Medical second opinion is when you consult physicians outside your primary clinical team. Today it’s a must-have for a new or chronic medical condition or when surgery is a treatment option.
* We don’t actually like the term “second opinion”, because it anchors you and provides a false sense of security that once you consulted some other doctor, you are done. Often, far from it. We prefer to call our service “Expert Opinion”, because our experts could be your first opinion or your tenth opinion. What matters is not a number, but precision and clarity that our multi-expert panels bring to your medical situation.
And with us, it is always a panel that reviews your case – typically three or more precisely chosen experts. We talk more about our unique method of expert selection in a separate video. If it’s a panel of experts in the same specialty – each expert reviews your situation independently of other panel members. If it’s a panel of experts who focus on a multimodality treatment, like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy of a tumor – then experts review and discuss your situation in collaboration.
We deal with absolutely any kind of medical problems. Almost 50% of our cases are outside of “medical catastrophes” that people typically associate with a need to get “second opinion”. We’ve helped clients with migraines, persistent sinusitis, various tendon problems, dermatitis, food allergy, asthma, mental health problems, reproductive issues – you name it. Of course, we often help in situations with all kinds of tumors, heart and blood vessel diseases, brain-related problems, and autoimmune conditions. But no problem is too small or too large for our expert panels.
Your medical situation might be rare or it might be common. But there are always several doctors around the world who fit your situation precisely, like a perfect key fits a lock. These experts focus their research and practice on treating precisely your medical problem. They can recognize and focus on nuances of situation that no-one else is capable of picking up.
Experts in our review panels come from different clinics, regions, and often countries. This ensures their views are unbiased and objective. And we moderate the conversation, we analyze and cross-reference all their suggestions with peer-reviewed medical literature. That gets you a very clear understanding of your situation and all aspects of expert treatment recommendations.
It is important to understand that getting an Expert Second Opinion doesn’t mean you don’t trust your primary clinical team. Independent review by a panel of precisely selected experts gives you confidence that your treating physicians are following the best plan for your individual situation. It makes you much more educated and prepared to hold well-informed conversations with your physicians, thus leading to better decisions and outcomes.
Why is it important to get an independent expert opinion on any medical problem? Here are some examples:
There was a study of 13,000 ovarian cancer patients in the United States. It showed that – to quote from The New York Times –
“only 37% of ovarian cancer patients received the care recommended in guidelines”