Thai hospitals: More tests, more money? What is it all about?

[bkk6060]

1 hour ago, Bosse137 said:

I have told about this before,but I can add some details.My wife went to a wellknown hospital in khon kaen,hon hade insjuknat med COVID.After 3 days,she told me,that she couldn`t stay there any longerI will not go into those details,but I got them to let her out.But first we should wait for the doctor to see her,before we left.As she, up to that moment,still never had met the doctor,we didn`t wanted to see her,and we left.From the start,I had to pay 30ooo B as a garanti.If the bill would be lower,I would of course get the overshooting sum back.The bill came to 66000 B  !!!!Now to the question of tests.They charged us for 15 different tests !! Among others HIV...I also have to pay for 20 medicines !!! And a short stunt in IC room,where she did not get any special treatment.The reason given for the need of that room,was that they could connect her to some automatic maschin for taking bloodpreassure,which made the nurses job easier....All in all, the bill,on three A4 papers,has 466 different items !!!!I Guess if I will ever use that hospital again,or recommend it to my friends and family..

So, she spent 3 days in the hospital, had many tests (HIV test is not unusual for a person admitted to a hospital), part of her time she was in ICU, there were 466 items on the bill so for some reason they felt thorough testing and examination of her was necessary.

All this for $2,000?   Sounds like the bargain of the century to me doesn appear to be a rip off at all.

[Ralf001]

4 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

ICU care costs vary greatly depending on the care required.  Someone on a ventilator will cost vastly more than someone not. 

2 of my 6 weeks was done on a ventilator.

[dingdongrb]

20 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

I assume Samitvej and not Phayathai as I just spent 6 weeks in ICU (Phayathai) and saw the final bill sent to social security.

Social Security.....  What country?

[Ralf001]

Just now, dingdongrb said:

Social Security.....  What country?

errrrrrr, Thailand.

[dingdongrb]

4 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

errrrrrr, Thailand.

So you are Thai and you not only have the 30 THB healthcare plan but Thai Social Security?

 

[jaideedave]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

As i said in another thread earlier today, a thai women's Thai Dad is in a Siracha hospital racking up 100k a day in ICU, it's in their interest to keep him alive as long as possible, in the meantime his lifesavings will be gone soon and the daughter left with no inheritance 

Thats my greatest fear.At 72 with past bypass surgery I'm behind the 8 ball. I told my Thai family to tell the Dr " DNR" do not resuscitate but I'm not sure they get it. I told them I don't want their inheritance wasted away so I can survive as a veggy.Of course my insurance does not cover any cardiac issues. I'm actually only covered from my chin up and belly button down.<deleted>

[Ralf001]

2 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

So you are Thai and you not only have the 30 THB healthcare plan but Thai Social Security?

 

Not Thai and do not have 30b plan.

[jaideedave]

1 hour ago, dingdongrb said:

I was in a government hospital for 4 days. I went to the emergency room with nasty chest pains and was admitted into cardiac intensive care ward after being treated by a doctor and probably 4 or 5 assistants for 3 or 4 hours in the emergency room. 

 

On day 3 I went through the procedure of having a stent placed in my right pulmonary artery.

 

I received 8 different prescriptions on the day I was released.

 

Total bill = 163k THB

 

I was treated well and the doctor in charge spoke excellent English. The only complaint was the food.

Please inform me which hospital or city? tnx

[scubascuba3]

4 minutes ago, jaideedave said:

Thats my greatest fear.At 72 with past bypass surgery I'm behind the 8 ball. I told my Thai family to tell the Dr " DNR" do not resuscitate but I'm not sure they get it. I told them I don't want their inheritance wasted away so I can survive as a veggy.Of course my insurance does not cover any cardiac issues. I'm actually only covered from my chin up and belly button down.<deleted>

You probably need a do not resuscitate order, maybe a lawyer needs to do for a few thousand

Edited April 9, 2023 by scubascuba3

[homeseeker]

When Covid was at its peak a BKK hospital not named knew that my insurance would pay for my treatment.

I was admitted,

Stayed about 6 nights. Only pills and nursing treating. Doctor came a few times only for a few moments.

Bill to insurance was 370,000 baht and to have my own small room I paid another 30k.

Total bill=

400,000 approx.

 

Later after Covid over, i consulted the same doctor on a separate issue who told me my Covid was minor.

But when I was admitted they made out I was on the danger list....

  

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by homeseeker

[KhunLA]

So an expensive MRI would be 30-50k and with that ballpark number, they would have to do 20 or 30, to hit the 1 mill mark ... ????

