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Hospital San Antonio


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14 minutes ago, RIlady said:

Hey folks, we now have a CHOICE of hospitals here.   You can exercise that choice and go elsewhere.  In my opinion, this hospital is long overdue and I applaud the doctors who conceived and built it.  This is a very good thing. 

Not that I wish you have to make the visit there, however I would be interested in your opinion AFTER you had experience with it.

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The IDEA of a new hospital here is good. The reality will be experienced well, or not. I'm questioning the high rates and the false advertising re Medicare coverage, to start with.  Saving trips to Guad is all very well, but is that enough?  Anyone know yet what the cost of an MRI will be?

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36 minutes ago, gringal said:

The IDEA of a new hospital here is good. The reality will be experienced well, or not. I'm questioning the high rates and the false advertising re Medicare coverage, to start with.  Saving trips to Guad is all very well, but is that enough?  Anyone know yet what the cost of an MRI will be?

The World is full of good ideas, execution of the idea is a different story!

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2 hours ago, Natasha said:

I agree it's not unreasonable for a specialist (although I use two in Guad who charge less) but in this case the point was the receptionist would not tell Barcelonaman whether they are equipped to do chemo or not..... only a doctor could tell him.  Is there something wrong with this picture?  Of course, there is every chance the answer could be dependent on his particular case, BUT the recep should still have been able to say "yes, no or maybe".

And yes the receptionist should have known and "yes, no or maybe" would have been preferable. THe doctor doesn't know if you have a two minute question or a one hour question/discussion. And they don't generally have sliding scales although the doctor would probably wave the fee if all he had to do was listen briefly and answer yes or no.

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I just had an appointment for a MRI for a shoulder from Rios , they quoted 6900 I arrived there  a little early for a 3 oclock appointmnent and they told me at 3.10 they could not take me before 8pm and then 5pm so I cancelled the whole thing. Made an appointment with Bañuelos who quoted me 7800 , then they cancelled the day beore because they had to do maintenance. I saw an add with the brother of Bañueños on Niño Heroes or 4900..  without somthing but I will check  what that is about. Tolsa was cheaper then the first 2 and more than 5.....  Prices vary widely and I suspect so do the quality ..Yes it will be interesting to see where the SA Hospital charges.

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9 minutes ago, bmh said:

I just had an appointment for a MRI for a shoulder from Rios , they quoted 6900 I arrived there  a little early for a 3 oclock appointmnent and they told me at 3.10 they could not take me before 8pm and then 5pm so I cancelled the whole thing. Made an appointment with Bañuelos who quoted me 7800 , then they cancelled the day beore because they had to do maintenance. I saw an add with the brother of Bañueños on Niño Heroes or 4900..  without somthing but I will check  what that is about. Tolsa was cheaper then the first 2 and more than 5.....  Prices vary widely and I suspect so do the quality ..Yes it will be interesting to see where the SA Hospital charges.

In a period of a few months recently, I have had CAT,MRI AND PET all through Chopo in Guadaljara. All were on time and I was even given a discount for the first 2. but not the PET which cost big.

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4 hours ago, gringal said:

The IDEA of a new hospital here is good. The reality will be experienced well, or not. I'm questioning the high rates and the false advertising re Medicare coverage, to start with.  Saving trips to Guad is all very well, but is that enough?  Anyone know yet what the cost of an MRI will be?

Unless you are going to have the exact MRI someone else has had, it is impossible to price compare.  I had 2 in the US.  The one for a shoulder injury was without dye and took under 30 minutes.  The MRI for my leg required a dye contrast and took 90 minutes.  These are not going to be the same price.  

FWIW I had an Vascular Doppler Ultrasound  at Chopo in Guadalajara in January 2018 for 1,826p.  Add to it the 800p I paid the driver for the round trip.  

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Chopo was cheaper than Rios around 6000 i believe.. All for the same MRI..

Yez you have to compare the price for the same procedure to really be able to know who is the cheapest or the most expensive.. A d of course you have to know wjat the doctor think of the resultas. 

 

 

 

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21 hours ago, Bisbee Gal said:

Unless you are going to have the exact MRI someone else has had, it is impossible to price compare.  I had 2 in the US.  The one for a shoulder injury was without dye and took under 30 minutes.  The MRI for my leg required a dye contrast and took 90 minutes.  These are not going to be the same price.  

FWIW I had an Vascular Doppler Ultrasound  at Chopo in Guadalajara in January 2018 for 1,826p.  Add to it the 800p I paid the driver for the round trip.  

Why pay $800?

I went with a friend to LaboratorioTolsa in Guadalajara yesterday. We took the Chapala Directo from the station in Chapala for $29 each way with our (free) Inapam cards. Taxi fare for the 8-10 minute ride from the bus station in Guad to Tolsa was $40 each way. that's $196 for both of us for a cool, comfortable ride in a super nice bus and nice cabs. We never had to walk more than 50 ft. 

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31 minutes ago, chapalence said:

Why pay $800?

I went with a friend to LaboratorioTolsa in Guadalajara yesterday. We took the Chapala Directo from the station in Chapala for $29 each way with our (free) Inapam cards. Taxi fare for the 8-10 minute ride from the bus station in Guad to Tolsa was $40 each way. that's $196 for both of us for a cool, comfortable ride in a super nice bus and nice cabs. We never had to walk more than 50 ft. 

