Second Opinions 101

Most first class medical institutions provide second opinions either from a specialist or a team of doctors from different specialties. Some centers ahve second opinion programs where your case is reviewed by a team of specialists from different medical disciplines instead of just one person. (A "multi-disciplinary" second opinion).

Following is a list of some institutions to consider:

Cancer

Consider getting a second opinion from an NCI certified Comprehensive Cancer Center. For a list, click here .

For a list of institutions that  provide a second opinion or a multi-disciplinary second opinion see The R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation web site at:www.blochcancer.org/articles/xtrnew.asp   

General

• Cleveland Clinic, regarded as one of the top heart hospitals in the country, provides an internet service through "My Consult." For $565, a doctor provides a written second opinion and a treatment recommendation (within 5 to 7 working days of receiving a completed request. It's your obligation to collect your medical records and the other information pertinent to your situation. The Cleveland Clinic is not allowed to provide remote second opinions to patients whose mailing address is in one of the following locations: Guam, Louisiana, North Dakota, California, Nevada and Oregon. People have been known to get around the restriction by using an address in another state of a friend or family member. The eCleveland Clinic MyConsult Remote Second Opinion service is not covered by insurance programs. Many employers have contracted with eCleveland Clinic to provide the MyConsult program as part of their employee benefit plan. For a list of conditions covered, see: http://www.eclevelandclinic.org/listConditions  (Note: although most insurers don't pay for electronic second opinions, most insurers would pay for a second opinion if you actually went to the Cleveland Clinic. However, it is unlikely the insurer would pay for travel costs.) http://cms.eclevelandclinic.org/
• Partners HealthCare Telemedicine (affiliated with Harvard Medical School) http://www.partners.org/patientcare/patientcare_patientcare.html . Opinions are provided directly to the physician rather than the patient. Your doctor provides all the information Partners HealthCare Telemedicine needs. Costs range from $450 to $750. According to Joseph C. Kvedar, director, in 2001, only 5 percent of the diagnoses were changed, but 90% of the treatment recommendations differed from the primary doctor's care plan. The organization is not allowed to provide remote second opinions to physicians in all states.(Note: although most insurers don't pay for electronic second opinions, most insurers would pay for a second opinion if you actually went to one of these institutions. However, it is unlikely the insurer would pay for travel costs.)
• Georgetown University Hospital www.georgetownuniversityhospital.org/body.cfm?id=371
• Armed Forces Institute of Pathology serves civilians as well as members of the military and veterans. See: www.AFIP.org . Click on "Consultation."

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