[sqwakvfr]

That's almost $10,000 per day.  Even in the US that would be difficult to achieve.  I mean even with an Emergency Room visit with the remaining time in an ICU might come to that in a major US Hospital but in the Land of Smiles?

 

 

[dingdongrb]

28 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Not Thai and do not have 30b plan.

Noted

[dingdongrb]

26 minutes ago, jaideedave said:

Please inform me which hospital or city? tnx

Beautiful.....but now smoky.   Nan

[IvorBiggun2]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

what did they do before they had MRI?

They used their initiative. 

[Bosse137]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

So, she spent 3 days in the hospital, had many tests (HIV test is not unusual for a person admitted to a hospital), part of her time she was in ICU, there were 466 items on the bill so for some reason they felt thorough testing and examination of her was necessary.

All this for $2,000?   Sounds like the bargain of the century to me doesn appear to be a rip off at all.

Sure they had some reason for the testing,ICU and so on; The reason was to make money !!None of all that testing did show anything wrong,so why did they get the idea to do it. ICU was a short time.No machin,other than for bloodpreassure,was used.My wife asked them repetedly to bring her back to her room,or to tell the doctor to come and see her,but no---I did check the medicines later,and many had the same purpose.They had gloves in a plasticbag,and from the look of them,my wife thought they were all second hand.But we paid for very expensive glovs,of more than one sort.About HIV test;I understand,that if someone is to have a surgery,it could be important to know,for the sake of the personal,wether the patient is HIV positiv. In our case,no surgery was needed.And not a complet health check up.IF it were,they could have informed us before hand,and we could rejekt it.When I complained to a "superviser",she asked for,and got,my E-mail adress.She promised to bring my complaints forward.Of course,I never recived any mail..." Bargain of the century",well,please remember that,if it happens to you !!!

[Ralf001]

10 minutes ago, Bosse137 said:

Sure they had some reason for the testing,ICU and so on; The reason was to make money !!None of all that testing did show anything wrong,so why did they get the idea to do it. ICU was a short time.No machin,other than for bloodpreassure,was used.My wife asked them repetedly to bring her back to her room,or to tell the doctor to come and see her,but no---I did check the medicines later,and many had the same purpose.They had gloves in a plasticbag,and from the look of them,my wife thought they were all second hand.But we paid for very expensive glovs,of more than one sort.About HIV test;I understand,that if someone is to have a surgery,it could be important to know,for the sake of the personal,wether the patient is HIV positiv. In our case,no surgery was needed.And not a complet health check up.IF it were,they could have informed us before hand,and we could rejekt it.When I complained to a "superviser",she asked for,and got,my E-mail adress.She promised to bring my complaints forward.Of course,I never recived any mail..." Bargain of the century",well,please remember that,if it happens to you !!!

if all the tests came back showing nothing wrong why was she there in the first place ?

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, dingdongrb said:

So you are Thai and you not only have the 30 THB healthcare plan but Thai Social Security?

 

If you work here you pay into Social Security.

[dingdongrb]

5 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

If you work here you pay into Social Security.

Yepper, I fully understand and knew that.

 

I was perhaps assuming that it was the USA's SSA as there's been chatter on here that some Medicare plans cover medical bills generated in foreign countries. 

[connda]

3 hours ago, bob smith said:

govt hospitals all the way. I personally wouldn't touch a private hospital out here with a 50ft pole.

 

They are would suck the water out of a stone them lot.

I agree.  I have a Living Will and Advanced Directive which explicitly states:
1. Take me to a government hospital
2. Do not take me to a private hospital. 

If something happens out where I live, the nearest hospital is a government hospital where I know the staff and one of the head doctors has our Living Wills and Advanced Directives for both myself and my wife.
As long as my wife is with me (which is about 99% of the time) she's there to make sure the LWAD is carried out.  I've got copies in the car, in the house, my son's got a copy, and the doctor.  In Thai and English.
The other aspect of our LWAD is a "No ICU", "No CPR", "Do Not Resuscitate" 
I'm thinking about getting that tattooed on my chest in Thai.  <laughs>

I'm in my 70s.  I've lived a productive life.  If **** happens, then imho it's time to let it all go and move on. My wife feels that same.  It's definitely is not most peoples approach as most people want to keep living no matter how ****y their quality of life is.  Personally I don't get that.  I see people in the late 80s wanting expensive advance treatment so they can continue living in a busted, broken-down body that isn't going to last more than a few more years anyway.  It tells me these people are terrified of death.  Part of a good life is coming to grips with your eventual demise.  It's sad for those who can not.

Now, should I get that tattoo?  ????  Hummmm.

