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If you want to know the sticker price on your car, perhaps you should ride the bus, eh?
They were the only hospital to answer their phone because the hospitals don't want to give that information out. I don't get calling it a customer service problem when it seems like the hospitals have ty customer service specifically so the kind of information that would allow one to be a rational consumer doesn't get out. Is it like this elsewhere in the world? Where the hospital has a blank check?
If you want to know the sticker price on your car, perhaps you should ride the bus, eh?
Good thing Obamacare brought all those costs under control.
Or have a home birth. It's legal in most states, as are midwives. Birthing centers sell one price fits all packages that are very reasonable, if you are sure your labor and delivery will be standard with no health issues. Works out well for lots of people---until they have that one complication that requires a transfer to the big, mean hospital with the clueless lying employees who just want to deceive you.
So you don't have a problem with hospitals refusing to give out pricing info? And their, as you put it "customer service problem", is absolutely a refusal to give out information. If people can't have the information to be rational consumers I'd rather just see Medicare take over the whole system and fix prices.
well im definitely not going to buy it without knowing how much it costs.
Of course I have a problem with hospitals refusing to give out pricing info. But that guy's video didn't convince me that anyone refused to tell him anything. He got one estimate, some hemming and hawing from probably the lowest guy on the totem pole in some business office, and about 5 answering machines; maybe just one recording of someone refusing to give him any prices would convince me more.
As far as people needing information to make good choices, I agree that hospital pricing transparency is necessary. However, I don't see it as something that will necessarily change how patients choose how their care will be managed. Being hospitalized has a strong emotional component for most people. Not too many are gong to ask for the price list before they decide if their loved one should have a pain shot or for the price of the pint of blood the surgeon said they needed. At those moments, most people's at udes are "whatever it costs to be well again". And that is one reason hospitals are so bad with that customer service. They aren't used to anyone questioning it and don't really have a good procedure for supplying that info. Now that people are asking for that info, they'll need to get better at providing it.
You can plan the hospital you go to for childbirth though, and for many other non life-threatening situations. I don't view them not having people to give prices as some kind of accident, it seems like it's by design to keep people in the dark. People have strong emotional attachments to cars too but people still shop around there, I think most people would shop hospitals if they could get an idea what various things cost at the compe ion.
As far as people needing information to make good choices, I agree that hospital pricing transparency is necessary. However, I don't see it as something that will necessarily change how patients choose how their care will be managed. Being hospitalized has a strong emotional component for most people. Not too many are gong to ask for the price list before they decide if their loved one should have a pain shot or for the price of the pint of blood the surgeon said they needed. At those moments, most people's at udes are "whatever it costs to be well again". And that is one reason hospitals are so bad with that customer service. They aren't used to anyone questioning it and don't really have a good procedure for supplying that info. Now that people are asking for that info, they'll need to get better at providing it.
but you'll most likely already have your obgyn, that usually works out of one or two places.
From 10/2014:
Thank you for your recent inquiry to our International Services Department.
For patients without insurance, we are able to offer a discounted international package price which needs to be paid in full prior delivery. In addition, the OBGYN fee’s and the neonatology’s fees which are not included in our discounted price packages. The prices below are our fully discounted packages.
If you don’t have a pediatrician we can recommend a neonatologist group that offers you a package it is South Dade Neonatologist: (305) 441-7179, contact person: Haydee
o Vaginal delivery estimated discounted price is around $8,520.00. (subject to change every fiscal year in October)
2 days hospitalization. Only anesthesiology and pathology fees are included.
o Cesarean delivery estimated discounted price is around $11,220.00.
3 days hospitalization. Only anesthesiology and pathology fees are included. (subject to change every fiscal year in October)
Friendly reminder****You must register and pay in full with our International Department, at least one month before delivery****
Baptist Hospital provides outstanding care, comfort and convenience for parents and newborns. When your special day arrives, our easy pre-admission process guarantees that we’ll be ready for your visit, and that the birth of your baby will take place in a beautiful setting. For added safety and peace of mind, our neonatologists and Neonatal Intensive Care Units are always available to care for premature babies. We also offer perinatal care for high-risk pregnancies. The estimated cost for a cir cision is approximately $290.00 facility cost only. Not including physician fees.
