Does anyone know what the logic is behind the fact that doctors charge more to see a patient in a private hospital room than they do to see a patient in a shared room? This has been the case with both my ob/gyn and also my asthma specialist. The cynic in me thinks it's just ripping off those who have good health cover...
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06-03-2009, 08:55 PM #1
Doctor's Fees
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06-03-2009, 09:00 PM #2
you pay for the privilege of having your own room... although, i agree it seems kind of silly as it takes the doctor just as long to see you no matter which room you are in.
that's one of the reasons i go public.
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06-03-2009, 09:02 PM #3
ibgirl - absolutely a ripoff ... we made a fuss about this when our son was born (was covered in the newspapers etc) and surprisingly this practice still survives.
You need to review the medical council guidelines and see if you can negotiate with your doctor. These guidelines essentially state that the charges depend on 1) service performed 2) experience of the doctor .. no where do they state that the charges can be varied by the room.
It is like paying 4x for room service, depending on the type of room you're staying in.
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06-03-2009, 09:50 PM #4
Thanks for the replies.
To be honest I think our insurance will cover it so it's no "skin off my nose". However, I can't believe that such a blatant rip off is allowed to continue. I would have thought that the insurance companies would be a powerful enouh lobby group to do something about it. It is also contrary to good public health policy as it encourages doctors to solicit patients who can afford private rooms over those who can't afford such luxuries.
I was in hospital for 2 nights and my doctor saw me 4 times (for 5 mins each time). His bill was over $8,000 (yes, that is not a typo!!).
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06-03-2009, 10:19 PM #5
>> I think our insurance will cover it
That leads to lot of doctor's not quoting prices until they find out if you have insurance or not.
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08-03-2009, 06:37 AM #6
Recently and i checked the most expenisve hospitial is YAN OI hosptial might got the spelling wrong a bit but there presdential suite (6 Presdential Suite) biggest is 1200 square feet and there daily rate exclude any fees such as doctor and check up, medi and x-ray etc... is $45,000 a night which is the same as four seasons in Hong Kong but 3800 square feet in Four Seasons Hong Kong. Recently a family which includes a female Hong Kong Movie star and a rich son which the Dad is Hong Kong 2nd richiest guy had birth there and they book all six presdential suite and all joined up tp 5600 square feet and extremely small compare to there home but the story is the more you pay and the better hospitial you join the better service you get from the staff and doctors so do not complain if you get so so if you spend so so money..this is the real money..MONEY counts...i pay for first class hopsitial room in good hospitial but not presdential suite so i do not get nurses lick my feet but i expect that, just like before i pay second class private room and i get good service but not excellent, i cannot complain more as i expected it. Pay what you get.. do not comapre a LV bag with a wellcome bag...
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08-03-2009, 10:34 AM #7
I think you are missing the point of the post - which is NOT that you can buy a big room if you like, but that if you are in a big room the doctors charge more. There is no reason for this, I agree, the doctor charge should be independent from the room as his services are completely unrelated to accomodation. As noted by others above, it's just a gratuitous fee uplift, probably because he thinks "they can afford it" or something.
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