Bumrungrad Hospital: help needed inc post op care options & accomm

The new rooms(deluxe upward) at BH are nice, probably as nice as a 4 or 5 star hotel. You should be able to get them for around 4 - 5,000 Baht a night and if you feel insecure about staying outside the hospital then staying there is not bad at all IMO.

In case you stay somewhere else the hospital can arrange home nursing for you and they do have a network of nurses who are willing to visit or even spend several hours with you per day if you wish(at a cost of course).

Follow hanuman's advice, ttucker. He's a local. This is a moment to spend money. Yup, it's scary, ain't it?

Or if you are willing to buy me a ticket and a room, I'll check in on you several times a day....

A year or two ago, someone posted their experience of having surgery at Bumrungrad and staying closeby for follow-up visits.

I'd say do what makes you most comfortable. So if staying at the hospital apartments feels best to start, stay there. Bumrungrad can arrange anything you need - visiting nurse, whatever. So if you want to move to a serviced apartment after a few days or a week, you can do so... I'm sure they could even recommend one to you.

There's a testimonial from a patient here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/surgery-at-bumrungrad.cfm

Here is another very entertaining trip report about Bangkok and getting some medical care at Bumrungrad.

www.fodors.com/community/asia/i-feel-fat-or-a-so-so-trip-report-from-bangkok.cfm

I know there are other such reports here, though I can't locate them right now.

ttucker, if you want to read everything about Bumrungrad that's on fodors.com go to google and in the search box enter:

bumrungrad site:fodors.com

For a few days you will need help getting in and out of bed. Just a steady arm, meals and if you get a little groggy from the meds someone to monitor you . I'd stay as close as you can, arrange for help thru BH social services depart. I am sure they have a home nursing agency they recomend. You don't need an RN...just an home health aide to be your arms and legs and help with the above.

all of these reasons would be one reason i would stay at the BH hotel for at least several days after i am released from the hospital... they will see that you get anything you need...all you need to do is pick up the phone....

one suggestions too is to get yourself a cheap thai cellphone once you get there.....go to MBK where there are tons of cell shops on the upper floors...

most hotels have nurses and drs. on call as well if you get into trouble...

lcuy would be the best "nurse" you ever had, btw

If I remember right, Bumrungrad has serviced apartments that are next to the hospital. I know they have monthly rates, and I would think they have weekly rates too?

It is not the hospital, but they still have doctors and nurses available.

ttucker,

I just visited BH today for my monthly appointment and asked some senior doctors there to recommend someone for a tummy tuck. Dr. Komwit Kaewchaijaroenkit was recommended by 2 doctors I know so I hope this will help you a bit.

I'm not sure if you've come across Cosmetic Surgery Travel:
http://www.cosmeticsurgerytravel.com/

They offer a sort of concierge service along with travel agency. It might be just the kind of thing you're looking for.

I've meet the owner a couple of times. Like me, she's not a big fan of Bumrungrad, but if you're set on that they will support you.

Most hotels may have nurses and doctors on call but if the nurse one popular local five-star hotel is any indicator, you may want to think twice about depending on them. Charming, yes. Skilled, maybe not so much.

Good luck with your surgery. I hope that you will consider posting about your experiences once you are fully recovered.

Please post you experiences . there is a bourgeoning industry in Thailand of medical tourism and it is relatively unresearched -so your input will be very valuable.
have you researched Bumrungrad fully on the net etc?

"relatively unresearched" ?

Bumrungrad Hospital was the first hospital outside the US to be JCAHO-accredited. It is one of the most frequently mentioned hospitals for medical tourism. There have been many reports in mainstream media about cosmetic surgery ay Bumrungrad. Previous threads here on Fodors referenced above give info on quality of care and on issues to be aware of such as lack of malpractice insurance in Thai hospitals.

ttucker: I speak from experience!!!!!! In 2005 I went to BH for a neck lift and eyelid lift. It was the first trip to Thailand, and although my husband was with me, it was a hospital and doctor in a strange country ~~ we are in the US. To make a long story short, we stayed in the BH apts to be close to the hospital. I had certain criteria for a dr ~~ member of the Amer. College of Surgeons, etc. You get the picture. Anyway, I could not have wanted or needed a better or more professional dr ~~ Dr. Tongtip (Thai, of course) returned there after a 34-year private practice in the US. She was wonderful!!!!! So, at the same time I also had a tummy tuck ~~ best decision I ever made medically. Since then I have returned to Dr. Tongtip for other procedures.

My long-time American dr was initially hesitant about releasing me to overseas medical personnel, but after reading all my research on BH and Dr. Tongtip, he has referred several other of his patients, and he, himself, has planned surgery by Dr. T.

