Appendix Surgery-63000 Baht Reasonable?

[Paterno]

My mate just got out of surgery for appendicitis. Before I left him, I asked him about the bill. He showed me a detailed bill showing the following. Does it look reasonable?

Bangkok Hospital Rayong 1 Night

Surgery ~63,000 Baht

Room and Medicine ~17,000 Baht

Daily Care~14,000 Bhat

Total ~94,000 Baht

This jumps to around 115,000 if he stays 2 nights and 130,000 for 3 nights.

I think there could be some extra padding but we are trying to find the best way to negotiate.

Cheers!

[kurnell]

My colleague paid 100k all in for his appendectomy at Samitivej 2 years ago.

[chiang mai]

Can't comment on the price but a one night stay seems very short, Sheryl?

[jimmym40]

63,000 baht for the surgery - WOW. I wouldn't have thought it would be that much. Also, all the other prices quoted seems on the high side. But if you need your appendix removed and time is of the essence, any price would be okay.

[Sheryl]

Is this for open approach or laparscopic?

[Soutpeel]

63,000 baht for the surgery - WOW. I wouldn't have thought it would be that much. Also, all the other prices quoted seems on the high side. But if you need your appendix removed and time is of the essence, any price would be okay.

The price quoted is reasonable for the surgery...

[jumbo]

44.000 3 years ago at www.sikarin.com, excellent hospital , doctors all speak reasonable english, staff so-so in english. Great service, great room, 3 days stay.

[mjnaus]

Had mine taken out 2 years ago at Sikarin Hatyai, total stay of four nights for a price of around 55.000 baht. Super service, single air-co room, extra bed for guest, small kitchen in the room, Wifi, restaurant on the floor. Arrived late at night, was diagnosed the next morning around 10.00 and in surgery about an hour after that.

That was in a nice private hospital in a big city; so 94.000 seems quite high. And a one night stay makes no sense as well…. I wasn't able to move properly until two days after the surgery.

Edited September 26, 2011 by mjnaus

[Paterno]

Thanks everyone for the replies! It seems the BKK Hospital chain is more expensive than all the others.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

I had a ruptured appendix about a year ago. went to Bumrungrad for operation. Was in the hospital for ten nights private room top notch care. Cost me 300,000 baht and worth every satang

[lopburi3]

Emergency night operation last year at Latphao General was about 40k total for family member as I best recall. Two other normal hospitals quoted the same price range.

[aussiebebe]

I had a ruptured appendix about a year ago. went to Bumrungrad for operation. Was in the hospital for ten nights private room top notch care. Cost me 300,000 baht and worth every satang

Are you referring to money you actually paid, or quoting what the hospital billed your health insurance company? You know whatever is listed gets negotiated down, right? Anyhow, looking up Appendectomy on a popular US website healthcarefees will make any sum you pay in Thailand seem highly reasonable!

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

I had a ruptured appendix about a year ago. went to Bumrungrad for operation. Was in the hospital for ten nights private room top notch care. Cost me 300,000 baht and worth every satang

Are you referring to money you actually paid, or quoting what the hospital billed your health insurance company? You know whatever is listed gets negotiated down, right? Anyhow, looking up Appendectomy on a popular US website healthcarefees will make any sum you pay in Thailand seem highly reasonable!

I have no insurance, that was out of my pocket. As I understand it, it would run somewhere between 300,000USD and 500,000USD in the states.So to me 10,000 USD seems very reasonable.

[Tywais]

Was curious about the costs elsewhere and found this. They do have one report of cost in Hua Hin in the list.

Surgerycosts.net

Surprised at the high costs for a standard basic surgical procedure.

[chiang mai]

Was curious about the costs elsewhere and found this. They do have one report of cost in Hua Hin in the list.

Surgerycosts.net

Surprised at the high costs for a standard basic surgical procedure.

The US costs are astronomical, almost unbelievable.

[Naam]

44.000 3 years ago at www.sikarin.com, excellent hospital , doctors all speak reasonable english, staff so-so in english. Great service, great room, 3 days stay.

ruptured appendix ~18 years ago. surgery and 3 days hospital US-Dollars 15,800.- (= today's Thai Baht 490,000).

nearly everybody was fluently speaking american. except the cleaning lady who's spanish was better than her american.

venue: Orlando, Florida

[ignis]

Emergency night operation [3 am surgery] one year ago at Bang Yai, left on late afternoon of day 4..... private room 1st 24 hours, then into a ward of 6, total bill just under 70k, and they even supplied and gave me injections for my diabetics every day.. Did not know at the time but would have been 11k cheaper at Bang Bua Thong Hospital. [same distance 12 km from my home]

Edited September 26, 2011 by ignis

[Satcommlee]

I had an appendectomy last month at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, it was a little more complicated because it had ruptured and my stay was 4 nights.

