Current Bangkok Hospital Fees

[roadschooler]

Does anyone know the current fees to see a specialist at the popular private hospitals in Bangkok?

Thanks

[Bagwan]

Expect anything between 700 and a thousand. I see a nice lady who has 4 or 5 US qualifications and she only bills me for 500 - but then she is very patient orientated. I wish some more of the others were. One Assistant Professor billed me an extra 300 for a prescription.

BTW what is an Assistant Professor? I thought that you were a Professor or not a Professor. Still. this is Thailand where having three Deputy Prime Ministers seems to be the norm.

[powderpuff]

400 baht at the better hospitals.

[lopburi3]

I pay 300-600 at Vejthani (it does vary by the doctor).

[Sheryl]

The doctors set their own fees, and there is a wide range. Depends on the qualifications/experience of the individual and also how relatively common/uncommon a specialization they have.

400 Baht would be very low for a specialist although you might well pay 200 - 400 for an internist (GP).

I would say these days 500 - 1,200 baht. Lower end for an ob/gyn or dermatologist, higher for a cardiologist, endocrinologost, ID specialist, higher still for a specialty that includes specialized surgery. And more for a doctor who has studied/qualified abroad, and for those at the very top of their field, who are, indeed, usually Professors/Asst Profs at a medical school.

If this seems unfair, keep in mind that those charging more usually paid a great deal of money -- their own money -- and spent many additional years time to get to theit level of proficiency. Also, the top docs are almost always employed full time at a governnment hospital where they work quite hard at a comparatively low salary. They've already put in far more than 40 hours when you see them evenings and weekends at a private hospital, so think of it as "overtime pay" if you like, for working after hours on top of their full time job. Or think of it as helping to subsidize their work for the poor...a few hours a week at >1,000 baht per patient visit is what makes it possible for them to serve in the public system without forfeiting a decent standard of living for themselves and their families.

And that fee is what makes it possible for you to see them after a comparatively short wait in a comfortable air con waiting room as opposed to spending the better part of a full day in a hot, crowded government hospital waiting area.

Most importantly, consider that it is cheaper in the long run to pay 1,400 baht to someone who knows what they are doing and gets the diagnosis and treatment right, than it is to pay a fraction of that to someone who...maybe does not.

On top of the doctor's fee, the private hospitals tack on their own charges and this varies by hospital. Some of them do so in more than one guise. these days I'm seeing the "hospital add on" range anywhere from 50 to 200 baht.

[roadschooler]

I called Bumrungrad last week and I had a very strange experience. I asked to see a doctor (gastro speciality) and was told there was one on duty. I asked about the fee and 15 minutes later with no answer to my question, I was transferred to a nurse, I still could not get a price. I thought it was very strange and I kept getting responses that it depends on what the doctor charges. Since, we knew the name of the doctor, I thought we could get the price he charged his patients. I still was unable to get an answer other that I should come to the hospital. Odd, I thought. I asked if the fees were a state secret and after we both shared a laugh, she informed me that the fees ranged 500 - 2,000 baht. It was up to the doctor. I thought this very strange. I was getting the feeling that the charges were going to be more expensive than back in the US so I opted to look for another hospital.

I looked up my insurance company website in the US and found a list of approved hospitals. I saw Mission Hospital. I called them up and got a price of 400 baht with a ceiling of 600 baht. There is a 120 baht hospital fee as well. Sounded good. I went there and I was very pleased. I met with an American doctor, had 3 x-rays, given a prescription, and my bill was 1300 baht.

I think I will stick to this hospital. I don't know what is going on at Bumrungrad.