Ask about charges before handing over your credit card. Typically charges are about 6-10 times"negotiate' rates for those who have eligible insurance. Just askingg often reduces the cost (it's a business after all).
Definitely second this.
Patients without insurance very often mean either those who aren't going to pay the bill or ones that will only pay the bill after (and if!) they win a lawsuit against someone.
Thus they have a very high bad-debt level and the prices have to be jacked up in order to cover this.
So long as you negotiate in advance it generally isn't hard to get rates similar to what insurance would pay.
I will also second the worries about the availability of medical care in a remote location and the notion of skiing with a wound like that--what if you have an accident on the slopes??---the surgical site will be very vulnerable.
US medical care is normally readily available so long as you are in an area with enough people to keep a doctor busy. It's just expensive.
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When I got a MRSA infection in my c-section incision I was eventually sent home from the hospital (after an additional 10 day stay) with a home health care nurse who came every day to check on incision and pack it for me.
Maybe that would be an option for you? There are lots of companies that offer this type of service, but they would need a doctor's order to set up service. Gentiva is one of the big names, but I don't know if they service that are of the country.
Around my area (north Florida), each visit to an urgent care clinic is in the $80-100 range if paid in cash (which many tourists do, since they often go in after hours or on weekends when their insurance company can't be reached).
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I work in a walk-in clinic and we frequently see international visitors. All patients pay by cash or credit card if we cannot verify their insurance coverage in a plan we participate in. Our fees run $80 - $100 per visit, plus sometimes charges for dressings and supplies, depending on how extensive. Bringing a note from your own physician detailing the surgery done and the expected follow-up care would be very helpful.
Without knowing your specifics, I'm wondering about the seriousness of a procedure/condition that still requires wound care two - four weeks post-op, and the wisdom of traveling, let alone skiing, after that.
If complications such as a wound infection develop, you'd likely be sent on to the local Emergency Room for imaging (CT or MRI) which would cost thousands, though by law they have to treat you without regard to ability to pay.
Google "visiting nurse agency" and the name of the towns around where you will be. A registered nurse or nursing assistant can pack wounds and provide basic assessment of the wound, but call ahead, and find out if they will provide services based on orders from your physician at home, or if they require orders from a local doctor.
Even if having a nurse visits you costs more than going to to an urgent care clinic, you will save big on intangibles: your time, and the risk of catching something from the sneezer next to you in the waiting room. It is cold and flu season, and that's the kind of thing that sends most people to urgent care centers while on vacation.
i've worked for visting burse agencies and this would be a good option except for the fact that they will need orders from a doctor who is licensed in the state where you will be. They will not be able to accept orders from your doctor in the UK. You would need to find a doctor in New Hampshire who would be willing to tale to your doctor and the give the orders.
I second the advice of checking with your travel insurance to make sure you're covered for any complications. If your wound gets infected, the antibiotics alone could run you several thousand.
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whenever I have used medical facilities in the US, I have paid when treated and have been given a discount of up to 40% for it, I do have insurance but for some things eg physical therapist, dentist its just not worth the paperwork for claiming, especially with generic drugs at wallmart $4 a prescription, its cheaper than the UK
whenever I have used medical facilities in the US, I have paid when treated and have been given a discount of up to 40% for it, I do have insurance but for some things eg physical therapist, dentist its just not worth the paperwork for claiming, especially with generic drugs at wallmart $4 a prescription, its cheaper than the UK
Yeah. 2 out of 3 of my wife's prescriptions are filled this way.
Saw the doc yesterday and he can't see any problems. I think it helped that he's a skier too
Travel insurance won't cover me for complications - even for an additional premium - but I can live with that. The rest of the policy stands. My checked baggage will be a one-man pharmacy!
Thanks for all the advice. Let's hope I can cut a credit-crunching deal with one of the clinics when I get there!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mad_rich
... My checked baggage will be a one-man pharmacy!
...
Please make sure you take (copies of) your prescriptions with you as customs may be inquisitive, and checked luggage does get lost in which case you'll need to replace the pharmacy.
Please make sure you take (copies of) your prescriptions with you as customs may be inquisitive, and checked luggage does get lost in which case you'll need to replace the pharmacy.
Enjoy your vacation.
Second this. Carry documentation. I would carry on the medicine if at all possible.
Well, back from the trip and everything went fine. Skiing was surprisingly not a problem (I even managed some double diamonds ). The biggest problem was the logistics of getting the dressing changed so frequently.
I made one visit to the clinic, where they relieved me of $150 to look at it and say 'that's fine', and the rest of the time either myself or my companions did the work.
The one thing I hadn't bargained for was the temperatures. Regularly in the -30s (F) and Northern Maine hit -50 the day we were there (albeit further south). And that was before windchill. I've never spent so much money on hot chocolate in my life before...
Would highly recommend Attitash for a couple of days, and Sunday River, Maine for several days.
. I think it helped that he's a skier too 
(albeit further south). And that was before windchill. I've never spent so much money on hot chocolate in my life before...