One of the above patients was also a solo traveler, and while she was recuperating Dr. Tongtip was vigilant in overseeing her care, and even took a personal interest in her by taking her out to dinner in the evenings with her and her husband. Can you tell that I am a big fan of BH and Dr. Tongtip? My husband and I will be seeing Dr. Tongtip and her husband on this year's visit to Thailand ~~ not for surgery, but on a personal level.

And my recovery time from the first round of cosmetic surgeries ~~ all done consecutively ~~ was less than 2 weeks. And my DH also had rhinoplasty and a chin lift at the same time, so we recuperated together ~~ each taking care of the other. Would I do it again? !! Definitely!!!!!!

No matter which dr. you choose, you can't go wrong at BH. The care, after-care, compassion, etc. are to be envied by all other hospitals.

Good luck, and take care! I apologize for the "wandering."

Sandra (McBeanie)

Sandra,

Next time I talk to Dr. Tongtip I will convey your compliments to her, she is my mother's high school friend and we see her a lot. The reason I didn't recommend her is because she is often in the USA with her DH and only practices in Thailand a few months out of the year.

" JCAHO-accredited. " - unfortunately accreditation from the States has been severely criticised over the past few years.

BH is the best!!!

Hanuman: Tongtip and I are still in touch and have tentatively arranged to have dinner together, with our DHs in December. We just "hit it off" through the years and have kept in touch. Since she is in the USA so much we have trouble "crossing paths." But it looks like December is going to work!!!!!

With mutual friends like Carol Simpson and Tongtip, we will have to meet this December. DH and I will be at the Adelphi for 6 wks in Dec/Jan. ~~ maybe, Carol, too. So tentatively a mini-GTG at the PL? Hope to meet you there!

Sandra

Can do Sandra!

Khunwilok, what hosptial would you reccommend over Bumrungrad?

patpong general and soi cowboy medical center are among the tops in the world

Medical Malpractice in Thailand: Patient Rights in the Medical Tourism Industry
by Jason Armbrecht

25 August 2008

Read This Before Packing Your Bags

http://www.thailawforum.com/Medical-Malpractice-Thailand-2.html

What, if any, actual experience do you have with Bumrungrad?

My personal experience with the place has been exceptional. My personal experience with Stateside doctors has been downright scary!

But, after reading Jason Armbrecht's little piece, I may have to rethink. After all, who should know better than a travel writer?!

Isn't that rather a case of "shooting thee messenger"?

As has been discussed before here on the Asia Forum, medical malpractice issues are very different in the US than anywhere else in the world. Some recommend buying an insurance policy stateside to cover you in case of medical errors, etc.

I have experience with complicated surgical medical care only in US. Even here there is a need to hire private nursing assistance for the days right after release from hospital. We even hired nursing aides in the hospital planning to hire them for home care if we liked them. This is one time to "throw money at it" to make sure your medical experience works for you. Get all the help you think you could possible need, stay where you feel most comfortable, and recover excellently. All hospitals have a list of home health aids. Best to try them out before you leave the hospital.

JCAHO-accredited - Bumrungrad doesn't claim this on their web site - They state it is accredited by JCI a separate company set up by JCAHO to cater for medical establishments outside the US - it has different criteria and of course charges for this as well as passing over 90% of all institutions it examines.

I think one has to bear in mind too that this accreditation is developed by the very "deeming" system for the US healthcare that many medical tourists are fleeing from.

I don't think any patients are fleeing from the US healthcare system because the health care is poor. They are going to Bangkok because the care is good and is much, much cheaper than in the US.

But you can't sue the crap out of the doctors!

KW, I think you misunderstand hospital accreditation.

Yes, a few years ago, JCAHO decided to have a separate entity for accrediting hospitals outside the US. I used the acronym for the over-arching body as it is the one most familiar to people in the US.

All accrediting bodies charge for accreditation - it's an expensive process. The accrediting body requests vast amounts of information to be reviewed , first, to determine eligibility for accreditation, then, to prepare for the accreditation visit. A accreditation team then visits the medical center (usually 6-8 site visitors for about a week) to review the institution and see whether it meets criteria. Then a full report is written up, with explicit detail about any items that need improvement. BTW, JCAHO and its subsidiaries are all non-for-profit.

The vast majority of institutions reviewed should pass - the criteria are published, and medical centers are expected to strive to meet the criteria. A medical center shouldn't request accreditation if they don't believe they meet the criteria. Still there are medical centers that fail. And virtually every medical center is given some items to improve.

As Lcuy correctly points out medical tourism (at least from the US) is not about fleeing "bad" medical care. Indeed, the US has excellent medical care if you have the insurance to pay for it. But millions in the US do not have insurance, and without insurance the US healthcare system is prohibitively expensive.

