Sunday, November 12, 2006
Medicine in China
I have always been relatively healthy and do not frequent the doctor’s office. Most visits to the doctor have been Emergency Room related to accidents, breaks, stitches, etc. Before coming to China, I got all of my shots and stocked up on some basic supplies (Advil, Imodium AD, Pepto Bismol, etc) and made sure that my health insurance covered any emergencies in a foreign country. By having a physician spouse (who will tell you that I am the worst patient) who diagnoses me at home, I do not need to take many trips to see a doctor.
When I came back to China last week, my right foot swelled to the point that it could no longer fit in most of size 14 shoes. I spent the next few days doing what I normally do for foot/ankle injuries --- elevate, ice, rest over the usual 3 day recovery period. My wife had 2 potential diagnoses determined via phone calls – who needs house calls when you can have phone calls :-) I also did not rest it as much as I should have, but I tried. I gave myself until this past Friday (1 week) for it to show signs of improvement before visiting a local doctor.
I walked into the clinic yesterday at 10am with no appointment and was out by 2pm. I had 2 X-Rays, Full blood workup, Consult with a female German doctor who spoke English, 2 different prescriptions prescribed and filled for $255USD BEFORE insurance. I have to say that my expectations were very low and they were exceeded. I was shuttled quickly to X-Ray, watched as the technician digitized and printed the photos, then off to the lab to get blood drawn, had to wait a little bit for the blood work to be done, but it was entirely reasonable. Then back to the Doctor’s exam room for diagnoses. She and another colleague examined the X-Rays and initially concluded nothing. (Yes, for you Radiologists reading, they also sent it to a Radiologist who will look at it on Monday for final verdict). She gave me her thoughts on why she is diagnosing my ailment and sent me to the internal pharmacy (which has the best selection of Western OTC items that I have seen in Beijing) and billing. I was impressed with the service.
I also must say I probably could not have gotten the same level of service (and certainly not at that cost!) without pulling some strings at a doctor’s office or hospital in the US.
Now I am steeling myself for the phone calls and paperwork to get reimbursed by my insurance company. I bet that I will spend more time and effort to get less than $50 back than it will be worth.
When I came back to China last week, my right foot swelled to the point that it could no longer fit in most of size 14 shoes. I spent the next few days doing what I normally do for foot/ankle injuries --- elevate, ice, rest over the usual 3 day recovery period. My wife had 2 potential diagnoses determined via phone calls – who needs house calls when you can have phone calls :-) I also did not rest it as much as I should have, but I tried. I gave myself until this past Friday (1 week) for it to show signs of improvement before visiting a local doctor.
I walked into the clinic yesterday at 10am with no appointment and was out by 2pm. I had 2 X-Rays, Full blood workup, Consult with a female German doctor who spoke English, 2 different prescriptions prescribed and filled for $255USD BEFORE insurance. I have to say that my expectations were very low and they were exceeded. I was shuttled quickly to X-Ray, watched as the technician digitized and printed the photos, then off to the lab to get blood drawn, had to wait a little bit for the blood work to be done, but it was entirely reasonable. Then back to the Doctor’s exam room for diagnoses. She and another colleague examined the X-Rays and initially concluded nothing. (Yes, for you Radiologists reading, they also sent it to a Radiologist who will look at it on Monday for final verdict). She gave me her thoughts on why she is diagnosing my ailment and sent me to the internal pharmacy (which has the best selection of Western OTC items that I have seen in Beijing) and billing. I was impressed with the service.
I also must say I probably could not have gotten the same level of service (and certainly not at that cost!) without pulling some strings at a doctor’s office or hospital in the US.
Now I am steeling myself for the phone calls and paperwork to get reimbursed by my insurance company. I bet that I will spend more time and effort to get less than $50 back than it will be worth.