Umbilical Cord Blood Donation
The Umbilical Cord Blood Collection program at Baptist Health is the first of its kind in South Florida. The program allows parents to donate their newborn’s umbilical cord blood. This cord blood, which would otherwise be considered medical waste, is placed in a global registry to help patients with blood diseases. Your child can begin life by giving life to someone in need of this precious resource. Cord blood is rich in stem cells, which are used to treat more than 70 blood diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia.
Cord blood is collected immediately after birth and sent to a storage facility at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, where it is processed, stored and placed into the National Marrow Donor Program’s registry for use by patients in need of cord blood or bone marrow transplants worldwide. The cord blood collection helps meet the urgent need for additional cord blood stem cell units. The National Marrow Donor Program reports that on any given day, more than 6,000 people are searching its registry for a life-saving blood stem cell match.
High Risk Pregnancies
The Center for Women & Infants Maternal-Fetal Special Care Unit at South Miami Hospital is the only one of its kind in South Florida. The unit’s specially trained, devoted staff care for high-risk expectant mothers with a variety of conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, pre-eclampsia and preterm labor. The unit provides around-the-clock monitoring of the moms and their unborn infants.
Led by a maternal-fetal specialist, the team can conduct ultrasound-guided procedures to correct anemia, perform chromosome testing, conduct fetal blood transfusions to correct Rh incompatibility and treat fetal bladder obstructions or lung problems – all while the baby is in its mother’s womb.
As part of South Miami Hospital’s Center for Women & Infants, the unit is equipped with leading-edge technology for the safety of high-risk mothers and their babies. South Miami Hospital also has Level II and III Neonatal Intensive Care Units with highly specialized medical personnel, including neonatal transport and surgical teams, to care for premature or sick newborns.
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As a Maternity Patient, our Pineapple Premier Program now offers Maternity Suites at Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital.
Pineapple Premier Maternity Suites
Celebrate in Luxury
Welcoming a baby into the world is an extraordinary event. Make this joyful time even more memorable by upgrading the birthing experience with one of our special Pineapple Premier Maternity Suites.
Beautifully appointed, spacious suite
Sleeper sofa for an overnight guest
All-wood floors, trim and furnishings
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Baptist Hospital
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South Miami Hospital
Maternity Suites are based on availability post recovery. A nightly charge of $150 is collected separately and is not covered by insurance. Prices may be subject to change without notice.
Pineapple Premier Maternity Package
Plush Perks
Pamper the new mother with the attention she deserves. The Pineapple Premier Maternity Package provides those special touches that ensure a welcoming hospital experience.
The package includes:
Luxurious Pineapple Premier embroidered robe and slippers for Mom, and bib and blanket for baby, premium bath products, a fresh fruit basket and a beautiful keepsake tote bag
Two valet parking passes (where applicable)
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The Pineapple Premier Maternity Package can be purchased for $300 and is available at Baptist Hospital, South Miami Hospital, Homestead Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital. Prices may be subject to change without notice.
We invite you to become a guest of the luxurious Pineapple Premier Program. For more information or to purchase Pineapple Premier products, please email [email protected] or call 786-662-5556.
Birth Certificates
The HIM Department is responsible for the creation of a birth certificate for all live-born infants delivered at or in route to a Baptist Health South Florida facility. All Baptist Health birthing facilities are currently using the Electronic Birth Registration System (EBRS) from the State of Florida, Office of Vital Statistics.
Using EBRS, completed birth certificates are filled immediately with the State allowing qualified individuals to receive a certified copy of the birth certificate on the day the birth certificate is completed. Copies of birth certificates must be requested through the Office of Vital Statistics, who is solely responsible for distributing the birth certificate.
To obtain information on requesting copies or making amendments to birth certificates, please contact the Office of Vital Statistics.
What you need to know at time of delivery
Have a name for your baby before giving birth. A Birth Certificate Representative will contact the mother on the day following the birth of the infant to complete the birth certificate.
