What does this envelope mean? Which surgery is it for?

Come on, spill it... how did that actually go down?

So, were you just there alone with the doctor, asking him straight up what the damage would be? Or did you have someone else run interference for you? Like, seriously... give me the details... how, how, how?

The patient actually sat down and had a word with the surgeon.

Look, I’m not gonna get into the nitty-gritty. But basically, that chat made one thing crystal clear: the price is the price. If you want the surgery done, you pay up. Period. And they even dropped a little hint—if word about this gets out, that doctor will make sure no other surgeon in the hospital touches the patient. Pretty shady, right?

Nice, ain't it?

Anyway, a good chunk of time has passed since then, the procedure went off without a hitch, and honestly, I’m just crossing my fingers that everything turns out alright.

Can anyone actually report this right now? I highly doubt it was just a one-off.

I haven't got a clue. Honestly, I just want to move past all this crap as fast as I can. And that’s only happening once I finally pay off this debt. At least, that's the plan.

😢

So, since I’ve (probably) got surgery coming up on me pretty soon, I am seriously considering just showing up with my dictaphone running inside my bag—you know, just in case things go sideways...

There’s been quite a few surgeries in my family at various Mayo Clinic hospitals over the years.
Just before the New Year, we actually got two procedures scheduled—one for my dad and one for my younger daughter. My girl is even seeing a super popular surgeon who’s booked out for two years!
We don't have any doctors in the family, we aren't exactly connected to anyone in the medical field, and our finances are pretty middle-of-the-road.
But honestly, nobody has ever asked us for a single cent.

What an absolute disaster of a mindset—thinking it’s somehow "normal" to bribe a surgeon just to get an operation done.

The guy is a hospital employee. He’s using hospital equipment and working within hospital facilities. If he takes cash under the table, he isn't just playing the naive person who hands it over; he’s straight-up stealing from the system. He’s essentially selling off something we all pay for through our health insurance. I honestly wonder why the police don't just send up undercover agents with envelopes to bust corrupt doctors in the act. That would wipe this out overnight. Of course, that assumes the judicial system actually works... otherwise, they either get a slap on the wrist or end up back on the streets immediately.

Jokes aside: you have to stand your ground and demand the medical care you're entitled to. I know plenty of people who needed surgery and got it without paying a dime extra. I also know cases where things went perfectly fine without any shady deals, as well as horror stories where someone paid a premium only to have everything go horribly wrong during the procedure. A bribe doesn't guarantee anything. It just lines the doctor's pockets.

By the way, everyone’s talking about how you need to bribe the surgeon. Why hasn't anyone thought about the anesthesiologist? In my book, their job is actually more critical. Anesthesiologists are the real MVPs—they do their thing quietly, and when things get messy with bribes and corruption, they're always the last ones people remember. :-)
Jokes aside, a specialist who spent at least 11 years in medical school deserves $2667 bucks.
It seems absurd to me that an abdominal surgeon—say, someone in their 50s who spends every single day handling stinking intestines—gets paid $2667. A doctor in an ambulance gets $2000, dealing with blood every day without even knowing if the patient is HIV+ or has hepatitis... A psychiatrist listens to endless misery all day long... An infectious disease specialist could catch something at any moment, often spending the first few days of treatment not even knowing what they're treating... A radiologist is constantly exposed to radiation... And internists performing procedures under X-ray guidance end up getting irradiated just as much as the patient—except for the patient, it's a one-time thing, whereas for the doctor, it's the tenth procedure of the day.
I'm pretty sure nobody looks at it that way...

Sophia Martinez65 said:Everyone’s always talking about how you need to grease the surgeon's palm. Why hasn't anyone thought about bribing the anesthesiologist? Honestly, I think their job is way more important. Those guys are the real MVPs! They fly under the radar doing their thing, but the second things get messy with bribes and corruption, everyone conveniently forgets they even exist. :-)
Look, let's be real: you're talking about a specialist doctor who spent at least 11 years in medical school. $2667 I don't know where I am.
It’s honestly ridiculous. Imagine being a 50-year-old abdominal surgeon, spending every single day handling stinking intestines, and then getting treated like that. $2667A doctor in an ambulance gets hit. $2000Every single day, these doctors are out there risking everything. They’re handling blood without ever knowing if a patient is HIV positive or carrying hepatitis. You’ve got psychiatrists listening to endless trauma all day long. Infectiologists are constantly exposed, often flying blind during those first few days of treatment. Then you have radiologists, who are basically living under constant radiation. Even internists performing X-ray guided procedures end up soaking up just as much radiation as the patient—except for the doctor, that’s not just one lifetime exposure, it’s ten procedures in a single shift.
I'm pretty sure nobody else sees it that way...

