Test costs for Ultrasound

[barsteward]

I just asked a few hospitals for quotes of an ultrasound of the liver after an odd result on a LFT.

Samitivej in Sri racha - 3,800 baht for full abdominal scan plus doctors fees

Phayathai in Sri racha - 2,800 baht for full abdominal scan plus doctors fees

As a comparison, I decided to check with Rajavej which i have seen advertise in the Chiang Mai section, even though it is a long way from Pattaya and I haven't even dared ask the cost at the big hospital here which i won't name.

I got a quick email reply back in under 2 hours, which was very well written and said for a liver scan only an upper abdominal scan is needed and the price is 1,000 baht plus doctors fees, 2,000 baht for a full scan.

The questions are, do i really need a full scan or are the two in Sri Racha just loading the bill and why are prices in Chiang Mai so much cheaper.

[Sheryl]

Actually the costs aren't that different - 2,000 for full scan in CM and 2,800 in Phyathai Sri Racha, Samitivej is significantly more expensive than Phyathai, that tends to be true across the board.

An upper scan is adequate for visualization of the liver.

Frankly if I were you I would worry less about saving a thousand baht or so and more about ensuring that the scan is read by a really well qualified hepatologist. Scans do not read themselves, and are only as good as the person doing them.

[bunnydrops]

I second the "scans don't read themselves". Recently had a scan of gallbladder at Ruamphat Matsubayashi hospital that saw nothing. Went to another for second option and they saw several, one almost 1/2 inch round.

[CharlieH]

Its the quality of the service and advice, not just the price of a scan.

[thaiexpat21]

Its the quality of the service and advice, not just the price of a scan.

It is actually the skill of the sonographer that counts !

[barsteward]

It's also being able to get an appointment to see them, Phayathai aren't responding to my requests for an appointment

[Sheryl]

Whome did you contact at Phyathai? [email protected] usually gets a prompt reply.

[yankee99]

Next month they have the birthday promotions and many include the ultrasound at discounted prices

[JSixpack]

It's also being able to get an appointment to see them, Phayathai aren't responding to my requests for an appointment

You can likely just walk in, see a doc, and get it w/o waiting long at all.

[barsteward]

Whome did you contact at Phyathai? [email protected] usually gets a prompt reply.

yes, gavin

[Guderian]

Hi all,

 

I hope this topic is still open, I didn't want to start another one if I could avoid it.

 

Any updates on prices for a USS liver in the Pattaya area? I checked just now with Bangkok hospital in North Pattaya and was quoted 4000 Baht plus hospital fees plus doctors fees, probably around 6000 Baht in total.

 

That sounds similar to the 3800 Baht quoted for Samitivej in the OP, so no point in driving all the way to Sri Racha just to save a few hundred Baht. Not sure about Phyathai, if their add-on fees are less than BHP then it might come in at 4000 Baht or so, I'd guess. Is Gavin still the man to contact there?

 

I agree with the advice above that the scan needs to be seen by a competent hepatologist, but I assume both BHP and Phyathai have such doctors, though I don't know any names so it would be pot luck as to who dealt with me. Any comments on the hepatologists at the two hospitals?

 

Any information on USS costs at Pattaya International?

 

And one last question - the scan has been requested by a consultant back in the UK as I didn't have time to get it done on the NHS while I was there. Do the doctors here give you a written summary of the results, as my memory for medical lingo is limited and the consultant back home might not believe me (and rightly so if it's anything complicated)?

 

Thanks for any feedback.

[Sheryl]

Yes Gavin is still at Phayathai.

 

And yes you can get a written report.

 

Do you know if you need full abdomen or only upper abdomen, it makes a difference in cost.

 

It will help the person doing & reading the ultrasound to know the diagnosis/why being done and any previous results.

[Guderian]

17 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Yes Gavin is still at Phayathai.

 

And yes you can get a written report.

 

Do you know if you need full abdomen or only upper abdomen, it makes a difference in cost.

 

It will help the person doing & reading the ultrasound to know the diagnosis/why being done and any previous results.

Thanks for the reply, Sheryl.

 

I'm not sure whether it would be full scan or upper abdomen only, but you said above that upper is sufficient to cover the liver and I was told to get a "USS liver" done. I'll let the doctor/sonographer decide, I don't mind.

 

As you may have gathered from past posts, I'm quite a complicated case so indeed the doctor would need to know my medical history. I don't have a gall bladder, for instance, which might surprise them if they didn't know why. The reason for doing the scan is that the ALP (alkaline phosphatase) number in the LFT has been gradually rising for the last five years or more. On the last LFT in September it had just got above the top of the advised range that the NHS uses, though it's still within the normal range under US definitions which tend to be less exacting from what I've seen.

 

Checking around on Google, i gather that ALP can be a bit of an inconclusive number, but a higher than normal reading often indicates an issue either with the liver or bones. Given my background, the hepatologist naturally wants a scan of the liver done.

 

Do you know of any other conditions that can cause the ALP to gradually increase over many years? I'd be happy to get other tests done before I next see the consultant in late April if it will speed things along. The NHS does not move fast these days. 

Edited February 14, 2020 by Guderian

[Sheryl]

Are you on any medications? Some can have this effect.

 

Alcohol intake?

 

Have you had a PSA or prostare exam?  Ever had a bone sensity scan? ( while more common in women, men can get osteoporosis too)

[Guderian]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Are you on any medications? Some can have this effect.

 

 

Yes, but the consultant knows all about those so if they were the cause he wouldn't be asking for a scan.

 

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Alcohol intake?

 

 

 

Nothing excessive, and I take periods off the booze several times a year.

 

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

Have you had a PSA or prostare exam?  Ever had a bone sensity scan? ( while more common in women, men can get osteoporosis too)

 

 

I read that it can be influenced by the prostate so I had a PSA test done at Lifecare in Pattaya and it was normal at 1.28. I know that PSA is not conclusive, but it's not pointing me towards seeing a urologist for further tests either.

 

[Sheryl]

It is possible to do a blood test for what is called "bone ALP" which would show if the problem is from bone  But likely costs more than a US so liver US makes sense as a first step.  If the US doesn't show anything you migjt look into a BALP.

[Guderian]

21 hours ago, Sheryl said:

It is possible to do a blood test for what is called "bone ALP" which would show if the problem is from bone  But likely costs more than a US so liver US makes sense as a first step.  If the US doesn't show anything you migjt look into a BALP.

Thanks for the suggestion, I read about the BALP but I'm not sure how readily available it is in Pattaya. I don't see it on Lifecare's price list anyway.

 

I had a Dexa scan (bone density) done in Samitivej in Sri Racha a few years ago and it was normal.

[ChouDoufu]

remember to ask several times, different people at the hospital, for ALL the charges.

 

ultrasound fee

doctor fee

miscellaneous fee

hospital fee

 

and one more i found recently

 

foreigner surcharge.

 

all the extras effectively doubled the cost of the original quote for an echocardiogram.