Shopping for surgery to repair inguinal hernia

[cmarshall]

So, I have been shopping for laparoscopic surgery to repair an inguinal hernia, one side.  What I have found is that hospitals here are generally not set up to give complete estimates of the cost of surgery beyond back-of-the-envelope figures.  The exception was Bamrungrad which offers packages with pricing on their website.  I never could get a clear answer from St. Louis as to the cost of the pre-op checkup, although one nurse thought it was probably around THB 20,000, but that sounds high to me.

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/packages/laparoscopic-inguinal-hernia-repair-1-side 

 

 

At Chulalongkorn I went to the "after hours" private clinic, not the regular hours hospital service.  I was surprised that Chula was not much cheaper than St. Louis, although the St. Louis cost did not include the cost of staying overnight.

 

The US average cost is one figure I found among many on the internet.  Don't know how accurate it is.

 

[Chris.B]

Add this to your list....

 

https://www.bangkokhospital.com/package/laparoscopic-groin-hernia-surgery-package-and-mesh-graft

 

????

[ozimoron]

I have an inguinal hernia for about 5 years now. An ultrasound showed it to be about 1 inch wide at the top. Two doctors and a urologist told me not to do anything about it unless it bothers me. That said there are two kinds of inguinal hernia. The one I don't have can twist the veins going to your scrotum and is dangerous.

[phetphet]

You might want to read up on the different types of repair technique. There are  several. Also success and failure rates for each before getting it done.

[Sheryl]

Did you mean to say 200,000 for St Louis? As 20k is quite impossible.  200k sounds about right as package price at Bangkok Hosp is 224 k. 

 

My nephew had an open repair at St  Louis maybe 7 years ago and that was about 80k. Laparascopic at that time was quoted at about 160k.  May have gone up since. His doctor was Dr. Narongsak and is very good.

 

The best way to get an estimate is to consult a doctor at the hospital in question. The doctors pretty well know the cost of the surgery though they may fail to inclide some pre and post op costs (labs, follow up). For that matter, package prices usually don't include those things either. Typically after consulting doctor, a nurse will provide an estimated cost. But to get an estimate from the hospital without having a consultation is very difficult, as you have found, unless there is a package price promotion.

 

Whetever you end up going you will need lab work, EKG and chest Xray for the pre operative medical clearance.  This will cost about 6-7k, more if you have any chronic conditions that require special tests.  You can save money by having this done at RSU Health or private lab. You will still need to consult with an internal medecine doctor at the hospital whete you are having the surgery but can bring the labs, xray report and EKG with you.

[lopburi3]

5 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Did you mean to say 200,000 for St Louis? As 20k is quite impossible.  200k sounds about right as package price at Bangkok Hosp is 224 k. 

Believe the 20k was for pre-op and indeed seems high - but that is often the case when hospital provides estimates as patient much happier to pay less then more.  

[cmarshall]

20 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Did you mean to say 200,000 for St Louis? As 20k is quite impossible.  200k sounds about right as package price at Bangkok Hosp is 224 k. 

20k was only for the pre-op checkup.  The total cost at St. Louis is about 200,000 + the cost of the room, which I didn't get. 

 

20 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

My nephew had an open repair at St  Louis maybe 7 years ago and that was about 80k. Laparascopic at that time was quoted at about 160k.  May have gone up since. His doctor was Dr. Narongsak and is very good.

I had a consultation with Dr. Narongsak.  He was thorough.

 

20 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

The best way to get an estimate is to consult a doctor at the hospital in question. The doctors pretty well know the cost of the surgery though they may fail to inclide some pre and post op costs (labs, follow up). For that matter, package prices usually don't include those things either. Typically after consulting doctor, a nurse will provide an estimated cost. But to get an estimate from the hospital without having a consultation is very difficult, as you have found, unless there is a package price promotion.

I had consultations at both St. Louis and Chula.  Even so, I never could get the cost of the pre-op exam from them, other than what one nurse said casually to my wife.  

20 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

Whetever you end up going you will need lab work, EKG and chest Xray for the pre operative medical clearance.  This will cost about 6-7k, more if you have any chronic conditions that require special tests.  You can save money by having this done at RSU Health or private lab. You will still need to consult with an internal medecine doctor at the hospital whete you are having the surgery but can bring the labs, xray report and EKG with you.

I plan to have the surgery at Chula.  Their cost for the pre-op exam is very reasonable.

 

Thanks for your advice.

[Sheryl]

18 minutes ago, cmarshall said:

20k was only for the pre-op checkup.  The total cost at St. Louis is about 200,000 + the cost of the room, which I didn't get. 

 

I had a consultation with Dr. Narongsak.  He was thorough.

 

I had consultations at both St. Louis and Chula.  Even so, I never could get the cost of the pre-op exam from them, other than what one nurse said casually to my wife.  

I plan to have the surgery at Chula.  Their cost for the pre-op exam is very reasonable.

 

Thanks for your advice.

20k for pre op check is absurd. Maybe the nurse did not know what she was talking about as I can't imagine how it could cost that much. I  had one a month ago at Samitivej and even with special labs (thyroid panel)  it was under 10k. Used the same results for pre op clearance a month later at Bkk Hospital , only had to add an echocardiogram (you wouldn't need that for hetnia though unless you have a cardiac history).