Is it a rip off?

[Thai Dan]

13 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Government hospital will supply the drugs even cheaper.

 

20 minutes ago, topt said:

Almost certainly as long as you can find the same or equivalent at the pharmacy and depending on how competitive the pharmacy is.

Take your current meds to a couple and ask them if they have and how much. You don't have to buy but at least you will know.

Good idea(s).  I will check with our main/big pharmacist here in Roi Et City and the local public hospital.  Then, thinking ahead, if any new prescriptions are added to the mix we can call the local pharmacy before leaving the hospital to make sure they can supply.

 

Compared to drug costs back in the U.S., these are much cheaper already, but they still amount to hundreds of US$$ per 90 days, and it looks like I will be on most of them for some years to come.  It is worth looking into and being as much of an informed consumer as possible.

[BritManToo]

Just now, Thai Dan said:

Compared to drug costs back in the U.S., these are much cheaper already, but they still amount to hundreds of US$$ per 90 days, and it looks like I will be on most of them for some years to come.  It is worth looking into and being as much of an informed consumer as possible.

My drugs cost 90bht/month at the local government hospital (plus 50bht for the hospital visit every 4 months).

Or I can pay 350bht/month at my local pharmacy (no doctor charges).

[Tropposurfer]

Sorry to hear you got reamed mate. Your unfortunate story is a perfect example of why I pay premium baht for top flight health insurance because 3 visits like yours and I pay for the while years insurance premium, AND, I don't get treated like you have, EVER, whatever hospital I go to. 

[Bangkok Barry]

16 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

just been there... in for one thing and docs circling like sharks... spent one night and left w/4 appointment slips for follow ups w/docs who I think have no relevance to my issue... 

 

one doc wanted to keep me a 2nd night to help me rehydrate    OR  you can go home and drink a lot of water... !!!!

Reminds me of a friend several years ago who was depressed and in need of some TLC, and he faked a story about getting whiplash in a taxi - I think his story was that the taxi had swerved to avoid a motorcycle - and his family took him to a private hospital in Bangkok (ironically, providing the TLC he sought).

The hospital did an x-ray, and not only produced an x-ray film supposedly showing the non-existent injury but recommended he spent a night in the hospital for observation.

 

And a personal experience when I was new to Thailand was a visit to a dentist, who said I needed four teeth removed. I thought not, left, and still have the teeth.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Bangkok Barry

[orchidfan]

12 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I've always viewed most CT/MRI as an expensive scam.

The results are nearly always iffy/unclear, I'm not sure if it's because the Thai doctors can't read the results.

 

X-ray 100bht, Ultrasound 300bht seem to be much more effective as diagnostic tools.

Had an MRI at this clinic (.lPrachachuen MRI Center ) a few years ago  for about B5000.

Full and detailed "photos" and written report. 

Turned out to be the sciatic nerve being compressed at the base of the spine. 

Very Professional. 

[xylophone]

15 hours ago, Badrabbit said:

Well I was charged 13,000 with contrast after saying no to 28,000.

That's quite a substantial decrease, and I have recently used that hospital and also commented on the high costs, for example I queried a cost of over 20,000 baht for a cystoscopy, and it was reduced, but not by much.

 

Just a few years ago I met with Dr Art and he suggested I had a colonoscopy as he wanted to have a look around inside, so we booked the appointment for for a week henceforth. I asked him for a quote there and then and he stated a price of 12,000 baht.

 

I went through the procedure and he wasn't in his room when I finished, so I went to pay the bill and was presented with a bill for 20,000 baht, which surprised me no end. So I asked why it was so high and the receptionist asked if I had insurance, and I said that I was paying myself, so she consulted someone else and they produced another bill which was reduced, and when I also stated that that Dr Art had quoted a basic price of 12,000 baht, this again caused quite a bit of consternation and paper shuffling between the staff, and they eventually presented me with a revised bill which came out to around 15,000 baht, but that included a few extras, and I was happy to pay it.

 

Every time they ask if I have insurance and I tell them no, but they must have it on file that I do have insurance as I used it once in the past for an inpatient procedure.

 

Now when I visit, I endeavour to buy the medicines from outside, however at the moment they can only be bought at the hospital so I'm pretty well stuck paying exorbitant prices at the hospital.
 

[Badrabbit]

35 minutes ago, xylophone said:

That's quite a substantial decrease, and I have recently used that hospital and also commented on the high costs, for example I queried a cost of over 20,000 baht for a cystoscopy, and it was reduced, but not by much.

 

Just a few years ago I met with Dr Art and he suggested I had a colonoscopy as he wanted to have a look around inside, so we booked the appointment for for a week henceforth. I asked him for a quote there and then and he stated a price of 12,000 baht.

 

I went through the procedure and he wasn't in his room when I finished, so I went to pay the bill and was presented with a bill for 20,000 baht, which surprised me no end. So I asked why it was so high and the receptionist asked if I had insurance, and I said that I was paying myself, so she consulted someone else and they produced another bill which was reduced, and when I also stated that that Dr Art had quoted a basic price of 12,000 baht, this again caused quite a bit of consternation and paper shuffling between the staff, and they eventually presented me with a revised bill which came out to around 15,000 baht, but that included a few extras, and I was happy to pay it.

