Need A Doctor In Palermo

[cwo4uscgret]

When I visited BA in January I ran out of my prescription medication. I had written "scrips" but both medicines are illegal in Argentina! Ah, the joys of chronic debilitating pain issues.

My beautiful wife, contacted The Hospital Militar Centro on Luis Maria Campos; and secured me with an appointment the next day, with their head neurosurgeon!

After talking with the doctor he said, "I know what you need, but there is only one doctor who can write the prescription"he called her and off we went to see her! The first doctor introduced us to this new doctor who spent 5 minutes or so chatting with my wife about every why we're in BA, etc. and then turned to me as if I were part of the scenery asked a few questions, took out her prescription book and wrote me a scrip for what worked until I got home! Thanks docs. No charge for the visit. I am a retired U.S. Coast Guard Officer; they treated me like one of the Argentine Military!

 

[jantango]

is there somewhere I could go where the consult is 2,000 pesos but I get VIP treatment and never have to wait more than 10 seconds for an appointment?

What is the problem with waiting? Doctors here don't have a five minute limit on seeing each patient as they do in the USA. They listen and get to know you. Appointments don't always run on time.

Here's an option. Call OSDE and ask for a doctor to visit you at home. Then you will get your VIP treatment and not be kept waiting.

 

[citygirl]

All right, so what's your suggestion for non-emergency care then? The 540 pesos I paid for a consult is practically nothing compared to what it would cost to see a doctor in America, and my insurance will easily cover something more expensive... is there somewhere I could go where the consult is 2,000 pesos but I get VIP treatment and never have to wait more than 10 seconds for an appointment?

No.

 

[BDA shorts]

Well, I found the 2,000 peso option. And it's no better than what I had before.

Friday I went to the Instituto Argentino de Diagnostico y Tratamiento like I said I would, because their website says they do EKGs without a turno. Go to the receptionist, hand her my receta. No, she says, you need a turno for that.

Great. So I pick up the phone... they can do an EKG for me this coming Friday. Cost, 2,400 pesos. The stress test can't be done until the end of October.

So these are people that like to charge a lot of money. And they still don't provide prompt service.

Through this process I realized, I'm probably going to need another turno with someone else to actually read the EKG and tell me what it says!

I'm thinking over the weekend I'll look up the numbers for some cardiologist offices (with luck I'll find someone who's independent) and see if someone can do everything for me this week. I figure it's the next logical step. I'll also try that Sanitorio de los Arcos that was suggested a few posts back.

Ohh right and meanwhile I've come down with a raging cold. Chances are I picked it up in the waiting room in Hospital Aleman. I asked a pharmacist today for some pseudoephedrine (Sudafed). He had no idea what I was talking about. Found something in the back that mixed pseudoephedrine with antihistamines. But nothing where it was just it by itself.

This really shouldn't be so hard.

 

[BDA shorts]

Epilogue:

Friday night I went to Instituto Argentino de somethingorother. Chek-in would have been quick and easy but the lady had apparently never seen a self-pay patient before and had to ask a few people what to do, then passed me to someone else. The price of the procedure magically went up to $2,640 from the $2,400 quoted. I mentioned the price quote I had gotten on the phone and the guy just shrugged. No cash register... the guy literally put my cash in his pocket, I shit you not. I did get a receipt though (with the correct amount). He then sent me upstairs, where the doctor (who knows if he's a real doctor... he was wearing a white coat though) brought me into a room and did the procedure.

Turns out I had misunderstood the receta. It was an echocardiogram, not an electocardiogram (EKG), that had been ordered for me. An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart and surrounding vessels, and checks for things that are completely different from what the EKG tests. That's why it turned out to be more expensive and to require a turno. (According to some website called "Healthcare Bluebook" which offers indicative pricing that may or may not be accurate, the price in the U.S. is US$609 for the echo, versus US$33 for an EKG).)

The guy did his thing, told me he didn't see anything wrong, and started typing up his report. By the time I had my shirt and coat on and was back in the main room, an attendant was waiting with the printout, organized in a folder, inside an envelope, inside a shopping bag.

I was in and out of there in less than half an hour--and most of it was dealing with check-in.

So, I'm done. I did a stress test in May which came out normal so I'm not going to bother with another one now. The chest pain must be from a bruise, or acid reflux, or because we're in BA and everyone sees a psychiatrist it must be a psychosomatic manifestation of anxiety and/or stress. Either way I'm not going to die any time soon and I can go back to eating large quantities of red meat.

Lessons learned:

1. Make sure your translation of the procedure is accurate.
2. If you just "need to see a doctor" for something, the walk-in clinic at Hospital Aleman isn't the way to go.
3. As many of you have mentioned, the public hospitals have emergency services that should be able to do the job for things we may not consider to be true emergencies.
4. Doctors here make house calls.
5. Call places instead of just showing up to make sure they can do what you want them to do.
6. Throwing money at problems isn't as effective a way to fix the problem here like it is in other parts of the world.
7. People's salaries here are really really low compared to the cost of living.
8. This is a good country filled with good people.

 

[mikic007]

Very good you finally solved all, and even better nothing is wrong.

Just about number 7, cost of living is high and salaries not the highest, but as I mentioned before, if you live here you pay some health insurance plan. With amount you paid you could cover almost 3 months of some sufficient plan and probably wouldn't pay nothing more. While here many things work like shit, (private) health care is not one if them. I still have to find some procedure, that my basic plan doesn't cover...

 

[Big Al]

Does Aleman having english speaking people?

 

[thorsten]

Does Aleman having english speaking people?

Went there once and had a doc who spoke basic english. Enough to explain me everything in simple words. Not sure if he could go into medical details in English, but given I'm not a native speaker, I probably wouldn't have understood in anyway Not all doctors speak english though, you might want to ask for it specifically at the reception.