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Second Opinions provides Second Opinions from American Board Certified doctors in the United States for Every specialty. Receive a Second Opinion Consultation via phone or video, have your medical files reviewed or submit specific questions and receive a report from one of our Specialists. Second Opinions give you a peace of mind by offering an unbiased second opinion on your diagnosis or medical condition treatment plan.

Professional Athletes Seek Second Opinions

7/2/2013

It seems like every other week a professional athlete is getting a second opinion on a sports injury. The latest is Braves third baseman Ramiro Pena. He injured his right shoulder in Atlanta last month.

Pena hurt his shoulder earlier in June after landing awkwardly while making a diving stop along the third-base line. In 2007, his right shoulder was surgically repaired after he dislocated it while sliding into second base during a game.

Recently New Orleans outside linebacker Victor Butler tore his anterior cruciate ligament during practice. And another professional athlete Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was benched due to bursitis in his left knee.

Both of these pros also decided to get second opinions on their diagnoses in order to choose the best approach to treatment. You don’t have to be a professional athlete to get a second opinion on a sports injury.

SecondOpinions.com has U.S. board-certified, fellowship trained doctors and subspecialist experts on call to study your images and provide you with their advanced second opinion.  Patients don’t have to wait days or weeks for a consultation. Our physicians are available 24/7/365 in all 50 states.

The price ranges from $29.00 -$99.00 per report. You simply upload your MRI, CT, X-Ray, Mammogram, Ultra-sound or Nuclear Medicine study.  Our expert doctors interpret then deliver the results in the privacy of your home or office.

We also have specialists and sub specialists in every medical field available for consultations via telephone and video chat. Prices start at $49 per 5-minute consultation.

Don’t suffer through your pain – Make SecondOpinions.com part of your treatment plan.

 

Saying I’m Sorry/Medical Apology Laws

7/2/2013

You might have read about an associate professor at New York University School of Medicine who recently wrote a column for the New York Times admitting a mistake she made as a resident. She overlooked a bleed in a patient’s head and if the radiologist hadn’t caught the error the patient would have died.

The writer, Danielle Ofri, came clean in the article although the incident happened many years ago. She says it took years for her to get over the shame. The point she was trying to make in the article was to show that doctors and hospitals should admit to medical errors to prevent future problems.

There are close to 100,000 deaths per year in the United States resulting from medical errors. It happens more often than you might think. Some states are allowing doctors to explain medical mistakes and apologize for them. The so called “I’m Sorry” laws allow doctors to express compassion but protect them from an admission of liability.

So far 36 states have adopted these laws and the research shows not only is it right to apologize for mistakes it’s smart financially. Apologies help change the tone of the discussion, according to Sorry Works Coalition founder Doug Wojcieszak. Since an apology program was adopted by the University of Michigan Health System, improved communication with patients has cut litigation costs in half.

Another way to minimize medical errors and unnecessary procedures is to get a second opinion. SecondOpinions.com provides patients with a quick and easy way to have a medical scan interpreted by a board certified fellowship trained physician or sub-specialist expert.

Patients simply upload their images such as an MRI or CAT scan and our expert radiologists will read the images and provide their advanced second opinion.  You can also speak with an expert physician in any specialty via telephone or video chat.

Our services cost from $29 to $99 per report. No appointments necessary. You can receive your second opinion report in the comfort of your own home or office. Quality, affordability and convenience – that’s what you’ll find at SecondOpinions.com.

 

Experts Urge Second Opinions/Avoid Unnecessary Surgeries

7/1/2013

You’re not going to believe the statistics regarding unnecessary surgeries taking place in the United States today. And get ready for this – the reason for so many of these unnecessary or inappropriate procedures – physician preference, according to researchers!

A recent USA TODAY report reviewed government records and medical databases and found unnecessary surgeries might account for 10% to 20% of all operations in some specialties. The most common specialties affected are cardiac and spinal procedures.

A 2011 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found 22.5% of patients who received a pacemaker-like device to correct heartbeat irregularities, did not need it.

Another 2011 study, in the journal Surgical Neurology International, revealed more than 17% of patients who had surgery for neck and back problems had no neurological or radiographic findings to indicate an operation was necessary.