Professors get trained up, so they're ready in less than... $1333 Kids are getting bullied, beaten, and humiliated in schools. I bet not a single parent sending their child off to class sees it coming.

Nobody’s out here suggesting you bribe your doctor; that’s just what they tell the patients.
Read the OP's story carefully. And just so you know, she isn't the only one. A friend of mine went through the exact same thing right after surgery. You don't really have a choice when it comes to saying no; you never know if things are going to take a turn for the worse, especially when you're dealing with a boss like this while trying to raise a toddler at home. He didn't even care about her situation after he basically bribed her to cover childcare costs. Just a real class act—wearing some tacky, cheap tennis polo like he’s out playing matches with politicians. Honestly, it's disgusting.👎

So many jobs get zero respect. Even those poor souls working sanitation in Chicago deserve better. $667 I wish we didn't live in such a dump. But let's be real—99% of the mindless crowd driving their cars around wouldn't give a damn about this anyway.

Sophia Martinez65, is it just you, or do your parents take bribes too and actually think it's fine?

Sophia Martinez65 said:By the way, everyone’s talking about bribing surgeons. Why hasn't anyone thought about the anesthesiologists? In my opinion, their job is actually more critical. Anesthesiologists are the real MVPs. They fly under the radar doing their thing, and then when corruption scandals break out, suddenly nobody remembers them. :-)
Jokes aside, a specialist who spent at least 11 years in training deserves $2667 bucks.
It seems absurd to me that, say, a 50-year-old abdominal surgeon dealing with gross intestines every single day only makes $2667. Or an ER doctor who gets $2000 while working hands-deep in blood every day, never knowing if a patient is HIV+ or has hepatitis... A psychiatrist spends all day listening to people's misery... An infectious disease specialist faces constant infection risks, often not even knowing what they're treating during those first few days... Radiologists are constantly exposed to radiation... Internal medicine doctors perform procedures under X-ray guidance, so they get irradiated just as much as the patient—except for the patient, it's a one-time thing, whereas for the doctor, it's the tenth procedure of the day.
I'm pretty sure nobody looks at it that way...

Nobody thinks about the anesthesiologist because people assume they aren't important. They don't realize your life actually depends on them. If a surgeon messes up, they can try to fix it; if an anesthesiologist messes up, there's no coming back. But anyway, back to the point.

DO NOT GIVE MONEY TO DOCTORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IF ANY OF YOU SHOW UP IN FRONT OF ME, I'LL KICK YOU OUT THE DOORRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But if there are scum out there, there are. Regardless of whether they're blackmailing you with this or that, please report them to the department head, the hospital director, a patient rights advocacy group (sorry if I didn't get the exact name right), the Department of Health, and definitely a lawyer. I'm following advice from a friend who dealt with this three times; she's currently waiting to testify and receive a (generous) financial settlement!!!!!!!!!
If you have the option, just switch to a different hospital. I hope you don't run into the same problems others have, and I hope the healthcare system improves, though things don't look optimistic.
Salaries are what they are—low and insufficient for everyone (except for judges and members of Congress—kind of ironic, isn't it?), but bribery needs to be rooted out. If you have any other choice, don't go down that road.

Richard Perez3 said:The title pretty much says it all.

Does anyone actually know—because I certainly don't—what the standard "tip" is for a surgeon after an operation?

I’m not asking for myself yet, but trust me, I will be. Good grief.

Thanks.

Back in '96, we tried taking my late grandfather to the hospital with a referral from his GP, but they turned us away—can't remember which hospital it was—so my uncle tried pulling strings with $667 and when they claimed there "wasn't a bed available," he reached for his gun, and suddenly a bed miraculously appeared... scumbags.

Things aren't really like that anymore, at least based on my own experience.

