Private hospitals ordered to display medicine prices

[rooster59]

Private hospitals ordered to display medicine prices

Tanakorn Sangiam

 

 

BANGKOK, 11 MAY 2019(NNT)- The Ministry of Commerce has implemented a new measure after announcing medicine and medical supplies as controlled items, requiring hospitals to display pricing of some 3,000 items via QR codes allowing the general public to make comparisons. Failure to comply will result in up to 1 year imprisonment or up to 20,000 baht fine.

 

The Deputy Minister of Commerce Chutima Bunyapraphasara revealed that the central committee on pricing of goods and services’ meeting has agreed to authorize the Department of Internal Trade to implement control measures for pricing of medicine, medical supplies and medical services. The measure will require private hospitals, manufacturers, importers and wholesalers to report sales prices to the department, which will then later be published on the department’s website. Any changes to pricing must be informed 15 days in advance. This measure will cover 3,090 medical, mainly common and necessary drugs.

 

Hospitals are also required to disclose pricing details in QR code form, allowing the general public to access the information conveniently. Patients who wish to purchase medicine outside the hospital must have a prescription signed by a doctor, with the common and scientific name of medicine, and pricing clearly displayed.

 

Responsible persons failing to disclose the pricing will face 1 year imprisonment, or up to 20,000 baht fine, or both. Private hospitals, which refuse to issue prescriptions to patients for medicine purchases outside the hospital, will face up to 5 years imprisonment, up to 100,000 baht fine, or both. The new regulation will soon be announced in the royal gazette, and is expected to go in effect from next week.

 

The Department of Internal Trade will be inviting representatives from hospitals to explain the measure, and will consider further measures to control medicine and medical service pricing in the future.

 

-- © Copyright nnt 2019-05-12

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[bluesofa]

24 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Hospitals are also required to disclose pricing details in QR code form, allowing the general public to access the information conveniently. Patients who wish to purchase medicine outside the hospital must have a prescription signed by a doctor, with the common and scientific name of medicine, and pricing clearly displayed.

I can't workout why the price has to be on the prescription?

[bdenner]

Not before time having been ripped off by the Bangkok Hospital in Udon Thani for 17700 Baht for a ONE month supply of blood thinners and other pills that were not required. Very naive on my part AND will not happen again after going straight to Adelaide to see a specialist for a 2nd opinion. I picked a 6 month supply of thinners there for AUD $132.00 (2900 Baht).

[RotBenz8888]

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

I can't workout why the price has to be on the prescription?

Could make it easier for the patient to compare the hospital prices with other pharmacies?

[RotBenz8888]

This thing as been nothing but a huge scam of sick people in dependency of the hospital.

[kotsak]

Failure to comply will result in up to 1 year imprisonment or up to 20,000 baht fine.

 

I think they missed a few zeros in the penalty mount?  Or someone is taking the piss?

 

[JoePai]

Unless you are new to Thailand, everyone knows the Private Hospitals inflate the price of medicines. Therefore instead of moaning simply ask the Doctor for the prescription and buy the medicines at your local pharmacy !

Note : these are Private Hospitals with shareholders that want returns (like any other company) so they should be able to charge what they want. If you do not like it then simply go to another hospital or use the Government hospitals – what can be simpler than that ?

[scubascuba3]

This thing as been nothing but a huge scam of sick people in dependency of the hospital.

Yes taking advantage of the sick should be a crime.

My experience is they are very cagey about the medicine bill, they want you to pay first see after. I always now ask for a breakdown before paying. They always act like its top secret. Always bill padding going on.

Anyone understand how the QR codes will work?
I understand on Line but have no idea when it comes to medicine

[Puccini]

43 minutes ago, JoePai said:

Unless you are new to Thailand, everyone knows the Private Hospitals inflate the price of medicines. Therefore instead of moaning simply ask the Doctor for the prescription and buy the medicines at your local pharmacy !...

When was the last time you got a prescription from a doctor at a private hospital in Thailand and at what hospital was this?

