Lao Li, 50 years old, has always felt uncomfortable breathing recently and suspected that he might have respiratory diseases. To be on the safe side, Lao Li chose to go to the hospital for a check-up.
went to the respiratory department, had a consultation with the doctor, and then went for blood tests, urine tests, and X-rays. Everything was following the normal process. When the doctor observed the test results in the afternoon and told him that there was nothing serious, Lao Li breathed a sigh of relief. But what he didn't expect was that what surprised him even more was yet to come. When checking out, Lao Li actually spent nearly 1,000 yuan.
"Today's hospitals are too evil. Checkups cost so much money!" Lao Li said with some dissatisfaction while handing over the money.
I believe that many friends have similar experiences and feelings to Lao Li. It seems that they just "walked around the hospital" and threw in hundreds of dollars and a thousand dollars. Why are hospital examinations so expensive?
Why are hospital examinations more expensive than expected?
In fact, this is not a case of the hospital "taking kickbacks" or encountering a "shady doctor". The amount of the fee depends mostly on the cost . Although the hospital is not primarily a profit-making institution, the fees collected must exceed the value of the cost in order to continue to exist and develop.
Although most of the items examined in the hospital seem simple, they are very costly. High cost means high price. There are three main reasons:
① There are a large number of expensive disposable consumables
Physical examinations seem to be the same Machines serve hundreds of people, but in fact, inspections also require the use of a lot of "consumables", which are things that can only be used once.
For example, blood test tubes, arterial stents, infusion equipment, etc. Each patient must use new consumables to avoid infection. The more people see the doctor, the higher the cost in this regard.
② Imaging equipment is expensive
For example, B ultrasound , CT, MRI , etc. are all inseparable from imaging machines. Due to technical reasons, many imaging machines have to be imported from abroad. The high price and maintenance costs are very considerable. Not to mention that the power consumption of most imaging machines is also very scary. They even use tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. These undoubtedly increase the cost of examinations in the medical field.
③Manpower costs, etc.
For example, doctors, nurses, maintenance personnel, etc., participate in medical treatment and equipment maintenance together. These all belong to human resource costs and also need to be included in the inspection items.
To sum up, the cost of medical examination is controlled by cost. If the cost is high, the examination fee will naturally be high. It is precisely because of this that many friends, in order to avoid high examination fees, want to see a doctor or receive treatment directly without examination. Is this method feasible?
Will it really be easier to see a doctor if the hospital examination fee is cancelled?
In fact Otherwise, although the cost of medical examination is high, if it is really cancelled, there will be unavoidable problems:
Problem 1: The accuracy of medical examination will be greatly reduced
For example, CT, X-ray, MRI, etc., although the prices are relatively expensive, However, it can present the condition in the body simply and directly, thereby telling the patient the exact condition.
If hospital examination fees are really cancelled, these expensive imaging examinations may also be cancelled, and the accuracy of doctor's diagnosis will also be greatly reduced, and there may even be the possibility of misdiagnosis. According to data from "Research on Misdiagnosis in Medical Imaging Diagnosis" imaging examinations have reduced the misdiagnosis rate of medical treatment by 40% to 60%. Once this method is lost, it will make it more difficult to see a doctor.
Question 2: will fall into the situation of "no way to see a doctor"
As mentioned above, although the hospital is not mainly for profit, it still needs to ensure basic financial operations. If the hospital examination fee is cancelled, the hospital will lose the most important thing. sources of income may eventually face "closure".
As hospitals become fewer and fewer, people will be stuck in a situation where they have no way to see a doctor. This is not a good thing.
Question 3: There will be fewer and fewer doctors
This is a very real situation. If medical examinations are really cancelled, it means that medical investment funds will be reduced, doctors will not be able to get satisfactory remuneration, and there will be fewer and fewer talents willing to enter this industry in the future, making the profession of doctors become increasingly rare.
However, it is very common for people to get sick. There are not enough doctors for consultation and treatment, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of medical treatment.
Many friends may feel uncomfortable after seeing this. : Do we really have to spend a lot of money to go to the hospital for examination?
In fact, this is not the case. Behind us is the country. The country has long been aware of the expensive problem of hospital examinations. For example, in 2020, the 15th Meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Deepening Reforms passed the "Guiding Opinions on Further Standardizing Medical Behavior and Promoting Reasonable Medical Examinations."
It clearly analyzes the reasons why medical care is expensive, and through the issuance of policies, adjusts the medical fund remuneration structure, compresses the cost of medical imaging examinations, and medical insurance benefits to reduce the cost of medical treatment.
This means that the country is working hard to reduce the cost of medical treatment. Even for health reasons, everyone must develop the habit of regular check-ups to reduce the risk of disease. After all, no matter how expensive the examination is, it is not as expensive as treating serious diseases such as late-stage cancer. Only by taking preventive measures in advance can your health be more secure.
Reference:
[1]: "Guiding Opinions on Further Standardizing Medical Behavior and Promoting Reasonable Medical Examinations" The 15th Meeting of the Central Committee for Comprehensive Deepening of Reforms 2020
[2]: "Research on Misdiagnosis of Medical Imaging Diagnosis" Impact Research and Medicine Apply 2021-7-18
