Union Hospital announced our ceilinged obstetric payment package on Jan 9 2013.

Announcement that Union Hospital can ceiling obstetric hospital fees on Jan 9 2013.

Announcement that Union Hospital can ceiling obstetric hospital fees on Jan 9 2013.

 

Information about UH obs ceiling package plan in Next Magazine Jan 2013

Information about UH obs ceiling package plan in Next Magazine Jan 2013

 

 

 

Patients judge whether hospital and professional fees are expensive or not with 2 factors:  the estimated amount, and fluctuations when complications occur.

In the present plan, additional hospital protection is excited at the upper range of hospital charges, and we set it at HK$5000 above the package price with mode of delivery (natural birth, elective Caesarean Section, emergency Caesarean Section). The amount of cover is set at a maximum of HK$200,000.  High risk cases may have to be excluded, especially in the beginning. In reality, patients whose expenses would go thro even our protective scheme actually needed public care formats in the Hospital Authority!

The plan was only implemented in 2013 because the Hospital only has necessary beds when mainland obstetrics was stopped.

The Hospital would agree to the plan only if doctors do not charge more with management of complications.  So obstetricians who deliver  the plan agree not to further charge patients in this scheme when complications arise.  When there is initial experience, we may extend the plan with installing a new type of affiliated departmental membership to visiting obstetricians.

It marked the start a dream being realized.  This month marked the 20th anniversary of my private medical work.  First time, team work of doctors controlled both doctors’ and hospital’s fees.  The message should read: there is nothing impossible to a good team of strong professional doctors who are dedicated to healthcare.

We still have another front to tackle : neonatal care, which could be even more liable to fluctuations and therefore unpredictable.  The Department of Paediatrics is working on it.

I hope, very soon, we have ways to stabilize child care charges after childbirth, and may even spread the art to other procedural treatment.

Some details of the ceiling package are given here.

1. All obs clients except for those with inclusions may enjoy the ceiling packages.

2. Clients have to pay registration $200 on admission for the package.

3. They then pay as usual for hospital maternity costs (except for optional items such as epidural, selected time delivery, see previous page) on a user-pays-for-her-expenses principle; according to their mode of delivery: vaginal, elective CS, emergency CS.

4. The protection is triggered when their expenses additional to routine packages exceed $5000, then hospital covers the next $200000.  All cases which excite the cover will be discussed in Grand Round.  Expenses on top will be charged to the patient.  So early engagement of departmental seniors and A Leung on behalf of Hospital is useful for planning.  Transfer arrangements may be excited when appropriate.

5. Obstetrician charges professional fees according to the fixed pre-agreed amount.  Third class fees are reported to the Department at renewal of departmental membership.  No additional fees are charged for complications. Professional fees of helper obstetricians are settled amongst obstetricians but not incurred to the patient.

6. Anaesthetists do not charge more if a second operation is involved.  Appropriate appreciation to the anaesthetist(s) involved may be offered by the obstetrician himself but is not a set rule.

7. At this stage, paediatrician and nursery charges are not included.

8. In principle, the same applies to second class and first class clients and the same amounts apply.  Please note that money burns faster with first class occupants.

9. There are exclusion conditions and the doctor should be fair in recommendation for enrollment to scheme.