If you are interested in this whole issue of medical care in the US, let me recommend T.R. Reid's book, The Healing of America.

So we're agreed that it is JCI that does the accreditation for Bumrungrad and several other hospitals in Thailand?

I'm don't agree that US has universally acceptable healthcare - if if that is what you are implying or that the JCAHO accredited hospitals are all "good". However if you take into account the cost of these hospitals "deemed" by JCI or JCAHO you have to agree that US patients- who are not the only customers here in Thailand - are fleeing from something - even if it is only the price.

i am familiar with accreditation but you seem to overlook how this is done elsewhere - and what monitoring systems are used in the Middle East, Europe Australia and of course Thailand.
Also you need to look at the percentages of hospitals that are accredited by various organisations.i think it's fair to say that the US has possibly the most fractured healthcare system in the "Western" world and you rally need to look carefully at why so many people come to Thailand as a result of the shortcomings of the healthcare system in their home countries - if their were no shortcomings they wouldn't ned to come ..........however, what I believe is overlooked by those who come here are the SERIOUS shortfalls in the Thai system.
I sometimes feel you are so desperate to prove or suggest that I'm wrong about something that you quickly jump on rather spurious half-hearted arguments - which in the end usually end up in the bin.

Beyond the ability to sue the hell out of them, what are the "shortcomings" of the system.

On I see is that if one wanders into a "big ticket" facility, the front desk will usually "diagnose" and send the patient to a specialist. This can, IMO, lead to a bit of myopia. Specialists often tend to restrict their diagnosis within their specialty.

But, there actually are GPs in many Thai hospitals. Most patients simply don't request to see them, choosing to go strait to the "expert".

KW, I think you misunderstand my post as well as the whole issue of accreditation. Accreditation doesn't deem a hospital as "good" but as meeting certain criteria (for say, Infection control, electrical safety, documentation of medical procedures, peer review). You want any hospital you use to meet those kind of criteria. In the US, any hospital that loses its JCAHO accreditation can no longer bill insurance.

The US has the least equitable health care system of any first world country. If you have lots of money or excellent insurance, you can access the highest tech health care in the world. If you do not have either lots of money or insurance, one's access to health care is worse than many third world countries. Access to affordable care is why people from the US seek medical care in other countries. Take a look at the book I referenced above.

ttucker: McBeanie, her husband, and I had dinner together in Bangkok around 2006 I think it was. It was after she had had the above mentioned neck lift and eye lift and her husband had had his nose procedure done. So we talked about it at dinner and I even made a note of the doctor that they had used as a friend here in L.A., who goes to Bangkok regularly, was thinking of having a procedure done.

As for McBeanie and her husband the eye lift, neck lift and nose correction job looked so natural until I couldn't even tell that a procedure had been done. I remember commenting about it. They really looked good. Happy Travels!

Kathie - we are broadly in agreement.

Firstly accreditation does NOT mean a "good" hospital. (BTW - The criteria are not the same as those imposed by JCAHO...there is a lot of criticism as they appear to be very "close" to the very people they are accrediting)

and Mr Reid's book essentially tells Americans what everyone outside the States already knows.
(I've ordered his book on the EU)

To All the Bumrungrad Fans!

We are scheduled for comprehensive physicals and dental work in December. I have NEVER been disappointed, and am looking forward to this year's visit.

I repeat: TONGTIP IS THE BEST! Enough said.

Sandra (McBeanie)

Many (most) people leave hospitals feeling highly satisfied with the work they have had done.

What they often don't consider is whether or not the work was the most appropriate for their situation.

E.g. there can be several treatments for a particular condition - all successful - but was the one they had is best for the patient or was it the most profitable for the hospital?

As for check ups as you get older these are quite useful, but often patients buy a "package" of tests at "discounted" price when many of the tests are quite irrelevant....and may NOT include tests that are particularly suited to the patient.
Good diagnosis is not necessarily reliant solely on tests - people are not machines and don't have the universal reaction to tests or results. The indicators are not the same for each person and their significance can vary from patient to patient.

What is probably more important is an in depth knowledge of the patient by the Doctor, lifestyle, history etc.
Tests however are a quick and easy way for hospitals to make money.

Hi ttucker, I am booking in for a tummy tuck and BA/lift in Feb 2012. How did your tummy tuck go and would you mind giving me a clue as to what doctor to pick!!
If anyone out there has any doctor names that have a great reputation for tummy tucks and BA, please help me as Im a bit lost!!
Thanks,
Donna

mccdm: "Hi ttucker, I am booking in for a tummy tuck and BA/lift in Feb 2012. How did your tummy tuck go and would you mind giving me a clue as to what doctor to pick!!"

ttucker only ever made the one post -- never returned to her own thread let alone others. Doubt she will see your question . . .

so what happened there then????