[IP] more on Outsourcing surgery?
Delivered-To: dfarber+@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 15:23:43 -0800
From: Jim Warren <jwarren@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [IP] Outsourcing surgery?
X-Sender: jwarren@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Many Americans fly to Bangkok to get needed -- or simply desired -- medical
and dental procedures ... everything from crucial transplants and sex
re-assignments to cosmetic surgery and liposuction. The surgery, hospital
and drug costs are "almost nothing" by comparison to US medical, surgical
and hospital charges.
Furthermore, Thai medical and dental practices -- especially from their
fee-based private-care providers (but also within Bangkok's universal
healthcare system that is mostly free to all Thai citizens) -- is VERY-well
reputed, internationally.
(A full professor of cardiology at Stanford Med School who is a good
friend, has visited Bangkok a number of times, touring their operations and
giving lectures, and says that the quality of their medical services is
EXCELLENT!)
An example of cost-effective "surgical outsourcing":
A good friend needed to get an adrenalectomy in late 2001, and wanted it
done laparoscopically. She could have had it done here in the U.S. for perhaps
$30,000 (or more!) ... plus unknown additional hospital and drug costs.
Instead, she had it done in Bangkok. Being a middle-class Thai business
woman, she could afford to pay the "premium" for private, fee-based medical
care -- that offers far more convenience and benefits than their
mostly-free universal healthcare system. (For instance, she was given the
private cellphone number of her chief surgeon! Try to get THAT in the USA!)
As a fee-based private patient, she could and did choose her own surgical
team -- from Thailand's premier medical school at Mahidol University; a
team headed by Dr. Narong Lertakuamanee, that nation's top laparoscopic
surgeon experienced in endocrinology. It also allowed her to choose the
facility, Siriraj Hospital.
This is the same medical school and hospital that provides medical services
for Thai royalty!
If it had been done entirely in a private hospital in Bangkok, the total
fee for the entire surgical team, surgery, hospital stay, drugs and
follow-up visits would have been only about $2,600. Since she was a Thai
citizen having the surgery and stay in a [premier!] government hospital,
her total bill was about $720 U.S. (She chose to give them 100,000 Baht --
a bit less than $2,600 U.S.)
If she had gone to Singapore -- which also has excellent private/for-fee
medical services -- it would have cost, much more ... about $10,000-$12,000
... but even that total is monumentally lower than U.S. fees for the same
procedure.
And on top of all the rest, medical "outsourcerers" get a "free" trip to
one of the most fascinating and culturally-rich cities in the
world! (E.g., see http://www.bigfoto.com/asia/bangkok/ .) [Full
disclosure: My wife is Thai.]
--jim
I wonder: With such options available, and U.S. job-loss continuing, will
we soon hear of out-of-work physicians and near-empty hospitals?
-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/