Doctor’s orders: Phuket Hospitals forced to reveal how much they charge for medicines

By The Phuket News

 

Hospitals will have to reveal how much they bought medicines for, and how much they are selling them for. Photo: Kendal James
 

PHUKET: All hospitals across Phuket have until June 30 to submit full lists of which medicines they provide to patients – and the prices they charge for them – under the government’s drive to stem rampant overcharging by private hospitals throughout the country.

 

Under the new law, brought into effect on May 29, all hospitals must publicly disclose the drugs provided, the manufacturer, the drugs’ brand names, how much the hospital purchased the drugs for and how much they are selling them for, confirmed Sasiphimon Mongkon, Chief of the Phuket Provincial office of the Ministry of Commerce, which has been tasked with implementing the new regulation.

 

The new law is being implemented through the Department of Internal Trade, under the Ministry of Commerce following the order by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha last week.

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/doctor-orders-phuket-hospitals-forced-to-reveal-how-much-they-charge-for-medicines-71789.php#2wQlJfCpA7zU5dbd.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2019-06-15

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Oh dear. The hospital's main money-maker is under threat.

As a type 2 diabetic, I was diagnosed at BHP. I was prescribed medicine that I now have to take for life. At BHP they charged 53Bt per tablet. I buy at Santi pharmacy for just under 30Bt per tablet.

Not only do these hospitals over-charge, they also over-medicate which also adds to their bottom line.

3 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Oh dear. The hospital's main money-maker is under threat.

As a type 2 diabetic, I was diagnosed at BHP. I was prescribed medicine that I now have to take for life. At BHP they charged 53Bt per tablet. I buy at Santi pharmacy for just under 30Bt per tablet.

Not only do these hospitals over-charge, they also over-medicate which also adds to their bottom line.

Type 2 can be reversed I believe. Please have a look online where people where very successful. Good luck. 

 

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/can-you-reverse-type-2-diabetes#1

32 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Oh dear. The hospital's main money-maker is under threat.

As a type 2 diabetic, I was diagnosed at BHP. I was prescribed medicine that I now have to take for life. At BHP they charged 53Bt per tablet. I buy at Santi pharmacy for just under 30Bt per tablet.

Not only do these hospitals over-charge, they also over-medicate which also adds to their bottom line.

Yes, it does add up over time, but I'm surprised there isn't more difference.

 

I think all doctors here overmedicate, not just the private hospitals.

I think this is a good deal for the hospitals...... I mean only reveal how much they overcharge for medications...... 

I can just see hospital administrators conjuring up a few dodgy purchase invoices, saying 'Look we pay 40 Baht a tablet for this medication and sell it for only 42 Baht' we not rip off patients ????

 

4 hours ago, thequietman said:

Type 2 can be reversed I believe. Please have a look online where people where very successful. Good luck.

Another commercials believer!

They only thing doctors and yourself can reach is getting a normal blood-sugar rate for the rest of your life, by  diet, control food and medicines.

The symptoms like a diabetic foot/feet and dis functioning nerves remains and can worsen even you have a normal blood-sugar rate for years like I have.

Don't believe everything you read, ask your doctors!

6 hours ago, thequietman said:

Type 2 can be reversed I believe. Please have a look online where people where very successful. Good luck. 

 

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/can-you-reverse-type-2-diabetes#1

Sounds like the cure is worse than the disease.

I had tests and consultations in BPH yesterday.

One of the drugs I take daily is not available outside the hospital (I started a thread a while back). They charge 138 baht a tablet. (With the expat card discount it comes to about 117 baht each)

I actually asked the pharmacist how much the hospital paid for it and he just laughed at me. Apparently he hasn't heard of this new rule.

How about checking the Pharmacies while at it?  In Rawai I've found with just one item/card of tablets a 55 baht difference for the one card!! that's from one pharmacy to another.

You won't be laughing if they close all the private hospitals down due to non-profit !

15 hours ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Oh dear. The hospital's main money-maker is under threat.

As a type 2 diabetic, I was diagnosed at BHP. I was prescribed medicine that I now have to take for life. At BHP they charged 53Bt per tablet. I buy at Santi pharmacy for just under 30Bt per tablet.

Not only do these hospitals over-charge, they also over-medicate which also adds to their bottom line.

I use 2 types of oral medication for my Type 2 diabetes.  Metformin and Glibenclamide.  I pay much less (only 10% of what you are paying) for the generic version of these medication from the SuperCheap Pharmacy.  The generic version are just as effective.  My HBA1C value is 6.3  Give them a try.  No prescription needed.

