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Two heads are better than one.
By Sophia Ramos
If your doctor says you need surgery to diagnose or treat a health problem that isn’t an emergency, you should consider getting a second opinion. It’s up to you to decide when and if you will have surgery. You might also want a second opinion if your doctor tells you that you should have certain kinds of major non-surgical procedures. Many insurances won't cover surgeries or procedures that aren’t medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery. This means that they won’t pay for second opinions for surgeries or procedures that aren’t medically necessary.
Don’t wait for a second opinion if you need emergency surgery. Some types of emergencies may require surgery right away, such as acute appendicitis, Blood clot or aneurysm, or Accidental injuries. Make sure the doctor giving the second opinion accepts your insurance. To find a doctor for a second opinion, you can
visit your insurance website and select the resource to locate doctors who accept your insurance. Ask for information about doctors who accept it. Ask your local medical society for the names of doctors who treat your illness or injury. Your local library can help you find your local medical society. Ask your doctor for the name of another doctor to see for a second opinion. Don’t hesitate to ask; most doctors want you to get a second opinion. You can also ask another doctor you trust to recommend a doctor.
Before you visit the second doctor, you should ask your doctor to send your medical records to the doctor giving the second opinion. That way, you may not have to repeat the tests you already had. Call the second doctor’s office and make sure they have your records. Write down a list of questions to take with you to the appointment. Ask a friend or loved one to go to the appointment with you. During the visit with the second doctor, you should tell the doctor what surgery you are considering. Tell the doctor what tests you already had. Ask the questions you have on your list and encourage your friend or loved one to ask any questions that he or she may have. Keep in mind that the second doctor may ask you to have additional tests performed as a result of the visit. If the second doctor doesn’t agree with the first, you may feel confused about what to do. In that case, you may want to talk more about your condition with your first doctor. Talk to a third doctor. Getting a second opinion doesn’t mean you have to change doctors. You decide which doctor you want to do your surgery.
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What an absolute nightmare! It sounds to me like the health industry in America is just that - an industry. Why on earth don't all insurances get accepted by all doctors? Presumably the insurance must meet particular standards and the doctors must be professionally qualified. I am so grateful I live in a country that acknowledges that the nation's health is not for negotiation. The idea that the patient is actually knowledgeable enough to know when a second opinion might be necessary is pushing the envelope a bit. Once you have the second opinion, how do you resolve conflicts? As you say, you can have a third opinion - and a fourth - and a fifth - and a sixth and so on until your routine, non-emergency procedure becomes a matter of life and death. Although it is possible to obtain a second doctor's opinion in Europe, most doctors would refer you to a specialist surgeon who can give you all the necessary information you need about the operation and the ramifications so they are very seldom sought.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You are right, it is a nightmare. Hopefully Obamacare changes all of this for the US. As far as pushing the envelope, well I know from a personal experience with a family member who knew nothing about medicine or cardiology for that matter and was told he needed surgery. Something inside told him that it wasn't right, not to go for it to ask for more information and for another opinion. They told him he had six months to live and that he needed this surgery to save his life. It has been almost three years now, and he never had the surgery. The crazy part of all of this was that he was admitted to a learning hospital. I guess they saw him as a guinea pig or something. I think when we are faced with decisions that are extremely serious, our intuition kicks in and tells us whether something feels right or not.
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This intel was contributed by ®Sa
®Sa
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May, 2012
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