It was all covered by BUPA-International so I think mine was a discounted price to what a Farang would pay on walk-in.

Just to give you an idea of they paid and how they charge, see below: , (Total 150'000 THB)

I friend had simple appendectomy performed at Pattaya International Hospital for less than 50000 THB, but don;t know how long ago..

[kkerry]

Thai neighbor had appendicitis a few months ago. Three days in hospital, no complications, around 45,000 baht total.

He is 60 years old, fit for his age and was back riding his bike in a few weeks.

General hospital located outer Bangkok.

I've visited this hospital twice, busy but I've never seen another foreigner.

Typical Thai general hospital, open ward, fans rather than air con, no tv, nurses not so pretty as Bumrungrad or other major Thai private hospitals.

While I'd prefer a private room in a private hospital myself there wasn't anything to complain about the no frills treatment he received.

[uwe_rayong]

I had a ruptured appendix about a year ago. went to Bumrungrad for operation. Was in the hospital for ten nights private room top notch care. Cost me 300,000 baht and worth every satang

Are you referring to money you actually paid, or quoting what the hospital billed your health insurance company? You know whatever is listed gets negotiated down, right? Anyhow, looking up Appendectomy on a popular US website healthcarefees will make any sum you pay in Thailand seem highly reasonable!

I have no insurance, that was out of my pocket. As I understand it, it would run somewhere between 300,000USD and 500,000USD in the states.So to me 10,000 USD seems very reasonable.

I find it outrages expensive to charge 300-500k USD for an even complicated ruptured appendix.

Since nobody answers to the 300-500k USD I'll ask the question.

Is it really that expensive in the US?

That would be around 15 Million THB for what, 3-4 hours surgery and 10 days in the Hospital...

[Gary A]

My experience is out dated since it was about four years ago. The total cost was 39,000 baht at Loei Ram private hospital. I had a private very nice room and was there for four days and nights. My LMG insurance paid the entire bill.

[bunnaag]

I had a ruptured appendix about a year ago. went to Bumrungrad for operation. Was in the hospital for ten nights private room top notch care. Cost me 300,000 baht and worth every satang

Are you referring to money you actually paid, or quoting what the hospital billed your health insurance company? You know whatever is listed gets negotiated down, right? Anyhow, looking up Appendectomy on a popular US website healthcarefees will make any sum you pay in Thailand seem highly reasonable!

I have no insurance, that was out of my pocket. As I understand it, it would run somewhere between 300,000USD and 500,000USD in the states.So to me 10,000 USD seems very reasonable.

I find it outrages expensive to charge 300-500k USD for an even complicated ruptured appendix.

Since nobody answers to the 300-500k USD I'll ask the question.

Is it really that expensive in the US?

That would be around 15 Million THB for what, 3-4 hours surgery and 10 days in the Hospital...

I think it is a typo.He probably wanted to say 300 000 to 500 000 Bath.

[Sheryl]

1. Appendectomy may be done by either laparoscopic or open approach. The costs and required length of hospital stay vary significantly depending on which one.

2. Hospital costs have risen significantly in the past few years in Thailand so what people paid 2 years or more ago is almost certainly not what the same thing at the same hospital would cost today.

3. Ruptured appendix is a totally different matter and depending on the extent to which complications such as peritonitis have set in, costs can be all over the map.

To get a general idea of the cost of common procedures, go to the Bumrungrad website and use their "real cost" function which will give you a median cost. Bumrungrad is a high end private hospital. Costs at the other major private "international" hospitals in Bangkok (BNH, Samitivej, BH etc) will be about the same. Affiliaites of same if in a tourist area (Pattaya, Phuket) likwise about the same or possibly even more. Other private hospitals in Bkk will be a little less. Private hospitals outside of Bkk (other than major tourist locations) likewise a bit less. Non-profit hospitals, significantly less. Government and military hospitals, the least of all. (But still costly enough that anyone living here without health insurance is making a big mistake IMO).

[Sheryl]

P.S. Need to add to the above that choice of room accommodation will make a big difference and all the hospitals offer a range of rooms. Admissions people tend to aggressively push the most expensive ones. Insist on seeing the full list from the very cheapest on up. other than the difference between having/not having roommates, the differences between each tier of rooms is seldom worth the magnitude of cost difference.

[sas_cars]

I had the appendix surgery in 2003, in Surin. Surin Hospital, Private VIP room, top care, stayed for 3 nights. And it caused me a princely sum of 14,000 Baht