Doctor's Fees...A Rant!

[binkybozo]

Long post but I have to give a bit of history so you get the full story.

Recently I have had some health issues so I have been making the rounds at various doctors. GP sends you to a specialist, specialist sends you to another specialist, you guys know the drill. Anyway, they (the doctors) think that it is a neurological issue so they have sent me to a neurologist.

I have medical aid for which I am very, very thankful for. The thing is I called something like 12 neurologist in the Joburg area and all of them charge at least R950 cash upfront per visit and they do not claim for you from your medical aid, you have to do it. Oh and that fee does not include any test they might perform so you have to take extra cash with you in case they perform some in house tests as well.

We all know that you don't just visit a specialist like a neurologist once. They will send you for a test and then another test, then another test, so on and so on. That R950 starts to add up, oh, and according to scheme rates you are lucky if you get half of that fee back.

I know that there is a shortage of specialist physicians in South Africa but I can't help but feel like these doctors are unnecessarily milking us with their high end fees.

I know that docs have overhead, student loans, their own bills and I have no issue with a specialist charging us over a bit of the scheme rate because scheme rates are very low, I just can't help in thinking that some of these rates that these docs are charging are way over the top and unfair.

I mean come on, R950 for an office visit, that is a bit steep! My cardiologist, who is fabulous, and from what I see charges no where near R950 per visit, charges no fees up front and submits everything for which the medical aid pays for and he seems to be living very nicely. His main hobby is helicopters which he will gladly talk your leg off about the one he owns. He doesn't seem cash strapped and yet, his fees are very reasonable.

I just think it is wrong that some docs are allowed to charge such extreme rates. I think it is unethical of them.

Rant over.

What do you guys think?:

 

[JacquesZA]

I recently got bitten by dog... Shots and visits cost around 4000.
Drs rip people and that cause we have to go to clinics as the state and its hospitals have failed us

 

[TheGrove]

I had an allergic reaction and popped into the emergancy room, one quick injection and everything was sorted but R1800.00 later

 

[w1z4rd]

I recently got bitten by dog... Shots and visits cost around 4000.
Drs rip people and that cause we have to go to clinics as the state and its hospitals have failed us

You can go to a public hospital (that I assure you can deal with most issues fine) and get it sorted out. Or you can pay more for private. This guy goes and visits a bunch of the most expensive specialists (neurologist, cardiologist) and then cries about it. In private nogel. Shame. Cry me a river.

Go public if you cant afford it. Ive been to our local hospitals and while you have longer waits and less privacy... they will get you through if you cant afford medical aid.

@OP. You go spend 12-14 years of your life studying to become a neurologist and lets see how much you undercharge by.

 

[w1z4rd]

I had an allergic reaction and popped into the emergancy room, one quick injection and everything was sorted but R1800.00 later

Private ER rooms are normally R1400 just to sit in the bed. Go to public if you cant afford it.

 

[Griz]

No one stopping you using a state hospital.

If you don't wanna pay for Gucci jeans you can always get pep ones, same principle.

 

[Alton Turner Blackwood]

I had a chest infection last year and had to go to the doc. The bill was R180 - including meds

 

[w1z4rd]

Before people get blindly on the "i hate doctors cause I dont know what Im talking about" bandwagon.... you might want to read this: http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/20/bitter-pill-why-medical-bills-are-killing-us/ Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us

 

[Ecco]

Agree, doctors making a killing (weird pun). I have not had to visit one for a good couple of years and i am thankful. But when i did before that, was paying a fortune hopping between GP, and different ENT's!

I think it is ethically wrong for them to charge the rates they do, but they are professionals and the market will dictates what they charge.

 

[w1z4rd]

Agree, doctors making a killing (weird pun). I have not had to visit one for a good couple of years and i am thankful. But when i did before that, was paying a fortune hopping between GP, and different ENT's!

I think it is ethically wrong for them to charge the rates they do, but they are professionals and the market will dictates what they charge.

Derp

http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/20/bitter-pill-why-medical-bills-are-killing-us/

 

[Sinbad]

Private ER rooms are normally R1400 just to sit in the bed. Go to public if you cant afford it.

wtf?
Sandton mediclinic, after hours for suspected broken ankle:
Hospital charge R400
Doctor charge R400
X-rays R1k
Parking R5

 

[Alan]

Seeing the Neurologist that almost sent me off too the after life driving around in a Porsche Cayenne left a rather unpleasant taste.

But yeah they're in it for the money. Prey on the sick and vulnerable to enrich themselves

 

[w1z4rd]

wtf?
Sandton mediclinic, after hours for suspected broken ankle:
Hospital charge R400
Doctor charge R400
X-rays R1k
Parking R5

Nice pricing. Our Life Hospitals rape us.

Seeing the Neurologist that almost sent me off too the after life driving around in a Porsche Cayenne left a rather unpleasant taste.

But yeah they're in it for the money. Prey on the sick and vulnerable to enrich themselves

Or perhaps if you had spent decades of your life and millions of your money to become a specialist you would have a different perspective. Its so easy to complain when you are not willing to do the work.