It was a semi-emergency....looking for blood clots.  Had leg pain.  My Ajijic doctor called Chopo for next available appointment from his office while I was there for exam.  Chopo agreed to see me within an hour (before the radiologist went for siesta).  No time for the bus/taxi dance.  Plus when I'm not feeling well it's worth it to me to pay for the convenience.  YMMV.  

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Health care in Mexico is determined by Mexicans and Mexican needs, not foreigners.

Basically it is…...

SP for the poor

IMSS for the working poor and lower middle class

Private doctors and hospitals for the upper middle class and well off

Just figure where you fit in if you are a foreign resident, it´s not that difficult

gringal, I don´t believe the new SAT hospital is affiliated with the company offering US medicare recuperation of costs other than leasing them space. The payment/cashier caja at the hospital certainly isn´t offering them.

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Recently I stayed overnight in a private, upscale hospital in Guad.  Large, private room; sleep sofa for family, private nurse for 12 hours.  4100 pesos.  There were 14 beds, 14 private rooms, almost all occupied.  I was the only gringo; the rest were Mexican who obviously didn't have an issue with the fee. 

I think these 800 peso rates per visit are high, but most of us want NOB style facilities, not Seguro Popular quality, and that doesn't come cheap.  Of course, the new San Antonio hospital could put a curtain down the center of a private room and make it semi-private and charge half the fee. 

The hospital is great for emergencies, or if one doesn't want/need to make the trip into Guad. For very minor issues, there are local doctors attached to the farmacias that will look in your ear  and write an antibiotic script, 60 pesos a visit. My daughter put a knife completely through her hand:  300 pesos at Ajijic Hospital to see the doctor, have it cleaned and sutured.  But that is because the clinic is used/supported by a lot of local Mexicans.  I think it depends what the situation is on a case-by-case basis. 

I have Blue Cross insurance and I can't see how the hospital here is going to get payment from my Florida provider.  Whatever doctor can figure out a legal way to bill through the US is going to be a very rich person.  I was told the Johns Hopkins hospital in Panama City (Pacifica Salud) takes BC/BS insurance.  Can't yet figure out how they worked it.

 

 

 

 

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Nice to see the former Ajijic Clinic has been rebranded as Hospital Ajijic and is getting a facelift. New facade, big plate glass doors, planting etc. Over the years I have had excellent care and even surgery in their operating room. I think they are poised to give the San Antonio Hospital a run for their money

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have been in Chapala 23 years and find you do what you can with what you need. I live on a pension from Canada most (Canadians know how much that is ) I was covered by private insurance when we first came here (ended up badly trying get reinbursed) it finally helped then but we can't afford the fee and then deductible and we all know it doesn't end there. We joined mexican government insurance and used it in Guad and everything was fine. We also used Ajijic Clinic overnight 3 days and meds and very reasonable. I understand peoples worries about the new hospital prices but look at it like they are not there and use them if you have no other option. There are hospitals and doctors cheaper than even the regular ones around if you look 200 pesos is still a fee for some in Chapala and even less if you just need a checkup. 

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Gringal- Medicare Advantage is a separate insurance policy that is separate from Medicare insurance-  It is an add-on to Medicare and covers costs that Medicare does not.  It covers medical costs while travelling outside the States for 6 months.  The hospital accept Medicare Advantage- not Medicare. 

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On ‎5‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 3:38 PM, gringal said:

I'd like to know how they can advertise out front that they can accept Medicare as well as all those other insurance companies.  This would have to be a scam, something that was also tried years ago where the patient's bill "somehow" went through a U.S. associated facility.  It didn't last.  The only way Medicare pays for treatment done in Mexico is when it's emergency treatment for visitors.

Here you are on another thread about this "scam".

 

Don´t you ever let up.

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17 minutes ago, slainte39 said:

Here you are on another thread about this "scam".

 

Don´t you ever let up.

I thought we laid this to rest.  That post was made last month, before I agreed to take your word for it. So why don't you let up?  What's the problem here? 

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14 minutes ago, gringal said:

I thought we laid this to rest.  That post was made last month, before I agreed to take your word for it. So why don't you let up?  What's the problem here? 

I did too, but you´re right, old post, just a different thread

I don´t have problem, you seem to be the one that´s having a problem with scams and fraud that haven´t even materialized.

I´m done with you.  Carry on.

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On ‎5‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 3:51 PM, Bisbee Gal said:

Actually Medicare Parts A and B do NOT pay for emergency treatments for visitors to Mexico (rare exceptions listed below).  However, many Medigap policies will, often with higher than normal deductibles and a lifetime cap, and only within a certain time-frame outside the US (most are 60 days).  Medigap policies (aka Medicare supplementals) are purchased separately from the private sector. 

Medicare Parts A and B pay only in these atypical situations for services outside the US.  These are Medicare rules from their website (medcare.gov) re: travel:

 

Medicare part D is for medication. I came down with the flu on a cruise. I was quarantined. But they would not cover medications since I was in foreign waters. Even when I reminded them they got the medication when we were in Florida port.

 

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On 5/21/2019 at 3:14 PM, barcelonaman said:

Wrote something similar on facebook, where all the newcomers are saying its so cheap compared to wherever they come from.

Its crazy, we are in mexico, its expensive for here,no wonder we constantly get ripped  off lakeside.

New hospital wanted 800 pesos for a consult, not even a specialist. No thanks.

I paid 2000 pesos per night in santa margarita hospital in guadalajara.

You are not getting ripped off. In a free market economy prices will reflect what the market will bear. Simple as that! The higher the ability to pay the greater the probability of higher prices. Ajijic reflects that simple reality. It's not what you call "gringo prices" it's market forces.

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