Medical Consultation leader providing
online consultation service in all areas of medicine.
Second Opinions FAQ
Why should I use SecondOpinions.com service?
Be in charge of your medical care
As a patient, you have an important say in who provides your health care and where you receive it. Our mission at SecondOpinions.com is to maximize the quality of patient care by providing you with important resources to make the most informed decisions. SecondOpinions.com gives you the information and confidence you need to help you and your physician make the best treatment decisions, without the delays, expense and inconvenience traditionally associated with such requests. Our physicians are world experts in their respective medical areas. In case of radiology, most patients do not know who their radiologist is and are not able to directly communicate with her or him. We changed these rules! Obtaining a second opinion and discussing your case with a radiologist or another physician can be critical in providing the correct diagnosis, which can mean life or death.
For the Peace of Mind
Medical mistakes do happen. While most doctors are competent, there are some who provide less than optimal service. Additionally physicians, like all human beings make mistakes. Finally, physician’s skills, training and opinions vary widely, for example did you know that most radiological interpretations are done by general radiologists? Radiology and the rest of medicine has become an extremely complex specialty and usually one doctor cannot be an expert in all areas. It is sometimes critical to obtain a medical second opinion from a subspecialist. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis does happen. Please take charge of your health and your well-being.
Increased medical complexity
The medical and especially imaging industry knowledge base has dramatically expanded with the advent of such technologies as MRI, multidetector-row CT (MDCT), PET/CT, and many new treatment options and surgeries. Keeping up with the latest advances is becoming a challenge for all doctors. No one can be an expert in everything, so medical subspecialists have evolved.
Get a different perspective
Medical doctors have different personalities, different experiences and different training. Some physicians are more conservative and others are more aggressive. It might be a good idea to get a different perspective. Get a second opinion for your peace of mind!
Do I need my primary doctor’s permission to obtain a second opinion?
With some exception, generally you do not have to get your doctor’s permission. Nevertheless we still ask that you provide your doctor’s name and contact information so that we can contact him/her in the unlikely event of emergency. Otherwise we will not contact your doctor or send him/her copy for your confidential report, unless you requested us to do so.
Who are the doctors providing medical second opinions?
We represent a network of Americal Board certified doctors in most medical specialties and subspecialties trained at top US institutions. Many of our doctors are fellowship trained and many have additional CAQ certifications. Our radiologists offer expertise in multiple subspecialties including neuroradiology, musculoskeletal, body, emergency radiology, pediatrics, PET/CT & oncologic imaging and cardiac CT angiography. We carry the necessary state licenses and medical malpractice insurance.
Do you have technical support?
Our technical support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.
How are you able to beat competitor's prices?
We run an extremely efficient operation without non-medical interests or middlemen. We pass on the savings to you. We make our service available and affordable to everyone!
How secure is your system?
Our technology is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant. Our processes and technical infrastructure provide secured and confidential data management.
How can I get a medical second opinion from SecondOpinions.com?
The process is very simple. You need to register, answer a short questionnaire and schedule a virtual appointment with one of our doctors via telephone of or video chat. Please see below regarding obtaining a radiology second opinion.
Radiology Second Opinions FAQ
Why should you get a radiology second opinions?
You have a digital copy of the imaging study but radiological report is not available.
You performed an imaging study outside of United States.
You are very anxious and need the Peace of Mind!
Discrepancy between clinical and radiological findings.
You believe the report is not accurate.
Report is poorly worded or contains typographical errors.
Report is not detailed enough.
You prefer that the case be interpreted by a subspecialist.
Report is written in a confusing language or body and impression contradict.
Report does not answer or address a clinical question.
Report does not make a comparison to prior examinations.
To get a different perspective from a different radiologist
To get a general quality check and to make sure you’re is getting the most accurate diagnostic evaluation.
How can I send you radiology study/images?
The easiest and fastest way is to use our secure upload service. You can also upload the original report as well as any previous imaging reports. You can upload the images from any digital source including CD, DVD, flash drive, computer hard drive or cloud storage.
Why get a remote radiology opinion?
Depending on your location, your availability or your ability to travel, your accessibility to highly specialized care may be limited. Expert radiology–on-demand® service brings radiology experts directly to you and your physician without requiring you to spend time and money on traveling. In addition, most radiologists and imaging centers do not offer a convenient second opinion service.
What kind of radiological report should I expect?
Our radiologists will interpret your study and issue a detailed, informative and definitive (when possible) written report of our findings.
If requested, we will compare your test to previous radiology exams you’ve had.
Our radiologists will comment on the quality of the exam and recommend a repeat study if the quality is not adequate.
We will make a specific recommendation for further course of action or follow-up examination.
How long will upload take?
If you have a fast internet (highly recommended) our patent pending eXpert radiology–on-demand® technology will upload your study in a matter of seconds or minutes.
What if I am not able upload through your service?
Alternate methods for getting your images to us are
You can send us a CD, DVD, flash drive or hard copies(plastic films)*
You can upload Jpeg files for some studies which have only limited amount of images (for example X-rays).
You can email your study to info@SecondOpinions.com.
You can request that your imaging facility either upload images to our secure upload service or send us a CD/DVD or hard copies(plastic films)
*extra fee applies for processing hard copies
Do I have a right to request the study from the original facility?
If you do not have the images, it is your right to request them from the facility at which your exam was performed and then upload the images as stated above. You can also ask your facility to upload the images for you or send us a CD or DVD.
When will I get my radiological second opinion report?
Your report will be returned to you within average of 24 hours (up to 48 hours in case of complex cases), after we successfully receive your images. There is no extra fee for expedited reports! This is a self-pay service and these services are currently not covered by insurance.
Can I track the status of my report?
Absolutely. You can track the progress via your personal web-based account until your report is received.
I do not understand the results or have general questions. Can I speak with the reading radiologist or another knowledgeable medical doctor?
Absolutely. SecondOpinions.com offers communication levels unparalleled in the industry. For a small extra fee, the radiologist or clinician (medical doctor who is not a radiologist) will give you a consultation and explain the findings on your imaging study as well as discuss and explain your condition in general terms. In addition our radiologists will respond to your physician inquiry typically within the same day. Please note that our medical doctors can not form a doctor-patient relationship over the phone and since they do not know your full medical history, all consultations are general in nature and serve as opinions only. It is strongly recommended that you speak with your own doctor regarding definitive treatment options and recommendations.