[hansnl]

1 hour ago, bdenner said:

Not before time having been ripped off by the Bangkok Hospital in Udon Thani for 17700 Baht for a ONE month supply of blood thinners and other pills that were not required. Very naive on my part AND will not happen again after going straight to Adelaide to see a specialist for a 2nd opinion. I picked a 6 month supply of thinners there for AUD $132.00 (2900 Baht).

Do remember private hospitals are there to make as much profit as possible, will do anything to raise your bill.

Go to a state run hospital to get a much lower bill, or to a state run clinic, or to a state run university hospital.

Mostly the same doctor, longer waiting sometimes, or pay a little extra and go to the evening practice.

By the way, acidum acetylsalicilicum, or aspirine 81 mg is a good bloodthinner, it seems.

 

[scubascuba3]

When was the last time you got a prescription from a doctor at a private hospital in Thailand and at what hospital was this?

They will probably charge extra for a prescription. I got one from Bangkok Pattaya once which i didn't really want but she did it anyway and guess what, a higher bill

[nahkit]

The private hospital that I visited a month ago didn't even show the individual prices for the medicine on the bill, they just lumped them together under one charge.

 

After googling the various medicines to get an idea of the price, I reckon they overcharged me somewhere in the region of 60%. That said, I thought the doctor charges and x-ray costs were very good.

[scubascuba3]

The private hospital that I visited a month ago didn't even show the individual prices for the medicine on the bill, they just lumped them together under one charge.
 

That's exactly how they do it, they won't give you a breakdown pre paying unless you ask for it and if you do they will look at you as if you've asked for something really strange. Its not just the high prices but the unnecessary medication included

[Fred31]

3 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I can't workout why the price has to be on the prescription?

If private hospitals  have to post prices, local pharmacies will check them and adjust THEIR prices to be close to them.-----lose lose

[legend49]

2 hours ago, bdenner said:

Not before time having been ripped off by the Bangkok Hospital in Udon Thani for 17700 Baht for a ONE month supply of blood thinners and other pills that were not required. Very naive on my part AND will not happen again after going straight to Adelaide to see a specialist for a 2nd opinion. I picked a 6 month supply of thinners there for AUD $132.00 (2900 Baht).

Agree with you. I gave my pharmacist the receipt yesterday  for last batch of 7000 baht antibiotics from the same group you mentioned. All of them she said were 50% mark up on what she charges. Learnt the hard way.

[scubascuba3]

If private hospitals  have to post prices, local pharmacies will check them and adjust THEIR prices to be close to them.-----lose lose

local pharmacies already charge inflated prices, you have to go to Fascino which seem to have fair prices

[grumpy 4680]

    I think the government have fallen short on hospital charges, Is Oxygen on a meter ?  charged 6000 Baht, reduced to 4500 Baht after discount, What else are they making money on.

[scubascuba3]

    I think the government have fallen short on hospital charges, Is Oxygen on a meter ?  charged 6000 Baht, reduced to 4500 Baht after discount, What else are they making money on.

Discount?

[hotchilli]

A step in the right direction starting to reign in the unscrupulous hospitals whose mark ups are ridiculous!

[Fred31]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

 

 

That's exactly how they do it, they won't give you a breakdown pre paying unless you ask for it and if you do they will look at you as if you've asked for something really strange. Its not just the high prices but the unnecessary medication included

 

Nonsense. All you have to do is ask, and.then they print you out the insurance claim statement. Same as any hospital anywhere in the world. What moaners you Brits are

[hugocnx]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Yes taking advantage of the sick should be a crime.
 

And haven't seen a non rich doctor or specialist in my life.

[newatthis]

4 hours ago, JoePai said:

Unless you are new to Thailand, everyone knows the Private Hospitals inflate the price of medicines. Therefore instead of moaning simply ask the Doctor for the prescription and buy the medicines at your local pharmacy !

Note : these are Private Hospitals with shareholders that want returns (like any other company) so they should be able to charge what they want. If you do not like it then simply go to another hospital or use the Government hospitals – what can be simpler than that ?

Nothing wrong with that at all; provided they fully disclose the price of all medicines and services before you buy. Lotus, Tops etc are all in the business of making profits, however the price of every single item is displayed so people can choose to accept or decline.

