Without putting too fine of a point on it.. your non-Mexican complexion might have had something to do with the easier admission... that and the major credit card.... Maybe my friends experience was a fluke... but its enough that I will never recommend that hospital to anyone... It just disgusts me that any hospital would refuse to offer basic emergency assistance because of money... IMO they should be shutdown and held criminally liable for their (lack of) actions!
I'm going to jump in on the Galenia discussion too. Just a few months ago a neighbor had a really bad fall from about 3 meters above the ground. This happened around midnight. I was second on scene. An ambulance had already been called. Two very competent young men, both 2nd year medical students earning some summertime cash, got him stretchered and loaded. The neighbor asked me to accompany him and requested Galenia. There was never a discussion of credentials, credit cards or anything else until 3 hours later when he was discharged. The emergency room was small, 3 slots I think, but fairly well equipped and close to radiological facilites. The staff was competent and caring. While we were there a patient in an adjoining bed coded and the response was well organized and successful. There were sufficient reserves of personnel to provide continued care for my neighbor and manage the crisis next door. The charge, including the bus, was a little under 200 USD, including 2 liters of fluids and bandages, Visa and Matercard accepted. Fortunately no bones were broken and he didn't land on his head. The Lord watches over children and drunks.
IMSS Thanks, everybody, for your contributions, thus far. They illustrate, to a degree, one of the issues I mentioned, earlier. Thus, with a single medical provider, experiences and impressions can vary widely. I suppose it isn't easy, even when all the parties are well intentioned, to consistently deliver high quality medical care. Take my experience at George Washington Hospital, in Washington, D.C. It is the same place Dick Cheney has been treated for decades and, if you know his medical history, it has been something approaching a miracle they've worked on him. My experience there was decidedly different. __________________ The second issue raised by these posts is the one cutting closer to the core of my intent in starting this thread, that of "access". Your ability to access medical care is a product of many variables. But, the aspect of access that the posts seem to raise, thus far, is related to payment. Under what conditions of payment will a medical provider agree to extend their services to you. Some of the experiences talked about are reminiscent of the U.S., where there is a risk you will be refused service. Appear at any doctors office, or emergency room, and the questions begin, "Do you have insurance?", "What does your insurance cover?", "How are you going to pay, if you don't have insurance?", "Who is going to be responsible for this account if you don't pay?", etc. With the IMSS system, available to retirees in Mexico, you do not have this issue because, having paid the annual premium, there are no other charges. Whether you visit the clinics to see a doctor, have medical tests performed, receive treatment or have a drug prescription filled, there are no other charges. In this system, the issue of whether you can pay is removed from the equation. Money solves many problems: have enough of it, and worries about being able to pay for medical care of your choosing, far into the future, can disappear from your list of concerns. But, I believe there are retirees now living in Cancun, and others who will come in the future, for whom this could quickly become an issue, if they developed a serious health condition after settling in Mexico; and, for whom, having a viable, affordable, and permanent health care option- in place before that happens- would be welcome. The IMSS system meets the second two of these criteria. It is whether IMSS meets the first of these criteria that is the issue, here. There is a chance, perhaps small, that there are expats who read this forum who have had significant contact with the IMSS system, themselves- enough contact to have learned how to efficiently access the system- and have experienced the level of care you can reasonably expect there.
In the last year an 3 months I have had experiences with family and close friends being hospitilized in Galenia Hospiten and the IMSS. A friend had a heart attack at the gym and was taken to Galenia by the Red Cross he was then switched over to Hospiten for Surgery having a stent placed and saving his life all before noon. (Galenia, it seems did Not have the equipment necessary to perform the surgery) My BIL had a stroke last September at 5 am and was rushed to Galenia, He recieved excellent care, MRI's and Catscans, He was not denied any treatment (He is and looks Mexican) We were advised of costs up front but that was because we asked. My MIL had a Stroke this past March and was taken to the IMSS Reg. 17. She had a terrible previously existing case of Shingles due to this she was seen by different doctors for her different illnesses who all prescribed meds it was a free for all with no comunication between Physicians. Neurology and Dermaotology never conferred, I am not a docter nor do I work in Healthcare however I knew that My MIL was prescribed meds that conflicted and IMO could cause more harm, I was right. In the end the best thing you can do is be as informed as possible and do not just follow Doctors orders, ASK QUESTIONS!!!it could save your life.