21 hours ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Oh dear. The hospital's main money-maker is under threat.

As a type 2 diabetic, I was diagnosed at BHP. I was prescribed medicine that I now have to take for life. At BHP they charged 53Bt per tablet. I buy at Santi pharmacy for just under 30Bt per tablet.

Not only do these hospitals over-charge, they also over-medicate which also adds to their bottom line.

type 2 diabetes is a life style disease... many people prefer to take a pill than to change bad habits

 

bhp ? did you mean bph ?

16 hours ago, RotMahKid said:

Another commercials believer!

They only thing doctors and yourself can reach is getting a normal blood-sugar rate for the rest of your life, by  diet, control food and medicines.

The symptoms like a diabetic foot/feet and dis functioning nerves remains and can worsen even you have a normal blood-sugar rate for years like I have.

Don't believe everything you read, ask your doctors!

lol, yes, believe the Md's blindly, they love it ...

 

if you have nerve damage, you take vitamin B1 , B12, ALA...

 

or like  most, just ignore free info and take pills that change or stop natural enzymes in your body to work and you can pretend nothing is going on, till you got another disease as a side effect, but you have insurance, so you go again and take 2-3-4-10 medications, cheap & easy, no need to go find the root cause of the problem, everybody happy, you happy, the MD happy, the hospital happy, the insurance happy...

20 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

I can just see hospital administrators conjuring up a few dodgy purchase invoices, saying 'Look we pay 40 Baht a tablet for this medication and sell it for only 42 Baht' we not rip off patients ????

 

I guess asking for a national database where suppliers are known and hospitals as clients can be checked directly how much they paid, but then again... TIT

Getting hospitals to self regulate and report prices is like asking a prisoner to lock his cell door each night. Maybe the powers to be can ask customers to forward hospital bills for review?

15 minutes ago, legend49 said:

Getting hospitals to self regulate and report prices is like asking a prisoner to lock his cell door each night. Maybe the powers to be can ask customers to forward hospital bills for review?

 

The first thing the 'customer' should do is question the proffered bill. I know I do. Get them to explain all the misc charges. Boy the cashier does squirm. If I think it's too much I go to customer relations. They don't want to know, try brush you off, but persist and you will get price reductions. I even got free follow up consultations. 

 

As for pharmacy supplies. I just get doc to write down and buy at super cheap. 

 

No  way your health insurance pays those inflated bills. The should be forced to publish what those companies pay.

I hope this is more successful than the Government's other effort to stop overcharging: lottery tickets!

 

Regardless, the hospitals won't want a hit to their bottom line so we can expect increases in consultation fees, room prices and the disgusting food on offer.

1 hour ago, justin case said:

type 2 diabetes is a life style disease... many people prefer to take a pill than to change bad habits

 

bhp ? did you mean bph ?

Bangkok Hospital Phuket.

https://www.phukethospital.com/

First thing what they asked me at BHP, Is insurance paying or do i pay myself?

If you pay by yourself the bill is normally about 20% cheaper as when the insurance pays.

That's great news! Now which government introduced this policy? Maybe Prayut is doing some things right which other, democratically elected governments, ignored for a long time...

24 minutes ago, merijn said:

First thing what they asked me at BHP, Is insurance paying or do i pay myself?

If you pay by yourself the bill is normally about 20% cheaper as when the insurance pays.

 

Have you any documented proof of this statement ...

48 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Have you any documented proof of this statement ...

That's also my experience ~20%. For european travel insurance the mark up is up to 50%.

Btw their ambulance is really good and cheap. Needed it some days ago. Patong to BPH with 1 doctor, 1 nurse and 2 guys about 900 baht.

21 minutes ago, schlog said:

That's also my experience ~20%. For european travel insurance the mark up is up to 50%.

Btw their ambulance is really good and cheap. Needed it some days ago. Patong to BPH with 1 doctor, 1 nurse and 2 guys about 900 baht.

 

Not make sense to me that insurance companies would pay inflated prices.

5 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Not make sense to me that insurance companies would pay inflated prices.

Next time when you be inpatient tell them that you may pay cash or maybe your insurance. Then they will show you 2 different price lists. I saw 3 different price lists for inpatient.

They get away with it TIT.

18 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Have you any documented proof of this statement ...

Not on paper but that's was told to me from their own staff when i did not know if i would use my insurance or not.

Their advise to me was to pay it myself and claim it back to my insurance and provided me with the 20% difference.