pls recommend Bangkok doc for ablation for (paroxysmal) atrial fibrillation

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, david_je said:

May I ask, how did you find/decide on AOC? Someone recommended? I'm wondering if it would be better to have a broker in Thailand or at least in same/closer time zone?

None of the brokers in Thailand can handle an international policy. That is the whole issue and why AA stopped doing it.

 

I selected AOC just based on an internet search for brokers based in France (most likely to have dealings with April) who specialize in international policies and they were the only one which came up.

 

Haven't yet had a claim so can't say much more than that. It is not difficult to communicate via email and Whats App.

[david_je]

On 11/1/2023 at 10:56 AM, Sheryl said:

The other issue besides whether they would deem it medically necessary is the reasonableness of costs proposed which is often a problem with Bumrungrad etc.

 

There is no way to know if an insurer would pay for something until a hospital submitted the necessary paperwork.

 

I got a quote from Bumrungrad, where I would prefer to have it done, and it is considerably higher than that cited by others in this forum who have had the procedure done elsewhere. Do you think I should still proceed with Bumrungrad first and see if April will cover? If they turned down Bumrungrad and I then sought coverage at a cheaper hospital, would that make it less likely that April would cover than if I went via the cheaper hospital in the first place? Thank you for advice.

[Sheryl]

7 hours ago, david_je said:

I got a quote from Bumrungrad, where I would prefer to have it done, and it is considerably higher than that cited by others in this forum who have had the procedure done elsewhere. Do you think I should still proceed with Bumrungrad first and see if April will cover? If they turned down Bumrungrad and I then sought coverage at a cheaper hospital, would that make it less likely that April would cover than if I went via the cheaper hospital in the first place? Thank you for advice.

I do nto think having Bumrungrad submit a request for a GOP would be a problem if you later went elsewhere. Either the hospital & insurer together will hammer out an acceptable rate or they won't.  If they don't, no problem with trying again at another hospital IF the issue was cost (as opposed to medical necessity).

[gargamon]

On 10/16/2023 at 2:08 PM, Sheryl said:

This doctor is expert in it:

 

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/Koonlawee-Nademanee?gclid=Cj0KCQjwm66pBhDQARIsALIR2zDdEHAXJa9pAQiDELL1rmH1gLs_M9a4wCgko4WzzalxYwoCspp5T6gaAkEkEALw_wcB

 

You can read more about his expertise specific to RF ablation here:

https://myacare.com/doctor/prof-dr-koonlawee-nademanee-thailand

Thanks for the reference to this Dr. I had the procedure done Thursday. Checked out of Bumrungrad Friday.

 

Got an appointment to see him on a Wednesday, after discussing the situation we decided I was a good candidate for his procedure and could have done the surgery the next day. It took a few days to accumulate the required funds and get them to Thailand so we moved the operation to the following week. Bumrungrad insists on full payment pre-surgery. 

 

Atrial fibrillation now gone as far as I can tell. I'll be back in the gym Tuesday or Wednesday. 

 

All in, a bit over 1.3 million baht. Best money I've spent in a long time. 

[ozimoron]

24 minutes ago, gargamon said:

Thanks for the reference to this Dr. I had the procedure done Thursday. Checked out of Bumrungrad Friday.

 

Got an appointment to see him on a Wednesday, after discussing the situation we decided I was a good candidate for his procedure and could have done the surgery the next day. It took a few days to accumulate the required funds and get them to Thailand so we moved the operation to the following week. Bumrungrad insists on full payment pre-surgery. 

 

Atrial fibrillation now gone as far as I can tell. I'll be back in the gym Tuesday or Wednesday. 

 

All in, a bit over 1.3 million baht. Best money I've spent in a long time. 

 

Very encouraging.

[gargamon]

52 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

 

Very encouraging.

Yes. It's really hard to believe that one of, if not the top electro-cardiologists in the world is available in Thailand. 

[david_je]

18 hours ago, gargamon said:

Thanks for the reference to this Dr. I had the procedure done Thursday. Checked out of Bumrungrad Friday.

 

Got an appointment to see him on a Wednesday, after discussing the situation we decided I was a good candidate for his procedure and could have done the surgery the next day. It took a few days to accumulate the required funds and get them to Thailand so we moved the operation to the following week. Bumrungrad insists on full payment pre-surgery. 

 

Atrial fibrillation now gone as far as I can tell. I'll be back in the gym Tuesday or Wednesday. 

 

All in, a bit over 1.3 million baht. Best money I've spent in a long time. 

What criteria did he use to judge you are a good candidate for the procedure?

Assume your insurance did not cover?

What medicines and regimen did doc give you post-op? What tests or other follow-up in months ahead to determine if it was a success? 

Thank you for any additional info. 

[gargamon]

2 hours ago, david_je said:

What criteria did he use to judge you are a good candidate for the procedure?

Assume your insurance did not cover?

What medicines and regimen did doc give you post-op? What tests or other follow-up in months ahead to determine if it was a success? 

Thank you for any additional info. 

What criteria did he use to judge you are a good candidate for the procedure?

I had a pacemaker installed already. He had the tech from the pacemaker company come in during the initial appointment. That in itself is incredible as the surgeon didn't even know I had a pacemaker until the initial meeting. From the pacemaker stats it was determined i was in afib for extended periods, as in 3+ days. 

 

Assume your insurance did not cover?

Fully insured in one of the mickey mouse Canadian provincial health care systems that takes months to see a regular cardiologist unless you've had a heart attack. Seeing an electro-cardiologist would be a multi year wait. Also fully covered with Medicare in the US. It would have taken the GP referral to a cardiologist then a referral to an electro-cardiologist that would likely be nowhere nearly as talented as the surgeon here. So I'll self insure for this one. 

 

What medicines and regimen did doc give you post-op? What tests or other follow-up in months ahead to determine if it was a success? 

Cardarone in a diminishing schedule over 5 weeks. I'm back to his office in a couple of weeks and again late March. Conveniently the pacemaker keeps statistics that will easily determine how well the surgery went. I'll also be picking up a Kardia mobile unit which allows basic EKGs to be sent to the surgeon's office for inspection to see if further analysis is required. 

 

So as far as I can tell, the afib is done, to be verified in a couple of weeks. And if confirmed, there's no need for a pacemaker anymore as the heart rhythm is normal. So the pacemaker is now essentially just an inbuilt defibrillator to prevent death in some circumstances. Also. If confirmed, there will be no more need for blood thinners...

 

It would have been a deal at twice the price IMO.