Medical Lab and Tests

This episode took place 18 years back.

I had been for a medical check-up in a well known city hospital in Chennai.
The doctor who checked was the chairman of the hospital.
He knew I had qualifications to suit a post in his hospital at that time and I was also in search of a job.
He directed me to meet his wife, who was the Managing Director.
I met her and landed a job of manager, who will assist her in running day-to-day affairs which meant I attended all the meetings and followed up on them.

Just a week into my job, I got the shock of my life.
At a meeting of all doctors, both senior and junior, she went through all the accounts. Then asked all doctors present, why they were not writing enough tests for their patients!
The lab, though opened an year ago, did not show healthy income generation!!

She then asked all of them to write some tests at least, to tide over this situation. She wanted to see recovery of capital invested on purchase of costly laboratory equipments for her hospital.

I left the job a little later, but with very heavy feelings about the running of all hospitals. Whether the patient needs a test of not, it is prescribed just to keep their home-labs generate incomes. It is treated more as a profit centre than dedicated to better diagnosis of a disease. The patient loses hope of good medical care. The doctor prescribing tests, loses his reputation. But the income pours for the hospital management.

I became cautious after that experience. Whenever tests would be written for me or any family member I would question the doctor gently about the tests he recommends.

Despite this, I got trapped into shelling out Rs.23,000/- last year, just for a battery of tests (MRI, sugar, etc) to rule out sugar complaint and to find out why there's constant pain in the neck area just above my right hand shoulder.
Though I kept pointing out the spots near the neck and below the right ear, the doctor wrote out spinal and shoulder MRIs for me in such bad handwriting that only the staff at the lab could understand!! When they ask us to deposit the charges in advance, we feel an additional pain near our heart area or maybe that is what an induced heart attack is all about!!! A nerve pain below the ear can have connection to my entire spine was what I learnt but this lesson cost me a lot.

The pain has not gone even now, but a huge chunk of my money is gone :D
This type of lab test charges are not reimbursible by any insurance company either, unless one gets admitted into a hospital for emergency treatment, etc. and goes through these tests recommended by the hospital doctor.

Though I have a medical policy (which we keep alive and kicking every year), we never get reimbursements for many medical bills which is another story altogether. But can we afford to remain without some kind of medical insurance cover? That is impossible, so we try not to fall sick yet pay for all these insurance policies and lab tests just to comfort ourselves that all is well with our organs from time to time :D

Mahalakshmi.