Total "Reasonable and Customary" charges for robotic assisted surgery?

proscapt said...
I had mine done in San Francisco, an expensive city, at UCSF.
the billed charges at "list price" were $64,000 for the hospitalization (4 nights) and $9000 for the surgeon. But what the Blue Shield insurance actually paid -- and the hospital accepted -- as about $16,000. That's right; there was a 4x markup between list price and the negotiated price between hospital and insurance company. I think the surgeon's fee was about half the list price.

Re medical costs: For all its warts, thank God for our Canadian Medicare system. I'm shocked by the medical charges mentioned in this thread, but even more astounded by the fact that the insurance companies are able to "negotiate" down to a fraction of the "billed charges".... proof positive that the US system is rife with virtually criminal over-charging and, in my opinion, out-and-out corruption.
My prostate journey, so far, has cost me nothing.....nada...zilch. That includes my GP, my urologist, my radiation oncologist, my blood work, x-rays, scans, biopsy, 4 nights in hospital, 9 months of HT and brachytherapy, and any complications that may arise over the next decade. Oh....I lie. I had to pay parking at the hospitals.
And please - those of you who continue to support the existing medical mess in the USA and abhor Obamacare, which, for all its possible warts, is at least an attempt to start bringing some sanity to the problem - don't, for a minute, assume that all that money buys you better care.
There, I feel better already.

PS Chuck/HighlanderCFH: How did you manage to set-up such a lengthy "signature"? Mine says it's limited to something like 400 characters, and I couldn't input any further text beyond that.

Caution noted, but the thread is about costs, and I don't see how that sticky subject can be discussed without mention of politics. Everything in the US seems to revolve around the almighty dollar, whether it's doctors pushing one kind of treatment over another in an effort to pay-off their hospital's huge equipment expenses, or the more serious matter of people not getting the care they require because they simply can't afford it.

How about my question on the 400 character limit on "signatures"?

questionaboutit said...
I think mine was around $35,000 total. I paid $20 out of pocket (lucky to have one of those maligned "Cadillac" plans).
I am married to a Canadian and have seen the Canadian system and am bursting to say a few words about it.

I'm interested. Send me a private e-mail and we'll argue.

HolyMole said...

proscapt said...

PS Chuck/HighlanderCFH: How did you manage to set-up such a lengthy "signature"? Mine says it's limited to something like 400 characters, and I couldn't input any further text beyond that.

I finally gave up with my signature after it kept appearing & then not appearing in my posts. So I simply have this lengthy one permanently stored in a Word file. I must copy-paste it manually at the end of each post, as I'm doing now.

Chuck

Resident of Highland, Indiana just outside of Chicago, IL.
July 2011 local PSA lab reading 6.41 (from 4.1 in 2009). Mayo Clinic PSA Sept. 2011 was 5.7.
Local urologist DRE revealed significant BPH, but no lumps.
PCa Dx Aug. 2011 at age of 61.
Biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma in 3 of 20 cores (one 5%, two 20%). T2C.
Gleason score 3+3=6.
CT of abdomen, bone scan both negative.
DaVinci prostatectomy 11/1/11 at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), nerve sparing, age 62.
My surgeon was Dr. Matthew Tollefson, who I highly recommend.
Final pathology shows tumor confined to prostate.
5 lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, extraprostatic soft tissue all negative.
1.0 x 0.6 x 0.6 cm mass involving right posterior inferior,
right posterior apex & left mid posterior prostate.
Right posterior apex margin involved by tumor over a 0.2 cm length, doctor says this is insignificant.
Pathology showed Gleason 3 + 3, pT2c, N0, MX, R1
adenocarcinoma of the prostate.
Prostate 98.3 grams, tumor 2 grams. Prostate size 5.0 x 4.7 x 4.5 cm.
Abdominal drain removed the morning after surgery.
Catheter out in 7 days. No incontinence, occasional minor dripping.
Post-op exams 2/13/12, 9/10/12, 9/9/13 PSA <0.1. PSA tests now annual.
Semi-firm erections now happening 14 months post-op & VERY slowly getting a bit stronger.