Hello everyone,
I was found to have a lump (quite large) in my ovary and several others in the pelvic area (MRI, ultrasound…).
I have an appointment in a few days to set the date of surgery to remove it.(laparoscopic I believe)
This is my first operation in Japan (or anywhere else for that matter).
If you could share your experiences and give me some advice, that would help me.
I already have a few questions:
1- What is discussed and decided during the appointment (method and date of payment, details of the operation, etc.)?
2-what’s the best way to get out of the hospital faster (the doctor told me it would take 6 days)?
3-How to reduce costs ( Kohaku ryoyohi Seido?)
3-whatever advice you’d like to share .
Looking forward to reading you
XX
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/153g427/hospital_stay_in_japan_need_info_from_people_that/
4 comments
I had ankle surgery at a public hospital (twice – once when I broke it, once to take out the screws/bolts they put in).
1. They discuss the procedure, methods of anesthesia, risks involved, road to recovery, and get your consent. Payment is not discussed because that’s handled by the accounting department, not the doctor.
2. 6 days for organ/pelvis procedures seems very reasonable, and you don’t wanna cut it short in case you get an infection.
Are you American and trying to keep this as cheap as possible? Health insurance *works* in Japan: you won’t go broke so take the few extra days and heal up properly.
All that said, when I had bolts removed from my ankle, I was up and walking the next day – they wanted to keep me for like a week but I got them to agree to let me go (as I was walking totally normally) after like 3 days and just come back once for an outpatient visit.
3. It’s Kogaku Ryohi Seido. (高額療養費制度) this is a question for your HR person at work or a representative from your insurance company. Generally, they (your health insurance, by means of your company’s HR) give you a certificate indicating the max amount you have to pay (限度額認定証), you show that to the hospital, and pay whatever it is. Most hospitals let you use credit cards and have payment plans, I think.
Don’t worry about the bill so much- Japan is great in this respect. Focus on getting better.
I gave birth here and stayed at a regular hospital, so that’s my experience here. My friend fell ill last week. Our experiences here with Japanese hospitals are that they’re rather cautious, they prefer to make sure they’re doing extra checking and tests before they let you go. Hospital foods are here are super delicious and very healthy. I don’t know how your Japanese is, but make sure you have your phone with Google Translate on hand because many nurses and some doctors do not speak English well.
I had several operations here, in several hospitals, including a bypass. What I always do, is tell them that I don’t do well in captivity, that this is mental, and please keep the hospital stay as short as medically practicable (not a lie, though, in my case).
They may want you to have a guarantor, so be prepared for that. Conditions vary, but are always negotiable. A “yubikiri” style promise to pay ASAP was often sufficient to get over that hurdle.
Most places, where I was, were pretty stingy with pain meds. Sometimes I had to fight for each one. Be prepared to demand to see a doctor ASAP, when the nurses hesitate to help. Don’t get me wrong, the usual experience in the hospitals was fine, and the nurses were friendly and helpful.
You’ll have to bring your own cutlery. I’d recommend taking a spork along. You might have an IV drip in one arm, and if you can’t use chopsticks with either hand, eating may become difficult. I can’t for the life of me use chopsticks with my left hand, so my spork was a lifesaver several times. They also don’t wash your clothes, so take enough for the stay or have your SO or a friend bring supplies. You’ll normally also have to bring your own (bath) towels.
Make sure, you have enough gigabytes on your phone’s data plan for all the idle hours. Some hospitals have Wi-Fi, but it’s slow and unreliable, and at the hospital, where I will be knifed this week, Wi-Fi gets turned off at 22:00, haha!
All the best for your surgery!
Japan’s insurance system is,
* You pay 30% of the cost of insurance-approved surgeries.
* If the total amount paid per month exceeds the “criterion,” it will be reimbursed (the “criterion” varies considerably depending on your income, age, and other factors. For an average citizen, it would be about 80,000 yen).
In other words, if the cost of surgery plus hospitalization was 1,000,000 yen, your payment would be 300,000 yen. However, if your income was typical, you would later receive a refund of around 220,000 yen.There are two things to note.
* Refunds are calculated on a “monthly” basis. For example, suppose you had surgery at the end of July and were hospitalized for a week from there, resulting in a July expense of 900,000 and an August expense of 100,000. In that case, the refund you would receive would be about 140,000. Please reduce August costs as much as possible and focus on July.
* If you want to reduce the amount of the payment itself, rather than a refund, you must do so in advance. Please inquire with your health insurance association about the “限度額適用認定証”.