Panel tackles hospitals on overcharging

Panel tackles hospitals on overcharging

Drug mark-ups put under microscope

Two options have been proposed as measures to curb alleged overcharging for medicine and medical services at private hospitals, a panel working on the problem said Tuesday. 

The first option is to allow patients at private hospitals to buy medicine from a pharmacy of their choice using a drug prescription issued by the hospitals, said Supachai Khunaratanaphruek, panel chairman and Medical Council member.

The other option is to require private hospitals to display the prices of medicines they buy from manufacturers and how they calculate the prices they actually charge their patients such as by adding transport and service costs, he said.

Dr Supachai said the final decision on which option will be adopted will be made by another committee in about two weeks.

That committee comprises private hospitals, the Pharmacy Council of Thailand (PCT), Food and Drug Administration, Department of Internal Trade, academics from the pharmacy faculties of various universities, and representatives of the public.

The first panel was formed in response to calls for a formal investigation into allegedly overpriced medical bills at several private hospitals while the new committee was set up to decide on the two options created by the panel.

Pharmacist Kitti Phithaknitinan, president of the PCT, said the council would make time with private hospitals and the association of private hospitals to discuss the two options further.

Private hospitals will be asked which options they could implement, said Mr Kitti.

They could also agree that both options be adopted. If they cannot accept the options they will have to say why, he said.

The conclusion will then be forwarded to the new committee for consideration, Mr Kitti said.

The second option in particular still needed further discussions as to how the actual costs of each hospital could be calculated fairly, he said.

The truth is there are many levels of private hospitals and their costs are not the same, he said.

Those private hospitals that set themselves up as medical centres, for instance, usually have higher costs than other types of hospitals, Mr Kitti said.

A realistic calculation of treatment rates and drug prices should give patients a clearer picture of what rates are charged at what hospitals, he said.

The Department of Health Service Support will pull together submissions from each private hospital regarding its rates of medical treatment in at least 77 clusters of symptoms.

It will upload the data onto the internet for the public to browse through and compare treatment prices at different hospitals.

Dr Supachai said he had heard the department was considering requesting a budget of 1 billion baht to fund the project.

The proposals cover initial ground in addressing patient concerns.

As for patient concerns about service costs, such as the hefty charges imposed for major surgery at some private hospitals, a source says the problem-solving panel is likely to come up with further options later.

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