0. Language / cultural barrier:
Does Dr. King speak English, and how good is he?
Yes, he does. Some people can never guess where he is originally from, having the American-West-Coast accent. Dr. King was brought up in the international / expat community in Tokyo, and spent his school years in the international schools in Tokyo. Click here for his background.
What makes him so different from many of the other doctors in the language aspect is that he speaks English like a North American, and at the same time, he speaks like a native Japanese as well. Dr. King has no difficulty, at all, writing professional reports (or even other complex documents) in perfect Japanese, therefore he can easily make referrals to the specialists in Tokyo. His cultural background makes him think and understand both Western and Far-Eastern spirituality without effort. He is a true multi-cultured doctor. It is worth attending one of his lectures/speaches that he makes... sequentially, bilingual or even mixed simultaneously.
These are just some of the countless reasons why people choose him as their doctor, and as the link between the communities.
1. Japanese insurance policies:
Although this "Site 4" may mention, "If you are not certain, please consult at the reception of the hospital or talk with your doctor", it is the duty of the city hall or your local government to be explaining or answering you in details. PHONE 03-5285-8181 9:00AM-8:00PM daily
If you are over certain age and have the "Kokumin kenkou hoken (kokuho)", then you might qualify for the annual checkup provided by your local ward. Please contact your local ward office. Otherwise, usually, NO.
If your baby is registered at the local government, they will be mailing you the free coupons, but some immunizations are done on your own expense. If you are old enough to qualify for the influenza vaccination, your local ward office will pay part of the expense.
Obviously, the vaccinations will follow the Japanese schedule.
No. The Japanese National Health Insurance policy does not cover any preventitive medications nor consultations.
No, if the pregnancy is normal. If you happened to have complications, that part would be covered.
No. As mentioned above, this insurance policy does not cover "check-up" type of testings.
The consultation fee itself, also, will not be able to be funded by the government. Even if a part of your medication / treatment is not permitted to be covered by the insurance, the whole consultation is not allowed, by the government, to be under the insurance.
Which suits me better, Japanese Insurance policy or a private?
If you are planning to stay long in Japan, and not expecting coverage during your trips or visits outside Japan, the Japanese Insurance may be worth a concideration. You should compare the premium per year and decide, since (even with a cap) the Japanese insurance at times may overwhelmingly exceed private insurance.
The greatest benefit from subscribing the Japanese Insurance is that:
Some disadvantages:
2. Private / Traveller's / International Insurances
Yes, we do, but unless we have a special contract with certain insurance policies, you will recieve a reciept and have it reimbursed by the insurance company. In this case, please make sure if you do or not have any claim form to be signed by the doctor, prior to your visit. Please call the receptionist for details: +81-3-3409-0764 (10:00-13:00, 15:00-16:45)
3. Immunizations and Preventative Tablets...
We can provide you the following (Please do not forget to make appointment prior to visit.):
MR
Typhoid (Typhim Vi)
Cholera (Dukoral)
Meningitis ACWY
Polio (inactivated) (Imovax Polio)
Adult Td
We carry doxycycline (Vibramycin), and always available. If you prefer mefloquine (Lariam), you may let us know in advance so we may order for you.
4. Do you perform health checkups?
Yes, we do. We handle quite a variety of different checkups, from school checkups to examinations for various diplomats and international organizations to insurance companies and foreign firms, both in English and Japanese, which we boast our volume and experience in this field.
We can perform: X-rays, electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG), abdominal ultrasonography, audiogram, visual acuity, and various lab tests.
Frequently asked tests: HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis, parasites, etc. YES, WE CAN DO THEM FOR YOU!
I am sorry to announce that we are not capable of performing mammogram, brushing Pap smears, and endoscopies.
5. What diseases do you take care of?
Although, Dr. King has been trained as a general surgeon, his careers, professional interests, and patient volume make him capable of most of the common ailments (from common cold, backaches, stomach problems, injuries, surgical problems, blood pressure, cholesterol, gout, infections,........ to skin problems). But in need of any second opinion or specialists care/analysis, he has several outstanding hospitals in central Tokyo that he is affiliated with. (i.e. St. Luke's International Hospital, Red Cross Medical Center, Jikei Medical College Hospital, and others.)
FYI, If you need ear syringing, just call us!
