[dailydriver]

I really appreciate the work being done in good faith by the members of the medical fraternity on the forum. This post is more about hospitals than doctors and hence a bit off topic. Please bear with me.

[RANT]My daughter fell down, hit her forehead to the edge of a platform and came home with a cut that was about an inch long and (to my plain sight) 2-3mm deep. We gave her first aid and took her to the nearest hospital.

The wound was cleaned, sutured and dressed; I was told that it took three stitches to close it. While the actual procedure took about ten minutes, we were there for about an hour; registration, waiting for the duty doctor, settling the bills etc.

The final bill was seven rupees short of a thousand bucks. The items and services charged were as follows:

Registration: 50

Consumables:
Ethilon 4-0: 243
Sterile Gloves 7.5": 60
Dispo Gloves Medium: 10
Dispovan Syringes 2: 9
Lox 2ML injection: 1
Dispovan needle 23GX1: 2
TT Ampoule: 10.80
Macfast 650MG Tab: 7.48
__________________________
Total: 343+50=393
__________________________

Charges:
Casualty Payment: 50
Doctor Charge: 200
Suture Charge (small): 250
Dressing Charges(small): 50
Service Charges: 50
__________________________
Total: 600+393=993
__________________________

At a thousand bucks for a minor cut, I am trying to speculate what the monthly medical outlay of a parent with a really naughty child would be!

I am not experienced in matters relating to hospital billing but just wondering aloud if there isn't any way whereby we can minimise the cost of treatment for minor injuries and illnesses.[/RANT]

[hrman]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

I really appreciate the work being done in good faith by the members of the medical fraternity on the forum. This post is more about hospitals than doctors and hence a bit off topic. Please bear with me.

[

The solution according to me is to have the old world, dependable, friendly neighbourhood family doctors (MBBS). This is something which could have been been easily handled by a GP.
The problem these days is these type of GPs are far and few between. The next best line of defence in a medical emergency/ injury is a hospital.
The one we have within minimum reachable distance is Fortis, where I am sure it would have cost more than what you have incurred.

Not sure how it is in other cities. In Mumbai, the place where we used to stay, there are at least 3 MBBS clinics, where the doctors can be reached for any medical attention. It helps not going to a hospital for anything and everything. We miss this thoroughly in Bangalore.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by hrman

The solution according to me is to have the old world, dependable, friendly neighbourhood family doctors...We miss this thoroughly in Bangalore.

A good General Practioner is a rare find these days. The concept of a simple, no nonsense clinic seems to be an anathema both for the doctor and the patient. There are only PolyClinics and Nursing Homes that are in no way different from large hospitals.

The Friendly Neighborhood Hospital is no longer homely nor recognizable because it has turned quasi-corporate. The ever approachable doctor who would pat you on the back and tell you to skip ice cream for a month is banished to the background and has been replaced by nonmedical social workers/counselors, listening to whose pre-rehearsed monologues and keeping a straight face at the same time is really a hard task .

With the emergence of Google and our insatiable hunger for self diagnosis and treatment, even the doctor is hard pressed to perform his duties. Patients are either too eager or too nonchalant. Just like the ideal doctor, the ideal patient too is a being whose existence can perhaps be traced only in the back pages of medical history .

PS:The attending doctor prescribed a tablet and was about to walk out of the casualty ward when I subtly hinted that a TT injection wouldn't be too out of place. He obliged.

I would have been happier if he had done that voluntarily.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

A good General Practioner is a rare find these days. The concept of a simple, no nonsense clinic seems to be an anathema both for the doctor and the patient. There are only PolyClinics and Nursing Homes that are in no way different from large hospitals.

As @hrman says, this is not true at least as far as Bombay goes. I have never gone to a hospital here except when I need a surgery or something.

[iVictor]

Hi all,

After a recent blood test for my father, he's been feeling pain in his arm - from the neck, shoulder, down to the hand. We noticed that when he holds his forearm up to his chest (as in a sling), the pain eventually subsides. Also, when we stretch his arm, like a soft massage stretch, the pain subsides for a while, but returns again when there is movement. The only way he is able to relax is by keeping his forearm close to his chest, or straight up over head, or laying down on bed with arm slightly pressed with pillow.

Pain killer (tablet / rub on gel / spray) and muscle relaxant (tablet) control the pain for a few hours. Heating pad also relieves the pain for short time only.

Is such a prolonged pain, normal after drawing blood? Any advice to fix this problem will be very helpful.

Thank you.

[dsnaveen21]

Guys,

Need a dentist, in Chennai, (need to do a root canal), any leads/recommendation would be helpful. Thanks,Naveen

[wildsdi5530]

Originally Posted by dsnaveen21

At a thousand bucks for a minor cut, I am trying to speculate what the monthly medical outlay of a parent with a really naughty child would be!

I am not experienced in matters relating to hospital billing but just wondering aloud if there isn't any way whereby we can minimise the cost of treatment for minor injuries and illnesses.

