robbers in white coats.

 

 

 

"Even foreign travel health insurance companys complain about the rip-off mentality."

 

Another example, my Thai son, his wife and their 3 kids have good health cover with a highly reputable Japanese insurer, highest rated in japan.

 

Before you sign up and pay the agent gives you a long list of hospitals that they will cooperate with for direct billing  / they will reimburse cash payments. The agent also explained very nicely that both in Japan and many other Asian countries there are 1 or 2 hospitals which they will not reimburse and you cannot direct bill and she named the hospitals.

 

We asked why, agent explained well that the parent company believes some hospitals are immoral in their charges and if her company added them to the list of hospitals policy holders can use it would increase the overall premiums by quite an amount. Customers can of course choose to use these few hospitals but there is no reimbursement. All explained very clearly by the agent at the start. Guess which chain of hospitals in Thailand they won't reimburse.

[tomacht8]

22 minutes ago, scorecard said:

"Even foreign travel health insurance companys complain about the rip-off mentality."

 

Another example, my Thai son, his wife and their 3 kids have good health cover with a highly reputable Japanese insurer, highest rated in japan.

 

Before you sign up and pay the agent gives you a long list of hospitals that they will cooperate with for direct billing  / they will reimburse cash payments. The agent also explained very nicely that both in Japan and many other Asian countries there are 1 or 2 hospitals which they will not reimburse and you cannot direct bill and she named the hospitals.

 

We asked why, agent explained well that the parent company believes some hospitals are immoral in their charges and if her company added them to the list of hospitals policy holders can use it would increase the overall premiums by quite an amount. Customers can of course choose to use these few hospitals but there is no reimbursement. All explained very clearly by the agent at the start. Guess which chain of hospitals in Thailand they won't reimburse.

I can imagine it.

The most bizarre scene I ever experienced in this context was around 10 years ago on the beach. A drowned foreigner, who had been dead for hours, was resuscitated by doctors from a private hospital. I asked what those senseless attempts should be.

The medical practitioners laughed at me and said that they could write it on his bill. That was not a joke.