[NightSky]

3 hours ago, Puccini said:

When was the last time you got a prescription from a doctor at a private hospital in Thailand and at what hospital was this?

 

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

 

 

That's exactly how they do it, they won't give you a breakdown pre paying unless you ask for it and if you do they will look at you as if you've asked for something really strange. Its not just the high prices but the unnecessary medication included

 

Exactly my experience too. You wouldn’t pay a meal or garage bill without seeing the bill first, hospitals act as if this is a strange system to see the bill before paying. 

 

They got away with it for so long because of those with health insurance covering the costs not caring how much the bill was. 

 

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The Ministry of Commerce has implemented a new measure after announcing medicine and medical supplies as controlled items

 

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Failure to comply will result in up to 1 year imprisonment or up to 20,000 baht fine.

I can appreciate the MoC enforcing the new ministry policy with a civil (aka administrative) penalty for noncompliance. In some ways the pricing penalty is consistent with the government's current legal authority to place price controls on products.

• If there was a conspiracy of one or more persons among hospital-related individuals to violate pricing requirements, should they be collectively fined or individually fined as opposed to the hospital in general?
• Imprisonment constitutes a criminal violation and must be mandated by a federal law, ie., one passed by the National Assembly. The MoC as part of the Executive Branch has no legal authority to establish punitive sentences for criminal violations, especially with the lack of legal judicial due process, ie., trial, judgement, appeals for the accused.

The new measure is directed at private hospitals. Obviously, one can fine a hospital as a corporate entity but one cannot send the hospital to prison. So who goes to jail - the majority shareholder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, CEO, Department Director, Doctor, Nurse, Accountant, Cashier, etc.? As such, the imprisonment threat makes no sense.

If imprisonment provision is dropped and replaced with an additional civil punitive damage penalty that is based, ie., on the severity of the violation, then the consequence of violation becomes more predictable and sensible with no legislative action required.

[connda]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Hospitals are also required to disclose pricing details in QR code form, allowing the general public to access the information conveniently.

bs.  Conveniently? 

Instead of posting in human readable form they post them in machine readable form instead.  Then the general public must have a device that will interpret QR codes.  That was probably the conditions that the hospitals demanded imho.  I.e. that the hospitals be allow to obfuscate the prices in some why to make it more difficult to read.  Also, I'll believe it when I see private hospitals complying.  

[brfsa2]

I once went A Thai private hospital with my Dad about 6 years ago. After the doctor visit at end my dad asked for a prescription, something very normal to him back home, doctor got furious and said no. Either buy here or leave now, simply as that.

 

then the funny is, he said ok, we went to the counter and after seeing the bill with 600 baht for 1 reparil gel 150gr, he asked it to be removed. Counter said no, it was not possible. We argued that we will not pay until its removed, a few calls between cashier and I believe the doctor, They removed it and we paid a lot less.

 

in the end we got reparil gel for 180 baht in a drug store near home.

 

Edit: not putting hospital name, but you all can guess. Its one of top 5 here.

[brfsa2]

On Another incident, with admission, the nurse requested a N95 mask. It came on our bill as 500 baht!  That was crazy, and couldn’t get that one challenged.

 

this is how much these hospitals ripoff on the medicine and equipment.

[oxysong]

Years ago,before I became wise to their methods,contracted pneumonia,now I did seek gps help,to no avail,went to govt hospital eventually who shipped me to private,there for close on 36 hours. I knew what they were up to from the start,exchanging half empty oxygen bottles for full ones,no doctor visits,discharged my self,ripped the damned pads off my chest and told them I want to see director of hospital,got 50% off bill they wanted to hit me with,  God they are foul

[scubascuba3]

Nonsense. All you have to do is ask, and.then they print you out the insurance claim statement. Same as any hospital anywhere in the world. What moaners you Brits are

Nonsense post from farangland with no experience

[DaRoadrunner]

We are being ripped off by private hospitals. At last the Govt does something about it! Well done. Long overdue.

 

I assume some Govt big shot got overcharged and this is the result.

 

Penalties should be far more though, as they are peanuts compared to what the hospital makes.