USA style health plan with a primary care physician/online access to your doctor etc etc

[Sheryl]

55 minutes ago, newarrior said:

.So you think the cons of having insurance exceed the pros ?I 

 

" inpatient cover of at least 3 million baht per event is a must but the added cost of including outpt cover is usually not worth it, greatly increases premiums and outpt costs here are very affordable"..What is output cover ?)  What insurance do you have ? I am concerned in regards to pre existing conditions as well.

 

 

Not at all. As I thought I made clear insurance is a MUST. But you do not need both hospitalization and outpatient cover. You need only hospitilization cover and that is what most insured expats here have. This is typically the "basic" cover offered in expat insurance policies with outpatient cover, maternioty cover etc as additional (pricey) options to add on.

 

Personally I have April International (not the April Thailand version, issued out of France) bought through AA Insurance brokers but if you read the various threads you'll find mention of many options. Your age is a big factor as the options for the over 64 crowd are fewer than for younger people.

 

If you have pre-existing conditions that will indeed be a big problem. No Obamacare here, the insureres can and will either exclude the condition or not insure you, if it is anything significant.

[Sheryl]

10 minutes ago, NancyL said:

Here in Chiang Mai we do have a "family doctor" in Dr. Nisachon Morgan who has an independent clinic where she can handle many basic services and knows the best specialists in town for referrals.  Plus, she's well-respected by the area hospitals, so she can cut thru delays and red-tape for her patients when they need specialized treatment.

 

And there are several specialists who do a good job of taking on the role of Primary Care Physician if a patient communicates with them that they consider that doctor to be their PCP.  For example, if someone has issues with blood pressure and high cholestrol, his/her cardiologist could take on the role of PCP since the patient will be seeing the cardiologist a couple times a year for monitoring of those conditions.

 

My husband's cardiologist has done a good job of keeping on his case about monitoring his PSA, with long discussions that "watchful waiting" for someone with an elevated PSA reading doesn't mean ignoring the condition and ordering PSA testing at the same time he's having a cholestrol check.    

 

Nancy, Dr. Morgan's clinic is quite unique for Thailand  and in Bangkok, which is where he asked about, there is nothing of the sort. Ditto pretty much every other province.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

Nancy, Dr. Morgan's clinic is quite unique for Thailand  and in Bangkok, which is where he asked about, there is nothing of the sort. Ditto pretty much every other province.

 

Actually, Nancy's post made me think of one other rare western doctor in Bangkok who may well function as a kind of general practitioner, and that's a UK doctor by the name of Donna Robinson who runs the MedConsult International Clinic near Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital.

 

I've never dealt with her personally or with her clinic, which is a seeming rarity here for being a doctor operating out/away from a hospital. But everything I've heard about her and her clinic over time suggests she might well fill the role of a general practitioner here.

 

Quote

 

As a General Practitioner, Dr Donna is able to monitor your general health over a period of time and is thus able to respond to your medical and lifestyle needs in a more holistic way. In other words, you will receive a well-rounded opinion which recognises your family medical history and your own lifestyle, much in the manner that you've likely been accustomed to in  your home country.

As a Consultant Physician at Bumrungrad International Hospital, Dr Donna maintains excellent relationships with, and has access to, Thailand's leading medical specialists. Dr Donna will make objective and informed referrals to the best specialists in Thailand on an impartial basis.

 

 

https://www.medconsultasia.com/

 

 

[NancyL]

When I first started to assist expats in Chiang Mai, I wondered how well Dr. Morgan was accepted by the hospitals and other doctors in the city.  "On paper" i.e. with her website and in while visiting her in person with people I assisted, she seemed very competent. 

 

But then I had several situations where I was assisting people with very serious conditions and she was a real ace about cutting thru the wait times and queue systems at some of the big name private hospitals here.  The hospital staff would email or fax her results right after tests were complete, specialist doctors would call her ASAP and she kept me informed very step of the way to make sure the person was moved from Point A to Point B within the hospital to see the right person.  All this while she sat in her rather modest clinic in Hang Dong. 

 

And, if appropriate, she even does house calls, although rarely because a modern doctor can't bring all their equipment with them to a house call.  Instead, she and her staff have tried to make it easy for families to bring patients into her clinic.

[Sheryl]

 
https://www.medconsultasia.com/
 
 

She provides direct GP care but not the sort of liasing referral facilitation etc that Nancy describes Dt. Morgan doing. No one does that in Bangkok and with the sheer size of the place and numbers of specialists and different hospitals I don't see how any one could.

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[moontang]

On 5/2/2019 at 6:03 PM, NancyL said:

Here in Chiang Mai we do have a "family doctor" in Dr. Nisachon Morgan who has an independent clinic where she can handle many basic services and knows the best specialists in town for referrals.  Plus, she's well-respected by the area hospitals, so she can cut thru delays and red-tape for her patients when they need specialized treatment.

 

And there are several specialists who do a good job of taking on the role of Primary Care Physician if a patient communicates with them that they consider that doctor to be their PCP.  For example, if someone has issues with blood pressure and high cholestrol, his/her cardiologist could take on the role of PCP since the patient will be seeing the cardiologist a couple times a year for monitoring of those conditions.

 

My husband's cardiologist has done a good job of keeping on his case about monitoring his PSA, with long discussions that "watchful waiting" for someone with an elevated PSA reading doesn't mean ignoring the condition and ordering PSA testing at the same time he's having a cholestrol check.    

Goid points, my dad has used his cardiologist as his primary for about 50 years.. Mom had a small bout with a tumor 20 years ago, and her oncologist became her primary doctor...Vietnamese lady, number 1 in her class at Johns Hopkins. 

[newarrior]

Nick Walter--the USA doctor here in Bangkok at Mission Hospital---thanks for recommending him....How do you get in to see him ? I have tried making an appt via their website and confirming I wanted to see him vs someone else----the person/persons asnwering the email are pretty lame...hard to communicate..Thoughts ? Thanks !

[Sheryl]

If the online appt did not work just call the hospital.

 

You can see his hours on the website.

 

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

22 hours ago, newarrior said:

Nick Walter--the USA doctor here in Bangkok at Mission Hospital---thanks for recommending him....How do you get in to see him ? I have tried making an appt via their website and confirming I wanted to see him vs someone else----the person/persons asnwering the email are pretty lame...hard to communicate..Thoughts ? Thanks !

 

I've dealt with Mission and Nick for a long time...and it seems two approaches generally are the best.

 

1. you can call Mission, and they have an option/ability for EN speaking staff to make an appointment for you with Dr. Nick over the phone.

 

2. When I've mentioned it with him in the past, he's suggested that I email him to request an appointment, and he'll reply with a suggested time or confirm if he's available when you desire.

 

If you need/want his email, just PM me.

 

[jimmyyy]

Dr. Nick did my VA exams, he is top notch.  I am going to make an appointment with him for a full physical this summer.  He has seen me numerous times and i am very comfortable with him.