Review the information carefully before signing. The Birth Certificate is a legal do ent and once filed with the Office of Vital Statistics, changes may only be made through an amendment. The Office of Vital Statistics has a $20.00 fee to process amendments.
Unmarried parents/Claiming paternity. In order to have the father’s information on the birth certificate, the father must be present to sign and have notarized the birth certificate. Baptist Health South Florida provides notary services for birth certificates.
Obtaining Medical Records
Confidentiality of Information
All patient health care information at Baptist Health South Florida is confidential and protected by State and Federal laws and HIPAA regulations. Medical records can only be released with proper authorization from the patient or the patient's legally authorized representative (unless otherwise authorized by law).
Requesting Medical Records
All requests for the release of medical records must be submitted in writing and must be dated and signed by the patient or the patient's legally authorized representative. In the case of a minor, the parent or guardian must sign the authorization.
Baptist Health Authorization for Release of Health Information form can be downloaded by clicking on the link:
<image009.gif>Medical Records Release Form
*Helpful instructions for completing the authorization form<image009.gif>
Completed requests forms can be returned via email or fax:
Email: [email protected]
Fax: Miami-Dade 786-594-6404, 786-594-6405 or 786-594-6407
Broward 954-837-1128
Hours of Operation
Open to the general public
Monday through Friday, excluding hospital holidays
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
All services are provided on Monday – Friday
Fee for Copying Patient Records
Fees for medical records will be charged in accordance with applicable State and Federal regulations:
F.S. 395.3025 – Fees for medical record copies related to Health facilities and ambulatory surgery
F.S. 456.057 – Fees for medical record copies related to Healthcare prac ioners and physicians’ offices
45 CFR (§164.524)(c)(4) – Fees for electronic copy of records
For your convenience and to expedite your treatment we can fax your records directly to your physician’s office, however, if you prefer we can email/mail them directly to you. Arrangements can be made to pick up your medical records at one of the Baptist Health South Florida hospitals. Please allow up to 3 business days to process your request. You will be contacted when medical records are available for pick up.
For additional information, please contact the Health Information Department at 786-594-6400 Miami-Dade or 954-837-1127 in Broward.
Baptist Hospital of Miami
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Main Hospital Phone:
786-596-1960
Visiting Hours:
General visiting hours are 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
After 9 p.m., all visitors must enter through the main lobby
Family Birth Place: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
No tours available at Baptist
South Miami Hospital
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Main Hospital Phone:
786-662-4000
South Miami Hospital Maternity dept
Center for Women & Infants is equipped with leading-edge technology for your safety and the safety of your baby. Our doctors, specialists and nurses are highly skilled to care for your baby and for you from preconception, during pregnancy, to delivery and throughout parenthood.
South Miami Hospital also provides childbirth education materials for your use. Please download and review the following brochures with important information about your pregnancy, delivery and post-delivery care.
After your baby arrives, we offer
Delivering at the Center for Women & Infants Booklet
Doula Guidelines and Responsibilities
Videotaping and Photography Guidelines
Centered on Me and My Baby: Classes to Prepare for Parenthood
What You Should Know Before Signing Your Baby’s Birth Record
10 More Reasons to Breastfeed
When it’s time to deliver your baby, you will have:
Private room with a warm, home-like atmosphere, so you and your family can experience the birth – labor, delivery and recovery – together.
Labor and delivery assistance from one of our caring, expert nurses.
Public Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Center which allows you to donate your newborn’s umbilical cord blood to be placed in a global registry for use in treating more than 70 diseases of the blood.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staffed by Board-certified physicians and specialized nurses around the clock to care for newborns who need special care.
Nurse lactation specialists who can help you if you choose to breastfeed your baby.
Visiting Hours:
To ensure that you have adequate rest and time for to learn about your baby, visiting hours are daily from 12 noon to 9 p.m. For your safety and privacy, as well as that of all of our patients, we limit the number of visitors in patient rooms to four at a time. Brothers and sisters of the new baby may visit and will be asked to wear an identification bracelet. All other children under age 12 will not be allowed to visit.
