How does medical center work?

[HowdyHeidi]

So if you need to visit the medical center while on the ship, how does it work?

Do you present your insurance/travelers insurance?

Do you pay everything up front?

What if it is a large charge such as for emergency care?

Just wondering, I hope not to have to use it, but it calms my mind to know HOW to do it

 

[lbgraves]

You pay for everything up front for regular care and medication. It is charged to your room account. You will need to file with your insurance company when you return. Not sure about an evacuation sitation.

 

[Jennifer in MI]

My sister and her family had to use it while on board. It's just as lbgraves says. But, my sis had trip insurance. I believe they are the ones who reimbursed her for the on board expenses. But, her insurance paid for the ER visit after we got off the ship. The trip insurance reimbursed her for all her copays and deductibles though. If you have to get sick, do it on a ship with trip insurance! They paid for stuff my sis would;ve had to pay out of pocket had they been home!!

 

[JennLK]

So if you need to visit the medical center while on the ship, how does it work?

Do you present your insurance/travelers insurance?

Do you pay everything up front?

What if it is a large charge such as for emergency care?

Just wondering, I hope not to have to use it, but it calms my mind to know HOW to do it

Unfortunately I know ... My son came down with an ear infection (triple in fact) the very first morning. He showed no signs leading up to that am although the dr thinks he had it for a few days!

Anyway they do have set hours - You can just show up. They will charge your account the cost and then you will have to be reimbursed from your travel or medical insurance. The visit is around $130. The medicines are VERY reasonable however. We were given an oral antibiotic, an oral steriod, children's tylenol, an ear antibiotic, and an ear numbing drop - I think we paid about $40 for all of that ! They even called to check up on my poor guy the next day. I was very please with the service.

 

[lbgraves]

I forgot that the trip insurance will be reimbursing for whatever medical doesn't. They are also reimbursing us for the day DS had to stay in the room (pink eye) along with an adult since he was only 12.

 

[kcashner]

The medical center will give you all the forms you will need to file with your travel insurance or your home medical insurance (if it covers you out of the US). However, they will not file anything for you.

As Lisa said, you will pay for all medical center charges on your KTTW stateroom account. They will dispense any prescriptions directly from the center (you obviously can't run down the street to the pharmacy). A typical visit with antibiotic prescription is right at $100 or a tiny bit over.

As others have noted, the charges should be covered by your travel insurance, usually in full. If your travel insurance provides secondary coverage, you'll file with your health insurance first, get whatever they will pay (or a rejection), and then file with the travel insurance.

 

[HowdyHeidi]

Thanks very much. We do have good trip insurance for the trip--probably way more than most people get.

It is good to know all this information ahead of time!

I'm assuming the medical center phone is easy to find in the room phone guide? I already looked on the Dream map and it looks like the only way to get to the medical center is from the forward elevators.

 

[Jennifer in MI]

Thanks very much. We do have good trip insurance for the trip--probably way more than most people get.

It is good to know all this information ahead of time!

I'm assuming the medical center phone is easy to find in the room phone guide? I already looked on the Dream map and it looks like the only way to get to the medical center is from the forward elevators.

Easy to find. Floor 1. But, when there was an emergency, the medical personnel went right to my sister's stateroom (they were there within 30 seconds of her call!) and the doctor took her son to the medical center.

 

[jdubs44]

We had a medical emergency on a Disney Cruise a few years ago, and it was the only trip we took that we haven't had trip insurance. There was a mixup between us and my mother in law who was our travel agent. We had to pay out of pocket for our expenses, charged to our key to the world card, something like $1300. Fortunately we didn't have to get airlifted, which would have been a problem. I think we filed it with our insurance but I don't think they covered anything. We now of course use trip insurance all the time.

Reda more:
http://www.daddysincharge.com/2011/02/lost-at-sea.html

 

[kcashner]

Yes, the medical center is easy to find, and the phone number is one of the "automatic" buttons on the stateroom phones. However, in the event of an emergency, just hit the emergency button--appropriate personnel will be wherever the call originated (stateroom, poolside, or whatever) very rapidly. There are CMs assigned to the transport team as well as the medical staff on call to respond as needed.