Unfortunately the cost of medical care is high. The doctor would have probably got only Rs. 225/- out of this amount. (200+250/2). You probably got it fixed by a duty doctor. A plastic surgeon (or myself) would have charged you Rs. 1500/- but we would have used 6-0 prolene to give a better scar. In which case the total bill would have come to Rs 5000/-.The charges are not for the time spent to do the procedure but for the 20-30 years of experience to do a better job.
Plus the hospital has to make money to pay the nurses, ward boys, lab techs, pharmacy staff, duty doctors, technical team, finance team, electricity bills, BBMP licenses, the list goes on. Unfortunately even a small 10x10 clinic in Bangalore costs about Rs.50,000/- per month to run. Govt. hospitals do treat these injuries for free (Except you might have to pay the Rs. 393/- for consumables).

[knrn]

Hi there.
I am a Cardiac surgeon.
I do complex operations like CABG( bypass surgery), open heart surgery( valve repairs/ replacements, congenital heart defects) practicing in Jalandhar, Punjab.
A newbie into team bhp, found this thread.
Glad to be here.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by knrn

A newbie into team bhp, found this thread.
Glad to be here.

Thanks for joining the team of docs here, knrn. We non-medical people, potential enquirers, appreciate every person willing to give their time here

[knrn]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Thanks for joining the team of docs here, knrn. We non-medical people, potential enquirers, appreciate every person willing to give their time here

Thank you Thad for the welcome.
I will be more than glad helping anyone out here.

[dailydriver]

To the hundreds (could be thousands too) of doctors on the forum and specially to all those who are actively interacting on this thread, I would like to convey my wishes on the occasion of National Doctors' Day. For the uninitiated, July 1st is the birthday (as is the day of his death too!) of Bharata Ratna Dr. B C Roy. To quote Wikipedia:

The celebration of the Doctors' Day is an attempt to emphasise on the value of doctors in our lives and to offer them our respects by commemorating one of their greatest representatives. India has shown remarkable improvements in the medical field and July 1 pays a perfect tribute to all the doctors who have made relentless efforts towards achieving this goal irrespective of the odds.

[bluevolt]

A relative of mine has been recommended to have urgent coronary bypass suregry after doing angiography at a hospital in delhi. Within 15-20 minutes they got out of cath lab and told us stent is not an option, have to go for bypass immediately.

There was few angina pain in last 2-3 months which lead to tests including echo & thalium which were positive. There was no heart attack as such. Patient can walk and perform day to day activities normally.
We Wanted to take a second opinion and asked for discharge. Any good pointers to a recommended cardiologist/surgeon who can decide if the patient is an actual candidate for bypass or stents can do the job.

[carboy]

Can some doctors please recommend good Psychiatric hospitals in Bombay (eastern suburbs preferably but others also OK)?

Also, how much would a month's stay cost all inclusive for treatment of schizophrenia.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

This post is more about hospitals than doctors and hence a bit off topic. Please bear with me.

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

The charges are not for the time spent to do the procedure but for the 20-30 years of experience to do a better job.
Plus the hospital has to make money to pay the nurses, ward boys, lab techs, pharmacy staff, duty doctors, technical team, finance team, electricity bills, BBMP licenses, the list goes on. Unfortunately even a small 10x10 clinic in Bangalore costs about Rs.50,000/- per month to run. Govt. hospitals do treat these injuries for free (Except you might have to pay the Rs. 393/- for consumables).

Not intending to offend you or disagree with your post. It does take a lot of money to run a hospital but my experience was a bit different.

A few years ago my son fell while playing in school (kindergarten) and suffered a deep cut just below his right eyebrow. Same case like dailydriver mentioned. My wife had already taken him to Fortis on Cunningham road and they asked us to go to Jain Hospital near Vasanthnagar. The doctor took a look and said it was not possible to suture the wound without GA as the cut was close to his eye and any movement would be risky. He asked how we intended to pay. I replied it would be my personal expense and in the anxious moments forgot that I had the option of availing insurance for the procedure. The estimate was 10k and I informed the staff after a few mins that I will be going via insurance and hearing this, the estimate jumped to 18k. Thankfully, the procedure went well and we were asked to stay overnight for insurance requirement. Next day, upon discharge, the final bill was 28k.

With God's grace, my son was not injured seriously and recovered well with almost no scars visible. But 10k estimate going up 3 times just because insurance is being availed is not right in my view.

[wildsdi5530]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

But 10k estimate going up 3 times just because insurance is being availed is not right in my view.

I agree with you that some hospitals do overcharge you. The moment it is an insurance patient, a lot of unnecessary things are used, cost no longer becomes a constraint. Reusable items are not used and fresh pieces are used. This makes the bills go up. This is short sighted in my opinion. Insurance companies have already formed a cartel (GYPSA) and are restricting costs. Also the premiums keep going up.
That said, you were wrong to go to a big hospital for a trivial wound. your local general practitioner would have sutured it up in 5 mins. Since I have shifted from corporate salaried practice to private practice, I find myself rejecting a lot of patients. For trivial wounds, fractures I give them the option of getting the procedure done by the duty doctor or their local orthopedic surgeon. I restrict myself to only the complex Joint replacements and fractures that actually require my effort. Of course if I have to do it, I would do it in the comfort of an operating theatre and do a superlative job. (Which is probably not necessary). When my son had a cut on his head, I sutured it at home, but I would not have dared to do the same for another person's child.
With great power comes great responsibility. A bigger Hospital has it's reputation to keep up and cannot afford to have an infection or any other complication. And when insurance is paying, they cannot afford to cut corners. Hence the inflated bill. But that is not an unethical practice.