payment in thai hospitals

[blasteen]

Hi,

 

I have previously visited an Indian hospital and was over charged intentionally when I used my card for payment. I need to know if I should anticipate such issues in Thai hospitals such as Bumrungrad and how I can get over it.

Similarly, I have heard that prices could be negotiated, whom should this prices be negotiated with ? the doctor ?

[lopburi3]

Card means credit card?  You would not be charged more than the bill but beware of DCC (Direct Currency Conversion -which was done at Bumrungrad to me years ago).  Your bill is in Baht and you want to make payment in Baht.  If they show you a foreign currency slip refuse it - it is never required that you use DCC.

 

Express your concern with price to doctor before treatment for possible cheaper price/options - but if that is a real concern probably better to use doctors as less expensive facilities (these might even be the same doctors or may be just as qualified in all but the most specialist cases).  

 

 

[dddave]

Some of the smaller, private hospitals have been frequently accused of bill padding but most of the majors compile their bills directly from the treatment computer records.  Doesn't mean it doesn't happen...go over the bill with the cashier before paying.

A friend who was hospitalized in the US attempted to get an explanation from hospital administration for his $100,000++ bill and even they couldn't explain what many of the line items were.

[Sheryl]

Should certainly go through bill carefully, and insist ion an itemized one.

 

Paying by card vs cash will not cause any problem - after all, you sign the slip for a specific amount only.  I don't really see how the Indian facility could have charged you for more than you signed for, but if they did, contest it with the credit card company.

 

the only issue you will get in paying by credit card is the foreign transaction charge that most cards apply.

[siam2007]

If you make a payment at Bumrungrad, simply mention you want to pay in Thai Baht and they will oblige. They will most likely put a remark in their system, so in case you visit again, they will remember that you don't want the DCC.

At Bumrungrad, St. Louis hospital and Bangkok hospital I always got a bill where each item, examination or service was listed and could easily be identified

[lopburi3]

That is called a detailed receipt (or at least most cashiers understand that) but it is not automatic unless you have it in system or ask for it.  Bangkok Hospital often fails to provide me until I ask.  The cash receipt will also have broad classifications but no specific details - so there should always be two receipts provided for paid service.  Third item is a medical certificate which makes it easier for external insurance claims as receipts normally do not state purpose of visit.

[ThaiBob]

I also ask for a medical report which has more detail and I always tell the cashier Thai baht and examine the cc slip to be sure they haven't tried to do an unfavorable conversion. 

[Bonobojt]

I went to Chiang Mai Ram, Bangkok Christian, Bangkok Hospital and Bumrungrad, they all gave me the bill in Thai Baht, and I paid with cash in Thai Baht, only scam I can think of is the doctor will prescribe you drugs without telling you or talking to you about it, this happened to me with a urologist at Bangkok Christian Hospital. You can refuse the drugs of course, I wish I did. 

[NancyL]

Not only should you request complete medical reports (or at least the notes) from every doctor who sees you, but should also make sure you have the results of every lab test and results of any scans on CD-Rom.  This way you can take the results and get a second opinion.  Or this data may be important for future events.

 

 

 

 

[scoutman360]

As a frequent visitor of Bumrungrad (which I love),  I have noticed recently that different doctors charge me differently for similar visits. No reason for it. Some times almost double a previous general physician. Any tips to avoid this would be helpful.

 

[Sheryl]

Consultation fees are set by the individual doctor, they are not employees of the hospital but rather independent practitioners with a contractual arrangement to use the hospital facilities. They set their own fee rates and these do vary greatly by doctor, though those who charge more will usually have more expertise i.e. be specialists and often have completed residencies/fellowships in a Western country.

 

You can and should take the time to research and select the doctor of your choice, taking both skills and cost into account. If you rely on the hospital to assign you a doctor, you may end up seeing a specialist when you didn't need to, and/or end up with someone less in demand (and hence more readily available), often for good reason.

[dentonian]

I recently underwent surgery at a government hospital. The surgeon arranged a private room for two days but then postponed the surgery for two days.

I was sent home in-between.

 

When I received the bill, they charged me  for the two days I should have stayed,  plus the two days I did stay.

It's taken a few days to resolve the issue (finger pointing) but they have returned the overpayment.

 

The bill was itemised, so it was easy to spot the error.

[blasteen]

Thank you all for the comments

[blasteen]

I got to see Prof. Varocha in Bangkok hospital. I was ordered a glucose and fructose breath test. the sheet currently says that the estimated bill with deposit is stated as 12k baht. I am quite surprised by this because, since  in Europe this breath test only comes to 3800 bhat. is this the typical cost for this procedure ?

[Sheryl]

Afraid I have no idea, it's not a  commonly done test here and only a few places can do it.

[A1Str8]

Just pay cash. That way they can't overcharge you. Last time I was in the hospital(Chiang mai Ram) for a few days because of dengue fever, upon checking out I paid 23.000 thb. I paid cash. They couldn't charge me more. 

