Liberation treatment price increase in Poland

A TiMS contributor who is going to see Dr. Simka in February described a letter he received today:

I received a letter from Dr S's office outlining a change to the previous arrangement...see below:

Katowice, 21 January 2010

Dear Sirs,

We kindly inform you that due to increased costs of medical insurance and costs of clinical researches, we have to change the price of Liberation Treatment (CCSVI) method. New price also includes transportation and part of accommodation costs during your stay in Poland. We have decided to cover non-medical areas with our assistance to increase performance of the Clinic and to shorten the waiting time for the procedure.

Since 25th January 2010 the costs will amount to:
 6 900 euro : angioplasty with stenting – 1 stent (if more than one stent is placed, each additional stent costs 500 euro)
 6 400 euro : angioplasty

The price includes:
 Vascular surgeon/angiologist consultation
 Color Doppler ultrasound examination
 MRI examination
 Endovascular procedure (angioplasty or stenting)
 introductory consultation with the leading doctor
 5-night stay in 4-star hotel (breakfast included)
 Transportation to the examination and procedure facilities (Doppler, MRI, surgery)
 Transportation from/to Pyrzowice (Katowice) or Balice (Kraków) Airport
 EuroMedic personnel assist during your stay
 telephone hot-line assistance

 If for medical reasons angioplasty or stenting cannot be performed the package price amounts to:
 2 700 euro : Full diagnostics with phlebography
1 800 euro : color Doppler ultrasound and MRI examination


Best regards,

Tomasz Ludyga
Director of EuroMedic
Specialist Clinics


It appears that Dr S is leaving the admin side of the treatment to others. There now is a Patient coordinator, Marta Cyba, and I believe her email is:
info@euromedicpoland.com Note that price now includes 5 nights hotel, transport to and from both Katowice and Krakow airports to the hotel, as well as to the medical facilities. Price has increased. I will be going Feb 10, so will give my observations on how things work out.

Richard

It isn't a surprise, really, and not just because it's a supply and demand issue.  When it was just one of the services done by the clinic on an as-required basis, it was being administered by the doctors themselves and the clinic didn't worry about special insurance. Now that it's become so huge (long waiting list, world-wide clientele, high profile), it doesn't make sense for doctors to be doing admin duties any more so they're adding staff which adds to the overhead and getting "insured up" since some of the patients will be coming from places where the first reaction to complications is to sue.  One of the prices of success, I guess.