English speaking facilitators at private hospitals...

[1FinickyOne]

Is this a service that is charged at hospitals?

 

Can it increase your medical bills if you use one? 

[KannikaP]

If the doctors and main staff do not speak English......change hospitals.

[1FinickyOne]

Just now, KannikaP said:

If the doctors and main staff do not speak English......change hospitals.

It's not for me... but thanks. 

[Will B Good]

Unless you are out in the sticks I would be very surprised if your doctor, maybe not the nurses, didn't speak English.

 

Can you take a friend?

[1FinickyOne]

19 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Unless you are out in the sticks I would be very surprised if your doctor, maybe not the nurses, didn't speak English.

 

Can you take a friend?

I speak Thai - this is not about me or a friend... just asking a question. 

[BigStar]

Private hsps have English facilitators on call as needed. Sometimes they'll accompany the patient to the doc w/o being called. They can also be reached by phone.

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, BigStar said:

Private hsps have English facilitators on call as needed. Sometimes they'll accompany the patient to the doc w/o being called. They can also be reached by phone.

yes and my question is if they are used does the bill go up? 

[BigStar]

37 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

yes and my question is if they are used does the bill go up? 

 

No. It'll be high enough already.

 

[scubascuba3]

Also get google translate and google lens apps on the phone

[statman78]

At a private hospital here in Chiang Rai there will be a small charge.  I think it was 100 baht.

[1FinickyOne]

36 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Also get google translate and google lens apps on the phone

I am asking if there is an extra cost for a facilitator... I can speak Thai - this is not for me. 

[Liverpool Lou]

40 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

I am asking if there is an extra cost for a facilitator... I can speak Thai - this is not for me. 

Did you not think to do the most obvious thing and call the hospital to ask them?   No one here will know the charges of some anonymous hospital.

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, 1FinickyOne said:

I am asking if there is an extra cost for a facilitator... I can speak Thai - this is not for me. 

It's not about you, it's about your "friend" can use those apps as backup. You've had the answer already

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

I speak Thai - this is not about me or a friend... just asking a question. 

 

Several of the international hospitals I've used in BKK thru the years have specific staff units inhouse aimed at serving international / expat patients, sometimes called International Relations or something similar. The ones I've encountered typically have multilingual translation capability available, either inhouse or on-call.

 

I've never encountered those hospitals charging extra / separately when those hospital staff are called to assist an international / expat patient with language or other support needs. And I'm familiar with that in an outpatient setting.

 

I believe that same kind of assistance would generally be available, assuming the hospital provided it, to inpatients as well.....

 

But separate from that, I believe I have seen in the past where some private hospitals in BKK have offered higher level rooms with supposedly dedicated EN or other language nursing care at higher prices than would otherwise be the case.

 

[1FinickyOne]

38 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's not about you, it's about your "friend" can use those apps as backup. You've had the answer already

Sure, except this was in the past - I seem to have an answer to what you incorrectly think the question is about. He had a facilitator and what I thought was an expensive bill. He did not have trouble communicating as there was a facilitator provided. I am questioning if there was a price for the facilitator as the bill seemed 2x what I thought it should be... 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

It really would depend on the specific hospital in question and their policies / practices toward tourists / expats. I always ask for, and am provided, a detailed billing statement in EN of just what I'm being charged for and at what prices... Though I usually have to make a specific request when paying the bill to get that. Oddly, the private hospitals almost never seem to voluntarily provide that, absent a specific request.

 

Normally, in my experience, a hospital staff assisting with language translation issues with other TH-only speaking hospital staff wouldn't involve any extra charges.

 

However, if someone requested or was assigned some kind of specialized nursing service for some reason, that most certainly would trigger added charges.

 

Also, in general, there are well-established policies and practices at various private hospitals whereby tourists and/or expats are charged higher prices than Thai nationals would be for the same exact medical services....

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

I am asking if there is an extra cost for a facilitator... I can speak Thai - this is not for me. 

 

I have been to hosptials numerous times in Thailand - and only ever speak in English with the Doctors treating me. 

 

I expect them to speak English and IF they are not fluent enough, that means for me that they are not up to date with international advancements. 

 

There has never been any additional charge with Doctors speaking English, an additional translator has never been required. 

 

 

IF however an 'additional facilitator' is required - then I imagine there would be a charge - perhaps in a provincial hospital etc.

 

 

[scubascuba3]

42 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Sure, except this was in the past - I seem to have an answer to what you incorrectly think the question is about. He had a facilitator and what I thought was an expensive bill. He did not have trouble communicating as there was a facilitator provided. I am questioning if there was a price for the facilitator as the bill seemed 2x what I thought it should be... 

ah now you are adding detail that should have been in the opening post

[Lorry]

@BigStaranswered your question 5 hours ago. So?

[1FinickyOne]

32 minutes ago, Lorry said:

@BigStaranswered your question 5 hours ago. So?

So? I can't control other people answering the question too... even people like you who don't have the answer but like to comment... 

[BigStar]

2 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

I am questioning if there was a price for the facilitator as the bill seemed 2x what I thought it should be... 

 

So this is your real issue. Common complaint on the forum.

 

For some reason, you've gotten yourself all fixated on English facilitator w/o specifying how much facilitating was done anyway and rather insisting this must be the reason the bill was 2x higher than you thought it should be.

 

The charges are listed on the bill. What charge specifically seemed high to you? If you have a question about the charges, just go ask the hospital about them. Jesus!

[Lorry]

5 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

So? I can't control other people answering the question too... even people like you who don't have the answer but like to comment... 

My comment implied that @BigStar's answer is correct. 

 

 

[1FinickyOne]

19 hours ago, BigStar said:

insisting

I am asking a rather simple question - - I am not insisting anything... 

[1FinickyOne]

19 hours ago, BigStar said:

If you have a question about the charges, just go ask the hospital about them. Jesus!

Edited 19 hours ago by BigStar

It wasn't my bill to question - but since I recommended the hospital and facilitator - I wascurious if prices are inflated when a facilitator is involved... pretty simple question - - and yet you go all drama queen on the question and invoke your deity? 

 

Take a chill pill and don't answer if you can't.

[NativeBob]

never happened. I used 5 private hospitals in BKK. not a single baht of surcharge were taken/requested/billed. 

but "facilitators" are outstanding a***holes as I've noticed.

[Ralf001]

I visit my doc at the hospital every 6 weeks.

 

Translator greets me at check in every visit.

 

no extra charge.

[Lorry]

A good "facilitator" - normally called interpreter - might actually save some money. Because the doctor can communicate better with the patient,  he might see that some tests are unnecessary,  or have been recently performed.  Some medication may not be necessary to prescribe as the patient may have an equivalent from his home country.  

 

I have never seen a surcharge for an interpreter,  it would be very unusual. 

The usual international hospitals don't do this, but God knows, maybe the newly opened private hospital at Nakhon Nowhere does?

[Yagoda]

On 8/3/2024 at 1:49 AM, 1FinickyOne said:

Is this a service that is charged at hospitals?

 

Can it increase your medical bills if you use one? 

I had a 4 day stay in BNH. More English than a hotel.

[FritsSikkink]

On 8/3/2024 at 12:51 PM, KannikaP said:

If the doctors and main staff do not speak English......change hospitals.

Why, just speak Thai.

[Sheryl]

7 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

It wasn't my bill to question - but since I recommended the hospital and facilitator - I was curious if prices are inflated when a facilitator is involved.

As many have answered, no, the involvement of facilitator would not have affected the charge.

 

But being a foreigner (especially if classified by the hospital as a tourist),  may have.