6. Where do I call for emergency cares?
MEDICAL
SERVICES ON HOLIDAYS AND AT NIGHT
EMERGENCY CALLS
PHONE 03-3212-2323 (24 hours) Telephone
Information Services of Tokyo Fire Department
7. Do you have any list of other hospitals?
There are no specific hospitals I can name for you, so please call:
AMDA International Medical Information Center (AMDA Kokusai
Iryo Joho Center)
The organization Provides information of Medical institution with
foreign language-speaking staff and explanation about Japanese
Medical Systems and heath insurance.
03-5285-8088
or
Himawari service by the Metropolitan Government can help you.
8. Why do you not "recommend" any doctors, but only "refer"? What is the difference?
Being a professional, Dr. King will have to write(type) a professional report/letter to the specialist. This is not only a Japanese tradition, but a very polite way of showing respect amongst the other doctors. This way, the new doctor will hopefully take better care of you, and at the same time, he can get the feedback-report to keep your medical record at hand.
In the medical field, it is very important to know the professional findings on the first visit made to any hospital. This will lead to better treatment, so this is why we write our report/referral letter to the next doctor.
The term "recommend" sounds as though it may be a friendly manner of showing the way, but in this medical field, we do appreciate being "referred" by a doctor. Of course, a "recommedation" can be done by a non-doctor, and we appreciate this very much.
Another reason Dr. King does not "recommend" a doctor/hospital is because, he believes in patient-doctor relationship as "human-to-human" cooperation. This means that Dr. King may believe a certain doctor to be good, professionally (or maybe as a human being), but you may not find it the same way... just like you have different choices(taste?) of "best friends". In other words, patient-doctor relationship is built upon trust and confidence, but this won't be established if you dislike the person in any way. So, he may "recommend" you another doctor but only under the mutual understanding that "you may dislike the new doctor's character".
Making referrals professionally can prevent such "personal opinion", to the minimum. You are always welcome to tell Dr. King if you disliked the hospital or the new doctor, and the reason. He may be able to arrange you with another alternative.
9. The social status of medical doctors and clinics in Japan.
Different countries and their citizens have their own image and belief of what role a doctor plays in the society. This "belief" may lead to a big misunderstanding or disappointment in this country.
Japan has been notorious for encountering a arrogant doctor in some areas, regardless of recent changes. This may be because the local people used to religiously praise the doctors in the old days.
You will find more humble, friendly and helpful doctors nowadays.
Some newcomers to Japan feel the difference in the service provided. Especially if this person is from a country where doctors are public servants, like the police officers, or the medical service itself is functioning as part of the governmental program.
In Japan, only the doctors working in the governmental hospital are recognized as public servants ("koumu-in"). The insurance system is under the goverment service, but practices can be non-governmental. This is why less doctors running private clinics only service during limited hours on limited days of the week. This results in patients having hard time finding a clinic that provides cares on weekends and late nights. It is also true that some doctors (with conditions) believe in serving, alone, 24 hours.
If you need an emergency care during night time, most local people go to the large medical centers.
If you expect your family practitioner to be "on-call" for you anytime, you would probably have a hard time finding one in Tokyo. (Some specialists accept "on-call", but less general practitioners are like that in private practices.)
THE KING CLINIC -- Dr. King is the owner and the only doctor of his clinic. It is physically very difficult for him to stand-by 24 hours and 7 days a week, but by serving the society on Saturdays as well is believed to play an important role. Dr. King finds many of his patients only being able to come in on Saturdays. It gives him a hard time when his Saturday-patients need the specialist's consultation, where they only are open on weekdays.
Many people know that he is interested in serving the international community in other aspects when the clinic is closed. This is why you might see him and his name in international schools and many different places.
As of today, Dr. King is not thinking of hiring another doctor in his clinic, or placing an alternative doctor in position on his days off. This is because he found out that most of his patients visit HIM, and not the clinic with any doctor in service. (Many thanks to the patients who understand Dr. King's professional beliefs!) It is very difficult for him to find a doctor in the same field to share what he believes in and to meet his patients' demands. On the other hand, Dr. King has few doctors in other specialties that he works closely sharing the common morals.
10. Finding jobs in a hospital / clinic in Japan
MEDICAL DOCTOR
Standards: You must pass the national board examination (obviously in Japanese) that is held every March. Please contact the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for details . The applicant must fulfill the requirements such as obtaining a document that proves the medical education is equally sufficient to the Japanese medical education.
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/general/sikaku/1.html
Without the Japanese Medical License, one cannot practice, diagnose, exam, treat, prescribe or give medical advices to the patient. In a designated educational hospitals, under the trainer doctor, this doctor may function only as an assistant, researcher, or an observer.