Again, go to public if you cant handle the expenses.

 

[now05ster]

I recently got bitten by dog... Shots and visits cost around 4000.
Drs rip people and that cause we have to go to clinics as the state and its hospitals have failed us

You can go to a public hospital (that I assure you can deal with most issues fine) and get it sorted out. Or you can pay more for private. This guy goes and visits a bunch of the most expensive specialists (neurologist, cardiologist) and then cries about it. In private nogel. Shame. Cry me a river.

Go public if you cant afford it. Ive been to our local hospitals and while you have longer waits and less privacy... they will get you through if you cant afford medical aid.

@OP. You go spend 12-14 years of your life studying to become a neurologist and lets see how much you undercharge by.

In full agreement here. Not a bad price considering the speciality. My wife and I are on medical aid, yet we've both been to government in the past and it did the trick.

I believe drs are generally not fully apreciated, nor are the challenges they face.

 

[Messugga]

Nice pricing. Our Life Hospitals rape us.



Or perhaps if you had spent decades of your life and millions of your money to become a specialist you would have a different perspective. Its so easy to complain when you are not willing to do the work.

Again, go to public if you cant handle the expenses.

+1. These guys spend 8+ years studying and often working in pretty crap conditions (my wife's sandwich was stolen by a monkey the other day), take a lot of stress, get threatened with lawsuits constantly and often get treated poorly by patients. The hell I wouldn't charge a good hourly rate if I were in that position.

 

[TheGrove]

Private ER rooms are normally R1400 just to sit in the bed. Go to public if you cant afford it.

Can afford it that is why I went , just because you can afford something does not mean it is'nt a ripoff.....

 

[Alan]

Or perhaps if you had spent decades of your life and millions of your money to become a specialist you would have a different perspective. Its so easy to complain when you are not willing to do the work.

Again, go to public if you cant handle the expenses.

I wish had studied for a decade and then sat back and twiddled my thumbs for a R1000 an hour.

I've seen 19 of them in the last year. Only one went beyond a first thumbsuck diagnoses and that was an idiot who for example claimed my symptoms were side effects to the meds despite having them before ever taking the meds!!. I suppose you need a decade of studying medicine to understand that one.

I don't mind paying for service if I actually got the service. If I "worked" like they do I would have been fired long ago.

 

[RanzB]

I wish had studied for a decade and then sat back and twiddled my thumbs for a R1000 an hour.

I've seen 19 of them in the last year. Only one went beyond a first thumbsuck diagnoses and that was an idiot who for example claimed my symptoms were side effects to the meds despite having them before ever taking the meds!!. I suppose you need a decade of studying medicine to understand that one.

I don't mind paying for service if I actually got the service. If I "worked" like they do I would have been fired long ago.

Whoah... Alan sounds like he thinks the industry should be... Regulated??

 

[now05ster]

Long post but I have to give a bit of history so you get the full story.

Recently I have had some health issues so I have been making the rounds at various doctors. GP sends you to a specialist, specialist sends you to another specialist, you guys know the drill. Anyway, they (the doctors) think that it is a neurological issue so they have sent me to a neurologist.

I have medical aid for which I am very, very thankful for. The thing is I called something like 12 neurologist in the Joburg area and all of them charge at least R950 cash upfront per visit and they do not claim for you from your medical aid, you have to do it. Oh and that fee does not include any test they might perform so you have to take extra cash with you in case they perform some in house tests as well.

We all know that you don't just visit a specialist like a neurologist once. They will send you for a test and then another test, then another test, so on and so on. That R950 starts to add up, oh, and according to scheme rates you are lucky if you get half of that fee back.

I know that there is a shortage of specialist physicians in South Africa but I can't help but feel like these doctors are unnecessarily milking us with their high end fees.

I know that docs have overhead, student loans, their own bills and I have no issue with a specialist charging us over a bit of the scheme rate because scheme rates are very low, I just can't help in thinking that some of these rates that these docs are charging are way over the top and unfair.

I mean come on, R950 for an office visit, that is a bit steep! My cardiologist, who is fabulous, and from what I see charges no where near R950 per visit, charges no fees up front and submits everything for which the medical aid pays for and he seems to be living very nicely. His main hobby is helicopters which he will gladly talk your leg off about the one he owns. He doesn't seem cash strapped and yet, his fees are very reasonable.

I just think it is wrong that some docs are allowed to charge such extreme rates. I think it is unethical of them.

Rant over.

What do you guys think?:

I remember in the past there used to be an ethical tariff per consult/procedure. Basically a maximum amount that could be charged and no more. That was scrapped a while ago.

 

[Alton Turner Blackwood]

This is why I read up on the net to see if WebMD has anything for my symptoms. The danger of doing self diagnosis is I've had all kinds of diseases already, AIDS (a couple of time), TB and even Syphilis

Then I run to the doc in any case put my mind at ease