Well, alright they intentionally sold me a lot more medicine, than I actually needed just to make more money. 

But that's okay, the cheapest woman tends to be the one you pay for. 

[blasteen]

got a quote from bumrungrad. they are asking for 16k!!  I still think that 12k is still to high for Thailand

[lopburi3]

Not if it is only available from limited facilities - the two you mentioned are normally the two highest priced hospitals in Thailand so if you can find available elsewhere it will probably be a bit less.

[dentonian]

I'm surprised you haven't approached your local Government hospital.

If they don't offer the service, they should refer you to a hospital that does and you'll pay a standard price, not a privately inflated price.

[Sheryl]

These are rarely performed, very specialized tests. The only government hospitals that would be able to do them would be ones like Siriraj and Chulalongkhorn.

[blasteen]

I'll check out Sriraj and Chulalonghorn. Would the doctors be OK with me carrying a test in a different hospital ?

[lopburi3]

Not sure of your question as you are asking here about getting a test done - but if you mean would they look at previous tests from other facilities and make a judgement then am sure the answer is yes.  If you are asking would they be happy with you getting tests done at there facility and going elsewhere for treatment expect that would vary by the doctor you see.  If you are actually asking about having tests done elsewhere and treatment by these doctors expect they may want to do tests themselves but may vary by doctor.

[Sheryl]

I don't think there will be any problem with having had the tests done elsewhere as long as you have a full report of the results to show.

 

Dr. Varocha is a  Professor at Chulalongkhorn. So you may even  be able to have it done by her there. But will have to first go in person to the after hours clinic (13 floor of OPD building, register and get patient card on ground floor first) to make the appointment, the nurses/clerks may be there from around 3:30 PM onward.

[blasteen]

55 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

I don't think there will be any problem with having had the tests done elsewhere as long as you have a full report of the results to show.

 

Dr. Varocha is a  Professor at Chulalongkhorn. So you may even  be able to have it done by her there. But will have to first go in person to the after hours clinic (13 floor of OPD building, register and get patient card on ground floor first) to make the appointment, the nurses/clerks may be there from around 3:30 PM onward.

Dr. Varocha already recommended these testes, as I saw her in Bk hospital. However, she refereed me to another doctor in BK to take care of these tests.

[Sheryl]

Do you have that doctor's name?

[rak sa_ngop]

On 13/11/2016 at 8:31 AM, lopburi3 said:

Card means credit card?  You would not be charged more than the bill but beware of DCC (Direct Currency Conversion -which was done at Bumrungrad to me years ago).  Your bill is in Baht and you want to make payment in Baht.  If they show you a foreign currency slip refuse it - it is never required that you use DCC.

 

Express your concern with price to doctor before treatment for possible cheaper price/options - but if that is a real concern probably better to use doctors as less expensive facilities (these might even be the same doctors or may be just as qualified in all but the most specialist cases).  

 

 

I think that these days the question of paying with DCC or local currency may not so important. My Mastercard issued by a UK bank now applies a 'non-Sterling transaction fee'. So I end up paying about the same whichever way I go.

 

I am pretty sure this was not the case when DCC first came on the scene, at which time paying with DCC was definitely more expensive.

[lopburi3]

Are you sure?  US cards quickly charged to overseas usage fee (regardless of currency involved) so is double whammy - very bad exchange rate and still have to pay overseas usage fee.

[wayned]

I had outpatient surgery on my foot 10 days ago at a Thai government hospital in Chinat.  Full operating room, two doctors two nurses and all of the sterile kits of operating utensils and linen.  One of the doctors and I negotiated the charges while the other doctor was cutting and cauterizing my foot.  We finally agreed on a staggering 2605 baht including an xray, medications and initial check by another doctor.

[rak sa_ngop]

Are you sure?  US cards quickly charged to overseas usage fee (regardless of currency involved) so is double whammy - very bad exchange rate and still have to pay overseas usage fee.

I believe that if if I convert to Sterling at the point of purchase using the DCC route that I will not be charged the additional ' non Sterling transaction charge'.

I remember making a comparison a few years ago when I booked a hotel room with two bookings (taking a 3 day excursion out of town between dates). One paid with local currency and one paid with DCC. Pretty sure there was little difference in the final credit card billing.

But maybe other banks/countries do it differently.

[ThaiBob]

3 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Are you sure?  US cards quickly charged to overseas usage fee (regardless of currency involved) so is double whammy - very bad exchange rate and still have to pay overseas usage fee.

I was at BHP in Pattaya today visiting a dermatologist. I neglected to tell the cashier Thai baht and was going to be charged a DCC rate of 28.99 thb/usd. I had the cashier cancel and redo everything. Fortunately, my cc doesn't additionally charge a a foreign transaction fee.