[SpaceKadet]

2 hours ago, 300sd said:

I had an MRI done at bkk hospital. Wanted a second opinion so went to the head specialist at this hospital on Soi 1 with the mri disc. He put it in his computer and told me it was not clear enough and I'd need another mri there. I took it up Sukumvit to Samitivej. A bright young specialist there read the disc and had no problem giving me that second opinion at a cost of 700 baht. I'll never be back to soi 1.

I have been using Samitivej for my cardio. Have only good things to say about the doctors, treatment and also prices. Heart MRI there was 24,000 baht. They said they had a special that week, go figure. Also, my cardiologist arranged consultations with visiting professors from the Ramatibodi university hospital, free of charge. When it was time to pay, the clinic nurse just gave me a slip and asked me to go to cashier. Normally you would get escorted when the bill is more than 4 digits, my experience from that Soi 1 hospital.

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, connda said:

Now, should I get that tattoo?  ????  Hummmm.

I don't think tattoos are legally binding.

I guess any hospital personal will only follow your wishes if they get that in writing and maybe certified by some official. Obviously they want to avoid future trouble. 

[connda]

2 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

So you are Thai and you not only have the 30 THB healthcare plan but Thai Social Security?

 

Foreigners can be on Thai Social Security scheme if you're working for a Thai company.

[connda]

1 hour ago, homeseeker said:

When Covid was at its peak a BKK hospital not named knew that my insurance would pay for my treatment.

I was admitted,

Stayed about 6 nights. Only pills and nursing treating. Doctor came a few times only for a few moments.

Bill to insurance was 370,000 baht and to have my own small room I paid another 30k.

Total bill=

400,000 approx.

 

Later after Covid over, i consulted the same doctor on a separate issue who told me my Covid was minor.

But when I was admitted they made out I was on the danger list....

  

 

Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware.

[Bosse137]

29 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

if all the tests came back showing nothing wrong why was she there in the first place ?

We knew already that she had covid (hometest).The very first test they did,was to check for covid.The reason I brought her there,was in case it would get worse and she might need help with breathing.It never happened,she never needed help from any machine.There were no other signs ,that she was sick in any other way.That is what I meant by saying that there were no reason to start a massiv testing of unrelated sickness. A few days later,me too got the virus.But no way did I want to feed the hospital.I was ok after three days.

[dingdongrb]

7 minutes ago, connda said:

Foreigners can be on Thai Social Security scheme if you're working for a Thai company.

That's already been stated in an earlier post as well as me replying to it.

 

Save yourself a post and read what others have posted.

[georgegeorgia]

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

There is no way any hospital in Thailand can rack up 1 million baht in 3 days without considerable padding of the bills.

I only use the Thai medical profession for minor complaints, or for the initial stages of anything more serious. I go back to Australia, where I can get free treatment with top level private health cover.

For example, I have a urologist in Chiang Mai for routine checks. If I needed surgery, my urologist in Australia is far more qualified and experienced.

 

How does that work though?

You have top private health cover in Australia so I guess your paying around $180 aud per month but your living in Thailand?

So you must tell  the insurance you live in Australia?

[connda]

22 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't think tattoos are legally binding.

I guess any hospital personal will only follow your wishes if they get that in writing and maybe certified by some official. Obviously they want to avoid future trouble. 

It was drawn up by a lawyer, signed and initialed, two witnesses all on the lawyer's letterhead.  Very official.  Written in Thai and English.
Thailand has laws regarding Living Will/Advance Directives and our documents meet Thai government legal criteria.
Now will hospital staff follow our wishes?  Well that's where my wife or son come in, and, if taken the the nearest hospital which is our Amphur government hospital (the next nearest is 40km away), then as I said, the head doctor, who is a family friend, has our paperwork.  I trust him to get the staff in line to follow the directives.  All I want is palliative care and to be sent home to expire. 

Edited April 9, 2023 by connda

[connda]

8 minutes ago, Bosse137 said:

We knew already that she had covid (hometest).The very first test they did,was to check for covid.The reason I brought her there,was in case it would get worse and she might need help with breathing.It never happened,she never needed help from any machine.There were no other signs ,that she was sick in any other way.That is what I meant by saying that there were no reason to start a massiv testing of unrelated sickness. A few days later,me too got the virus.But no way did I want to feed the hospital.I was ok after three days.

You should have got the Covid shots.

[connda]

14 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

That's already been stated in an earlier post as well as me replying to it.

 

Save yourself a post and read what others have posted.

Grumpy mai?    <laughs>  ????I think this is what is referred to as "a flame."
Chill - just trying to help. 

Edited April 9, 2023 by connda