NURSE
Passing the Japanese board examination is mandatory. There are no conditional permission where a foreign-licensed nurse can perform as a nurse in Japan. This is applied anywhere on the legally-recognized Japanese territory. Therefore, foreign clinics including THE KING CLINIC, international schools, or firms placed on Japanese land cannot hire these professionals for the purpose of a nurse. As far as we are concerned, there are no alternatives in this field.
The board examination is held in February each year, obviously in Japanese only. Please contact the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for details .
Being a RECEPTIONIST at THE KING CLINIC
THE KING CLINIC serves both the Japanese and the International community with deep understandings of both cultures and living. This also means that the receptionist must not only be fluent in Japanese and English, but able to write (type) well in both languages with quality. We ARE NOT seeking for any new job opportunities in this post now.
However, I do get inquiries on job opportunities at times. It is a minimum qualification to be able to read and write business-level English AND Japanese, as well as being fluent in both languages.
11. I don't know if I should visit Dr. King
Dr. King can provide you with primary cares and treatment for most of the common diseases for adults. If you are not sure which specialist to visit, THE KING CLINIC is the first place you should go and have Dr. King examine you. If you really need a specialist's care, he will not hesitate to refer you to a specialist.
Here are some of the things Dr. King might not be able to do:
Infant cares, special cares for children, sickness of children below age 4.
Mammogram, colonoscopy, endoscopy, MRI, CT scans, traction, chiropractics, obstetrics, auto-immune disorders
Psychiatric consultation
ALTHOUGH, HE CAN MAKE REFERRALS TO A SPECIALIST with a professionally written report.
12. Why do you not have any answering machines?
Upon making appointments, we must make sure that:
We sometimes recieve and have recieved (in the past) Faxes, e-mails, postal mails, and messeges, requesting occupied time and/or closed dates. Usually, these requests did not allow us enough time to call back on the day we open, since that was the time they wanted to come in.
The fact that we do not function at all on closed dates, it would not mean much to keep an answering machine.
Post Script... How often can I find a U.S.-trained M.D. in Tokyo?
In order to practice clinical medicine in the States, a Japanese doctor will need to qualify the USMLE (FMGEMS) and the board examination. Quite a number of Japanese doctors choose this highly competitive method. I believe many of them (if decided to come back to Japan) serve in college hospitals after their return. However, without this qualification, none of them can actually "practice" in the States.
There are overwhelming numbers of Japanese doctors that "make it to the States" by different courses. Most of them are known to go as an researcher, observer, or a student (obviously without clinical experience or training involved), therefore not asked for any qualification, but a introductory letter by someone. If you are looking for a doctor, literally, "trained" in the States, please make sure that you are getting to the point. In Japan, "have been in the States as a doctor" does not always mean "have clinical experience in the States".
If you do not limit to the above nation, you should be able to find more doctors literally trained in Canada, Australia, or in the U.K. It is easier for a Japanese licensed M.D. to do this, just because of the inter-national regulations... and vice versa.
More important is if the doctor is medically sensible and applying to each individual. Some practices performed and seen amongst the "average" Japanese doctors are the result of the Japanese Insurance System and their limitations. This regulation limits and restricts the medical services to be provided to the patients. Doctors in Tokyo that also have patients without the Japanese Insurance are experienced and exposed to the "global standard" medicine to some extent. It is also important to find a doctor that can refer you to a specialist or a larger medical center, when needed. (...and make sure they do not take advantage of you not being oriented to the system in Japan.)
Once you are referred to a specialist in a large medical center, you will not need to get a repetitive "referrals" from your original GP to go back to this specialist. You should be able to make your next appointment for the same doctor through that hospital receptionist (or at times an automated computer).
Specialists and General Practitioner
In Japan, consulting a specialist costs no more than seeing a GP. The cost weighs more by a specialist due to the "special" procedures and treatments done, and these prices are set by the Japanese government.
Many people believe that the specialists are superior to a GP. In a way, that may be true, if one focuses only in certain field. On the other hand, especially in Japan, a specialist may not be able to treat diseases out of his field. There are only limited and same time given to each human being and doctors. A GP spends and has spent the same or maybe more time achieving (covering) the wide range of his capacity, meanwhile, a specialist digs and has dug into one hole.
Therefore, neither GP nor specialists are superior to the other, in terms of medical capacity and should not be counted different on the consultation tariffs.
This can be the reason that the government does not discriminate these two by the consultation fee.
as of January, 2006...
Sorry if not updated. Dr. King is a very busy man.