I seem to recall back when I had my surgery—I was maybe ten years old—that the elders handed the doctor about $500. Since then, thank God, I haven't needed another operation, so I suppose I have no idea what the costs look like these days. 😁

Chloe Palmer2 said:I remember back when I had my tonsils out (I was about 10 years old), the adults gave the doctor $500. Since then, thanks to them, I haven't needed any surgeries, so I have no idea what things cost these days! 😁

My dad actually just had his tonsils out about 10 days ago
and we ended up giving a whole string of doctors and nurses about $0.00 (counting all different currencies)
plus some nice little gifts like coffee and boxes of chocolates, totaling about $0.00 worth of treats!
The bedside manner was absolutely top-notch!
As for the hospital service itself... well, it was classic American style—we were at the local Mayo Clinic, in the urology department.

Perhaps things have shifted since then, though that was a decade ago, so I suppose...

Hold on a second... are people seriously paying extra out of pocket for something a doctor is actually REQUIRED to do? 🤔

It’s a complete disaster.

Look, I get it—I know how things work, and I realize you eventually have to wait your turn and deal with all those bureaucratic hoops... but handing over cash for something a doctor is supposed to handle (and frankly, SHOULD want to do if they're actually practicing medicine) just seems incredibly foolish to me. Doctors acting like this are an absolute disgrace.

Anyway, I won't exhaust myself talking about it. ☕

My grandfather had to undergo surgery twice... after the first procedure, they handed him about two thousand dollars...
Whether they should have or not, it felt like they almost let him slip away after that first round. He was an old man, and wounds just don't heal the way you'd want them to at that age... things like that.
My mother kept bringing in cookies for the nurses, coffee, chocolates, you name it... but they didn't even glance his way. Meanwhile, the patients in the next room? They were getting all the attention.
What a joke.

jadesailor14 said:My old man had surgery about ten days ago, man.
And we tipped all the doctors and nurses in a row—we're talking $0.00 (including all kinds of different currencies)
plus those little "thank you" gifts like coffee, candy boxes, and stuff—totaling about $0.00
The bedside manner? Top notch.
The actual hospital experience? Classic American style—we're talking Mount Sinai, Urology department.

I said Mount Sinai was basically the best because I was there about 10 months ago and saw this legendary doctor. Even now, when I go back for checkups, the guy remembers everything—from the surgery itself to how my recovery went—and he does that for tons of patients.
Even though they were bringing us chocolates, coffee, wine... honestly, I don't know if older folks just do that out of habit or what.

I only said it was the best because I can't wrap my head around how a girl who's been playing in the league for 10 years and weighs maybe 80 lbs can eat the exact same portions as a 6'7" guy weighing 240 lbs—and without ever hearing her ask for seconds. It's just crazy. 😲 😱

Let’s keep the sarcasm flowing. Just enough to prove we’re all living in some freaking fairy tale where everything is perfect, everyone’s healthy, happy, and full... and God forbid anyone does anything even slightly questionable. Especially if something as trivial as, I don't know... life itself is on the line.

Seriously though, guys, I don't get it. There’s a rat in the grain everywhere you look. What, did you all drop out of school or something? Why does this stuff actually shock you?

Personally, I’m shocked by something else entirely.

It shocks me that people actually realize—and still go through with it—that someone pushed into a corner like that becomes a dangerous person. Like, how? How are you not terrified of losing everything? Like, your car? Or having someone show up at your door looking for payback (like one of Aaron Gonzalez's uncles)? Or just getting blindsided on the street and getting jumped?

That’s what gets me. That pure arrogance. That misplaced confidence.

Doesn't it get to you? ☕

So, I was just sitting here and this thread popped back into my head for a second...

I honestly feel like we really ought to be sharing everything—not just the total disasters, but the wins too...

Ugh, I’ve gotta vent though... they've already set the date for next month, and there were zero details or specific requests given to me. Like, seriously? They even had the nerve to ask if the timing worked for me first...

I totally lost track of this thread even though I meant to chime in!

So glad you bumped it up.

I just wanted to jump back in and share another positive experience.
Last week, my daughter had surgery at Mayo Clinic.
They didn't make us jumping through any hoops or meet any weird requirements;
everyone was just incredibly kind and wonderful,
from the head of the department all the way down to the cleaning staff.
Honestly, I could never do that job myself.
Even if the benefits were amazing and the paychecks were huge, I just don't think I have it in me!