Anyone have any experience with Davita centers in Atlanta GA?

[Simon Dog]

it's why I'd like to become a travel advisor, who can help with this kind of thing...

You bring up an interesting point - cost.    Here in the US, those of us on Medicare coverage have 80% paid my medicare, and the cost fixed at a low price (less than $300 per treatment, which means a deductible of under $60, less if one has a supplemental policy).  As a travel advisor, you could probably develop some negotiation skills and perhaps get your clients better deals.  I know some clinics in the US will bill private insurance over $5,000 for a single treatment if a privately insured visitor from out of area, but also accept the medicare < $300 price.    The price a private pay patient would cough up would all depend on the skill of the negotiator.

[Riki]

I'm Canadian, so any time I go to the US, I pay cash for my dialysis treatments and I'm reimbursed when I get home, up to $423 per treatment.  I tend to pay more than that per treatment, like when in NYC, I pay $600 per treatment, but only get that $423 back from the government.  If I travel within Canada, I don't pay anything, but everything must be cleared by government before I go.  I've never had any real issues traveling inside the country.  The only time I ever had any isses was the time I forgot to inform my credit card company that I would be traveling, and when I tried to use my card, they saw it as fraudulent and cancelled my card.  I had to get them to reinstate the card that I had so I could pay for my treatments, as I wasn't allowed into the treatment area until I'd paid the bill

[Riki]

Now that I'm home, the only real beef that I have with Davita is that they never told me that I needed approval from the head office to pay by credit card.  We had to scramble to buy money orders before they could treat me.  I don't fault the clinic, those ladies were great, but those I was dealing with since January knew I was planning to pay by credit card and never said anything to me about it.  I'm awaiting some kind of feedback survey, and I'm sure there will be one, to arrive.  I haven't checked my email yet today, so it could be there now.

[smartcookie]

That sucks!  You would think they would have it together enough to know how you were going to pay and accommodate you!   

[Riki]

It definitely would have been nice.  I got a call on the Thursday, around 9am from the nurse at the clinic, just confirming that I would be there for my 1:30pm appointment.  It was at that point she mentioned that I would need money orders.  I had no idea.  She said that she would try to get in touch with the head office, which is on the west coast, and wouldn't be open for another 3 hours, to find out what they had to say on the issue, but I should get the money orders anyway.  It turned out that she was never able to get in touch with anyone.  I was working a conference, so I gave Mom my credit card and set her out on the streets of Atlanta, looking for money orders. *L*  That was an adventure in itself, as she went to 2 banks and a post office before she could get them.