West Kendall Baptist Hospital
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Main Hospital Phone:
786-467-2000
Visiting Hours:
The doors in the front lobby close at 11 p.m. and reopen at 6 a.m.; to enter the hospital during these hours, please go through the Emergency Department.
I don't think it's any kind of accident either. I think it's typical of the lack of foresight and the toxic complacency that organizations mired in bureaucratic bull constantly stew in. Anyone who has ever had to deal with hospital bills and insurance claims knows this first hand. Sorry, but I think the emotional attachments to a family member in a health related situation are stronger and not at all like car ownership---but maybe that's just me
One of the many objectives of Obamacare was health care pricing transparency.
It worked somewhat. I think it was Cedars Sinai charge 5 or 6 times ON AVERAGE more than other hospitral in the area.
But of course, the health care industry, just like BigCorp and esp BigFinance, hates price transparency, so doesn't cooperate with Obamacare. Same goes for them hiding bad doctors, bad nurses, and bad medical outcomes due to medical errors.
Medicare for all would fix all these problems and destroy BigHealthInsurance.
^^^^^ That's quite a bit of info there, thanks for posting! I see the costs/time estimates say "around" to cover the incidentals I mentioned earlier. And I may be wrong, but it appears that information was relatively easy to obtain. Just can't say I'm any more convinced that hospitals are "refusing" to give out information on birthing costs.
LOL Obama was supposed to fix our economy overnight too according to Fox News Republicans. As if it wasn't 30 years in the making.I don't think it's any kind of accident either. I think it's typical of the lack of foresight and the toxic complacency that organizations mired in bureaucratic bull constantly stew in. Anyone who has ever had to deal with hospital bills and insurance claims knows this first hand. Sorry, but I think the emotional attachments to a family member in a health related situation are stronger and not at all like car ownership---but maybe that's just me
This ing really pisses me off. Like Bexar County Hospital covering up Genene Jones' murders to protect against lawsuits and she ends up in Kerrville and almost killed the son of one of my relatives.
At that time, I was checking prices for my brother who lives abroad.
Average hospital costs:
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/perso...cid=spartandhp
I don't give a got, this thread is already done anyways.
Here's another way that Obamacare is providing health care cost and practice transparency
What Feds' Push To Share Health Data Means For Patients
Two years ago, when the federal government first released data on how much Medicare paid physicians, the media coverage was widespread. Doctors who earned significant sums were dubbed "Medicare millionaires" and journalists highlightedunusual patterns in how some doctors bill for services.
When Medicare released its third round of data last Thursday, the coverage was practically nonexistent. In some ways, that's because data releases from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have become almost routine.
ProPublica has used CMS data to build our Treatment Tracker, another tool calledPrescriber Checkup and a third called Dollars for Docs, among others.
On Monday and Tuesday, hundreds of people will gather in Washington, D.C., for Health Datapalooza, a conference devoted to the uses of health data. One of its main planners is Niall Brennan, chief data officer at CMS. (I am on the steering committee for the event.)
I spoke to Brennan last week about the agency's efforts to open up its data and what it means for the public. The interview has been edited for length.
CMS seems to have released a lot of data lately. Can you give us a rundown of what the agency has released?
One of the reasons for our success is that we actually started with relatively small and modest data releases — things like releasing data at the regional level on differences in Medicare spending among states and counties.
And then we gradually built up to releasing more detailed information on discharges at hospitals; how physicians practice medicine in the Medicare program; how they prescribe drugs in the Medicare program; how they prescribe durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs.
Most recently, we've released a lot of information on skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies, giving people a glimpse for the first time at the types of care that those providers provide.
The openness and transparency go significantly beyond this. We've released Sunshine Act Open Payments data, which is information on the payments that drug and device manufacturers make to physicians and hospitals.
And we've also worked really hard on the [Affordable Care Act] marketplace and Medicare Advantage side of the house to give consumers information to choose their health care plan.
Are my doctors in the plan I'm looking at?
Are my drugs covered by the plan I'm looking at?
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-s...s-for-patients
But Obamacare sucks and must be repealed in its entirety, right?
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