Being a good consumer of medical services So true, Cunspin. In this day and time it is possible for a patient to be well informed regarding their disease, treatment options, etc., via the internet. Especially in the area of drug interactions, you may need to protect yourself. For some reason I've never understood, doctors just don't seem to be careful enough, in this area of their practice. Several times I've had doctors prescribe medicine that I never took because, after filling the prescription, I'd found that it was contraindicated for some reason or the other. Doctors in America, especially the younger ones, are getting very attuned to the fact that their patients may be well informed. In the first meeting I had with the medical professor at George Washington Medical School, he started the consultation by saying, "I know you must use the internet, so, tell me everything you know." The modern view of the patient-doctor relationship is one of a partnership. It makes perfect sense, since a well informed patient has much to contribute; and, will cooperate/participate more fully in the healing/treatment process.
Ease of accessing medical services PRESCRIPTION DRUGS I've appreciated how, through the years, my getting away from the U.S. system of medical care delivery has simplified access in a variety of ways. For example, perhaps most drugs- those which would require a doctor visit, and a prescription, to get in the U.S.- are sold over the counter, in Mexico. For those who are taking certain medications, regularly, on doctor's advice, this one thing can represent a considerable savings of time and money. LAB TESTS Something you may not be aware of is that a wide range of laboratory tests are also available "over the counter". In Mexico, you can simply tell the lab what tests you'd like to have and they'll do it, within reason. You do not need a prescription, if you know what to ask for. We've done that, here in Cancun, when we needed blood tests prior to getting married. Then, recently, when I needed a routine, annual lab test done, I presented myself to the lab at Galenia Hospital, and told them what I wanted. They did it, quickly and relatively inexpensively, and handed me the results, later in the day. As they get older, many people need certain, routine lab tests done, periodically. Not having to see a doctor, either to get a prescription for the test, or to get the results of the test, can also represent a considerable savings of time and money. YOUR MEDICAL TEST RESULTS In every foreign country I've lived in, and Mexico may be no exception, x-rays, lab results, CT scans, MRIs, etc., are routinely given to the patient, upon request. This can be a considerable convenience if you should need these records, later, for any reason, and have relocated, or changed medical providers. Asking for them soon after the tests are concluded will probably mean they'll be much easier to locate.
And just to tack on to V's informative post, the lab we've dealt with, right next to Pasteleria, will email you your results, usually on the same day as the tests were done. I believe most of the non-hospital based labs offer this service.
Re: IMSS Very true... As to lab tests, they are MUCH cheaper here.. assuming you do them in one of the many smaller labs around town. $200 pesos blood test here vs. $200 DOLLARS for the same in the States.... one downside to the smaller labs is many of the newer clinical tests that require high dollar machines, are not available here or cost a fortune since they have to pay for the machine. Another friend's young son broke his forearm recently in a fall... total costs including two fiberglass casts, 3 sets of x-rays (before,during, & after treatment), pain medicine, and all of the doctor/nurse time at a private clinic... $2,000 PESOS!!!! Try doing that in the States! :wink:
MEDICAL BANKRUPTCIES I've read that medical expenses is a factor in approximately 60% of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S., annually, and that of those, 78% had medical insurance at the time they began to incur large medical expenses. Exclusions, limitations of coverage, and life-time or annual maximum benefits written into the policies resulted in large, unpaid sums. Many, who were insured through their employer and became too ill to work, later lost their insurance, with the same result- large, unpaid sums for medical expenses. Recently, I met a long-term, expat resident of Cancun who had been devastated in a similar fashion by medical expenses resulting from emergency surgery performed in a local, private hospital. Eligible to apply for coverage through the IMSS system for a number of years, as a holder of an FM3/FM2, this person had chosen not to. The surgery, although done on an emergency basis, was of a routine type, easily performable by any general surgeon/general hospital combination. Had this person been a member of the IMSS system, and been treated at one of their facilities, they would have left the IMSS hospital owing nothing.
