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- Page navigation anchor for Author response Re: Different SystemsAuthor response Re: Different SystemsShow More
Dear Dr. Reddy,
Thank you for your comments. Higher heath care costs in the US are a known fact. I don't think there is sufficient justification for this, but that is not the main point of my article. The main point is that there is an almost complete lack of transparency, so that the patient has no idea of the costs until well after the fact, because the billing system is needlessly complicated. With ever incr...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Author response Re: A Tale of 2 CountriesAuthor response Re: A Tale of 2 Countries
Dear Dr. Rastogi,
Thank you for your comment. I did not study Medicine in either of these countries and getting an opinion from someone who has experience with both systems was an eye-opener for me.
Thanks
SowmyaCompeting interests: None declared
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Different SystemsDifferent SystemsShow More
Being a Health Systems Researcher and having obtained experience from US hospitals (Miami and Tucson)- I have some clear issues with the methodology and comparisons made in the Journal Article. First of all one cannot compare prices based on plain dollar terms as workforce payments clearly differ in developed and developing countries i.e. A doctor in the States clearly gets paid more than a doctor in India adding to the final c...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Re: A Tale of 2 CountriesRe: A Tale of 2 CountriesShow More
Thanks Dr. Rao for a very true and insightful summary of your experience in the two countries. I have a similar story for my father's pacemaker surgery and my mother's bilateral knee replacements, both were performed in India (since my parents are 75+ and live in India). Excellent care and at low costs where we knew the costs upfront as a package price, we knew the expected length of stay in the hospital ahead of the pro...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Author response: Two different systems, economiesAuthor response: Two different systems, economiesShow More
Mr. Pathak
Thank you for your comments. The main point of the article is not just that high-quality medical care available in India is cheaper than in the US, but that it is transparent. Lack of transparency makes it difficult to plan financially for patients paying out-of-pocket for costs. A middle-class person in India can actually afford to purchase health-care for some pretty significant procedures, and they...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Two different systems, economiesTwo different systems, economiesShow More
I wonder if Dr. Sowmya R. Rao will be willing to work at India salary rate here in US in her profession. If not then some Indian in US will tell her the same thing on her service fees. This is like me complaining about Rs. 70 samosa I eat here in US which is sold for Rs. 7 in India. US healthcare is driven by insurance companies, lawsuits laws and protection etc. Those machines in India that is making things easier to diag...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Capacity building in IndiaCapacity building in IndiaShow More
The author makes valid comparison between US and India. How does one continue to be able to provide good services in India when large numbers of doctors leave the country to study and make their careers elsewhere? How does one work towards improving the medical education system in India so people are able to get their education domestically, or at least return to work in the country?
Competing interests: None dec...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for I had the exact same experienceI had the exact same experienceShow More
Replace cardiac surgery for mother with thyroid surgery for wife. And Bangalore for Mumbai. And we have health insurance here in the United States. I hope that we do not have any need for any major procedure ever again, but if we do, we will pay for business class fare to India, get world-class care that is fast, efficient and much better than what we could get here. The cost might be higher for us (see reason below), but...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Billing complexity and cost transparency in healthcareBilling complexity and cost transparency in healthcareShow More
In the article, Dr Rao has well described one of the challenges faced in the United States by patients when seeking health care. Cost transparency is an important factor, which drives their decision-making.
My personal experience when I underwent radiofrequency ablation procedure for varicose veins had been similar, but nevertheless, I went ahead with the procedure. A rough estimate of out of pocket expenses was...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Author response: Rings true to meAuthor response: Rings true to meShow More
Dear Dr. Ramamurti,
Thank you for your letter. I found your article very interesting too. I am hoping to create an awareness of this issue. I am surprised by the lack of comparative studies between developed and developing nations. Agreed that developed countries have more technologically advanced medical care but developing countries have to be innovative in their use of limited resources and also provide care t...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Rings true to meRings true to meShow More
Dr. Sowmya Rao's note on her experience treating her mother for heart disease in the US vs. India rings true to me. Vijay Govindarajan of Dartmouth and I published an article in Harvard Business Review (Nov 2013) explaining how some Indian hospitals are able to provide world-class healthcare at a fraction of US prices. I hasten to add that many Indian hospitals--and certainly most government hospitals--do NOT provide care tha...
Competing Interests: None declared.