 

Every time they ask if I have insurance and I tell them no, but they must have it on file that I do have insurance as I used it once in the past for an inpatient procedure.

 

Now when I visit, I endeavour to buy the medicines from outside, however at the moment they can only be bought at the hospital so I'm pretty well stuck paying exorbitant prices at the hospital.
 

I'm now thinking maybe the 28k was a package price, did they decide that I would need CT Scan, X Ray's, Ultra sound, Blood test, Urine test and Medicine as a package, if that is the case then I suppose it was not that bad, bad for me as my Insurance only pays 2500 per day for OPD.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Badrabbit

[Harveyboy]

17 hours ago, Windynoi said:

Try a government hospital rather than private

yes got x rays ..CT scan and medication 300 baht at Satahip navy hospital  

[Smokey and the Bandit]

17 hours ago, Will B Good said:

That sounds incredibly cheap.....is a CT scan the same as an MRI scan? 

 

I paid a small fortune for the MRI.

A CT scan is basically a 3D X Ray and MRI is something completely different. MRI machines are in general more expensive and cost more to maintain because they use liquid helium to cool the magnets, which are on 24/7.

So an MRI scan would be more expensive,

 

[Tony125]

18 hours ago, Badrabbit said:

Bangkok Phuket.

 

Maybe you should at least take out accident insurance, not very expensive.

[jomtienisgood]

19 hours ago, Badrabbit said:

Yea mate when you are in big pain you get taken advantage of, what can you do?

Same as picking up a girl in a bar. lol

[NoshowJones]

18 hours ago, Badrabbit said:

Yes I.know you can say NO, I was in big pain and scared, I had the girl pushing the clipboard at me saying "this price okay" I did say "no not okay, I.paid 15k before" that must of worked.

After all the tests they found nothing wrong, the Doctor then suggested "we will admit you for further tests" I said "no you just said there is nothing wrong with me" we paid and left, the problem has not returned so far.

Private hospitals are more interested in how they can get as much money as they can from you rather than help you get well, and veterinary surgeons are the same with your animals giving your pet medicine all the time when they know it is going to die.

[NoshowJones]

17 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

I saw a documentary one time about US insurance companies and their policy on payments for treatments.

 

Basically, in each area they have 3 no. hospitals that they have treatment cost scales from and if the hospital you are treated in is higher than those costs they will decline the payment. Then after a lot of arguing to-and-fro, if the patient actually bothers to argue, they will pay out the amount of their standard scales, not what you were actually charged.

 

Their reasoning? Once the hospital knows you are insured they will overcharge.

Well don't tell them you are insured in the first place, then start hagglng with the price when it comes the time to pay, plead poverty.

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, Tracyb said:

I always ask the doc to write down the name of the meds for me so I can get them at a local pharmacy.  Saves dough!

Don't they charge you for writing the name of the meds?

[LongTimeLurker]

33 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Well don't tell them you are insured in the first place, then start hagglng with the price when it comes the time to pay, plead poverty.

I always thought in US you can't get into the ambulance until you've produced your insurance policy?

[Dickp]

I went to a large private hospital in Bangkok with very bad lower back pain. Had Lumbar fusion done 2 yrs. before and though that either another disk was bad or a nerve pinch. I asked the doctor to do a  C scan and said not now, x ray should be enough to say what was going. He was right simple muscle strain. Give some relaxer pills. Follow up in one week was getting better. Said come seem in two weeks if not better or getting worse, if not and your better cancel don't come, Corvid makes it risky to come for nothing. 

[eisfeld]

5 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Not sure what brand of watch you have but that would be a CT time (with long period of wait and shot periods of scan) - an abdominal MRI takes hours - 2.5 hours or more for full abdominal with contrast in my experience (multi).

It depends on what is being scanned. MRIs can easily take an hour, some time one and a half hours. 2.5h sounds extraordinarily long. I am talking only about the scan duration btw. Not incuding waiting etc. Maybe they did two or more MRI scans in succession on you? Anyways, point was MRIs take much longer than CTs.

[lopburi3]

13 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

It depends on what is being scanned. MRIs can easily take an hour, some time one and a half hours. 2.5h sounds extraordinarily long. I am talking only about the scan duration btw. Not incuding waiting etc. Maybe they did two or more MRI scans in succession on you? Anyways, point was MRIs take much longer than CTs.

Yes type and reason will determine time but mine are indeed almost 3 hours in machine - perhaps having to have arms at side instead of overhead and being 90kg makes it longer as have had half a dozen in last two years and all 2.5 hours or more for full cancer check of upper and lower abdomen with contrast  and machine is running most of that time (short pauses on upper as you have to hold breath during some of the scans as they check).

Edited August 24, 2021 by lopburi3

[Tracyb]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Don't they charge you for writing the name of the meds?