 

[jbuckent]

We just paid a visit last week. Day 1 my dd was screaming about her ear hurting. The visit was $143 on the KTTW card. Apparently her ear did not look infected and they said it was probably just pressure from the plane, we had been off the plane for 24 hours at that point. Next day she was still screaming about it, the advil only lasted 4 hours and then the next couple hours before we could give her more was terrible, so back we went. This time they charged us for a follow up appointment, $43. Her ear was red this time and an antibiotic was prescribed, $6.??. All in all it was less expensive than if we had gone at home but now we have the bother of dealing with insurance. Joy.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Unfortunately I know ... My son came down with an ear infection (triple in fact) the very first morning. He showed no signs leading up to that am although the dr thinks he had it for a few days!

Anyway they do have set hours - You can just show up. They will charge your account the cost and then you will have to be reimbursed from your travel or medical insurance. The visit is around $130. The medicines are VERY reasonable however. We were given an oral antibiotic, an oral steriod, children's tylenol, an ear antibiotic, and an ear numbing drop - I think we paid about $40 for all of that ! They even called to check up on my poor guy the next day. I was very please with the service.

I have to say that you got off lucky....I had a sinus infection and the visit was $180+ steroid shot $85 + antibiotics $102 I have had the same shot and meds back home with no insurance and it was not even close to this also a walk in Dr. visit back home is $65 if you pay cash.

Rob

 

[jdubs44]

But at least they have a great medical facility. It was emergency enough to turn the boat around and get us back to port canaveral. Very scary time but thank God we were on a Disney Cruise

 

[dizmomof2]

I had to go to Medical on the EBTA last year. I had an asthmatic cough that just would not settle down. Oh, and we were four days into the middle of the ocean! They were great. The total cost with treatments, medication and visit was only $120! We were very surprised but pleased. The next day they called to make sure everything was alright.

 

[DisneyDreamer09]

This is all very comforting to know.

At least you guys are treated the Disney way!

 

[szubieta]

Reading this really comforts me. I had heard so many bad stories before, but those were also on other cruiselines.

 

[myolite]

Office visit + Blood Work + Influenza Rapid Test + Tamiflu = $344.

 

[denas]

I am sitting here holding my sheet with the price list on it since I am still working on filing my insurance claim Emergency services range from 143 (brief) to $420 (extensive). Follow-up services range from $45-90 depending upon how long. Stateroom visits are 120-190. If you have to be put in inpatient, there are admission, first hour, and daily rates that appear to be all around 300-600 - although these are hourly charges. Medical evacuation consultations are $875 and either a doctor escort is $980 and nurse escort is $540 (I am assuming this is not some choice you have - if it is medically required they will do it.) Sutures range in price from $250-400, casts are $250-300, and X rays are $80-120. Labs are 20-70 depending upon the type. Not sure how expensive/reasonable these are since we are active duty military and use military treatment facilities/hospitals and thus don't receive bills. I do know that the infant advil I recieved was super expensive - $12 for the little bottle, but the antibiotics were only $5.

I think these are the most common things that would happen, but they have prices and codes for everything from emergency tracheotomy to anesthesia and surgery as well as OB services.

 

[yogibigdog]

My mom had a few issues last year on our Med cruise. I called guest services one night at 11:30 pm. She had a really bad bloody nose. She had never had one in her life. They told us to go down to the medical center and they would open for us. They staff was great - the nurse who saw us was wonderful. My mom was very nervous since the bleeding was heavy. This caused her blood pressure to go up. With this they decided to wake up the doctor. Once they stopped the bleeding her blood pressure went down.
The determined she had a sinus infection. They gave her antibiotics and told us to come early in the morning for a follow up. Overnight her ear drum ruptured. We went down early…she was in a lot of pain. They took us right away. There were lots of crew members being seeing.
After numerous visits and many prescriptions her bill was around $600 over the length of the cruise. She had travel insurance but first put in the claim with her health insurance when she got home. They paid everything.
One of the doctors even saw my mom sitting by the pool one day. He stopped sat down next to her and asked her how he was feeling. It was great being so far from home and to find such a great and caring staff.