Never.

[NoshowJones]

30 minutes ago, Tracyb said:

Never.

That's surprising.

[rwill]

7 hours ago, Thai Dan said:

What about this?  I have to go back to the hospital for blood tests and prescription adjustments/refills every 3 months, and the wife and I have been led to believe that we can only get my meds at the hospital pharmacy.  I'm currently taking about 22 tabs a day.  The hospital is Srinagarend in Khon Kaen.

 

Can/should I get my prescriptions filled outside at any major pharmacy for cheaper?

There are certain drugs that only hospitals are allowed to give out.  If by major pharmacy you mean Watsons or Boots you are still better off going to a local pharmacy for better prices.  As someone else mentioned a government hospital is way cheaper than a private hospital but they may not have all the same drugs a private hospital has either.  Even if you know what drugs you wanted a government hospital would still have you see a doctor first.  But even that can be very cheap.  My local government hospital charges me 50 baht for a doctors visit.

[dddave]

22 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Too much bevvy? Sounds like a stone in there.

Could also be Sciatica.  My recent bout with sciatica started with a pain around the kidney area then shot into my leg.

 

[Deli]

On 8/23/2021 at 6:35 PM, Chris.B said:

Well, you are going to a top range hospital so it is going to be more expensive.

 

I like the service @ this hospital, however, their rates are over the top. Specially if you consider that some of their Doctors work as well at Government hospitals for a fraction of the money the BP charges or even your SS pays for. The public / Government hospitals as just very badly managed and possibly underfunded, as everywhere in the 3rd world.

[chalawaan]

Almost everyone whos been here a minute knows you don't have to -and should never- fill your prescription at the hospital. Take it to a regular pharmacy. If it cant be bought there, you can always go back to the Hospital.

 

As for the rest, a CT scan in Australia over ten years ago cost me $500 they're about $900 in the US and $90-ish in Canada!

 

Then there's the other procedures you had, it is on the high side, but that's what good insurance is for, and it's pretty reasonable even for old duffers in Thailand.

 

The older one is, the bigger the risk one takes cutting corners with things like "out-patient" care, which can be a lot more than a few stitches or a splint. A lot of guys assume they'll bounce back from any and all health issues, and again, age may have other ideas.

 

Once the illness is there, the window for insurance firmly closes!

 

There's a reason insurance gets dearer as we age and it's not to put you off getting it! Or maybe it is, but that's my point. The chances you'll need it are rather high.

Edited August 24, 2021 by chalawaan

[LongTimeLurker]

8 hours ago, eisfeld said:

It depends on what is being scanned. MRIs can easily take an hour, some time one and a half hours. 2.5h sounds extraordinarily long. I am talking only about the scan duration btw. Not incuding waiting etc. Maybe they did two or more MRI scans in succession on you? Anyways, point was MRIs take much longer than CTs.

 

8 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Yes type and reason will determine time but mine are indeed almost 3 hours in machine - perhaps having to have arms at side instead of overhead and being 90kg makes it longer as have had half a dozen in last two years and all 2.5 hours or more for full cancer check of upper and lower abdomen with contrast  and machine is running most of that time (short pauses on upper as you have to hold breath during some of the scans as they check).

Are you equating time in the machine with cost of the treatment?

[LongTimeLurker]

3 hours ago, Deli said:

I like the service @ this hospital, however, their rates are over the top. Specially if you consider that some of their Doctors work as well at Government hospitals for a fraction of the money the BP charges or even your SS pays for. The public / Government hospitals as just very badly managed and possibly underfunded, as everywhere in the 3rd world.

That's all also true of the UK hospitals.

[landosmiles]

2 hours ago, chalawaan said:

Almost everyone whos been here a minute knows you don't have to -and should never- fill your prescription at the hospital. Take it to a regular pharmacy. If it cant be bought there, you can always go back to the Hospital.

At Sukumvit Hospital Bangkok I told the dermatologist I wanted to buy the  meds they recommended outside the hospital. The dermatologist said I had to buy the initial fill at the hospital but could then refill where I want.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, landosmiles said:

At Sukumvit Hospital Bangkok I told the dermatologist I wanted to buy the  meds they recommended outside the hospital. The dermatologist said I had to buy the initial fill at the hospital but could then refill where I want.

 

you do not "have to". You can refuse them at the cashier counter, have them removed from your bill and buy them outside right from the start.

 

Doctors will often suggest this other approach (buy small amount at hospital) because they are under pressure from hospital administrators to encourage use of the hospital pharmacy,.

[lopburi3]

9 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

 

Are you equating time in the machine with cost of the treatment?

No just responding to a post that MRI is only a few minutes - it is often much longer.  But would expect longer time in MRI to also equate to higher costs.  My costs, less blood tests, is about 46,000 with the contrast media (Primovist PFS) accounting for almost 16,000 baht of that.  

[eezergood]

On 8/23/2021 at 6:04 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

Also in a private hospital you can say NO.

exactly - look at the list of medications and buy elsewhere