Other surgical procedures performed more often than needed are knee replacements, hysterectomies, and cesarean sections, according to a review of in-depth studies and data generated by both government and academic sources.

Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies spend billions of dollars on unnecessary operations each year, draining health care dollars that could be put to better use.

That’s why medical experts are now urging patients faced with a surgical procedure to first obtain a second opinion. At SecondOpinions.com, patients receive second opinions in all areas of medicine. Because of our proprietary RADIOLOGY-ON-DEMAND® cloud technology, we are able to offer second opinions at an affordable price and deliver radiological reports within as quickly as an hour.

You simply upload your MRI, CT, X-Ray, Mammogram, Ultrasound or Nuclear Medicine study and U.S. board-certified, fellowship trained doctors and subspecialist experts, trained at top American institutions, study your images and provide you with their advanced second opinion.

No appointments are needed. Patients don’t have to wait days or weeks for a new consultation. Our subspecialist expert doctors are available 24/7/365 in all 50 states. The price ranges from $29.00 -$99.00 per report. Get the peace of mind you need and deserve from SecondOpinions.com.

Sports Injuries and Second Opinions

6/24/2013

There’s no denying exercise is good for you. But sometimes when you play sports or exercise you can get hurt. Professional athletes are always at risk.

Recently New Orleans outside linebacker Victor Butler tore his anterior cruciate ligament during practice. And another professional athlete Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has been benched due to bursitis in his left knee.

Both of these pros decided to get second opinions on their diagnoses in order to choose the best approach to treatment. You don’t have to be a professional athlete to get a second opinion if you’re having pain from a sports injury.

SecondOpinions.com has U.S. board-certified, fellowship trained doctors and subspecialist experts on call to study your images and provide you with their advanced second opinion.  Patients don’t have to wait days or weeks for a consultation. Our physicians are available 24/7/365 in all 50 states.

The price ranges from $29.00 -$99.00 per report. You simply upload your MRI, CT, X-Ray, Mammogram, Ultra-sound or Nuclear Medicine study.  Our expert doctors interpret then deliver the results in the privacy of your home or office.

We also have specialists and sub specialists in every medical field available for consultations via telephone and video chat. Prices start at $49 per 5-minute consultation.

Don’t suffer through another workout in pain – obtain a proper diagnosis that can lead to the proper treatment plan of action. Check out SecondOpinions.com today!

 

Medical Errors up ‘Down Under’

6/18/2013

Medical errors are an epidemic in the United States. But sadly Americans are not alone when it comes to the dangers that can arise when seeking medical attention.
According to ABC News program “The World Today,” increasing numbers of medical errors are happening in Australian hospitals. By some estimates, as many as 18,000 people die every year as a result of medical error, while 50,000 people suffer a permanent injury.

Australia has no systematic collection of error data, according to the ABC report. So the number of errors could be higher because there’s really no way to know for sure how many medical mistakes cause serious harm or death.
Australian healthcare advocate Lorraine Long says between 70 and 100 complaints come to her Medical Error Action Group each day. Half of these she says can reasonably be classified as medical error
Ten years ago Australia introduced the world’s first nationwide open disclosure policy. This was supposed to enable doctors and clinicians to communicate openly and honestly with patients when health care doesn’t go as planned.
Long admits open disclosure hasn’t delivered. Health professionals remain concerned about the legal ramifications of acknowledging adverse events or expressing regret.

We know from the studies and research conducted in the United States that getting a second opinion does help reduce medial errors. SecondOpinions.com provides second opinions in all areas of medicine because we feel that getting a proper radiologic diagnosis is the key.
From anywhere in the world, simply upload your MRI, CT, X-Ray, Mammogram, Ultrasound or Nuclear Medicine study and U.S. board-certified, fellowship trained doctors and subspecialist experts, study your images and provide you with their advanced second opinion.
No appointments are needed. Our physicians are available 24/7/365 in all 50 states. The price ranges from $29.00 -$99.00 per report.
In addition, specialist and sub-specialist physicians in virtually all medical fields provide second opinion consultations via telephone and video chat for as low as $49 per 5-minute consultation.
Why take a chance with your health? Get the peace of mind you need and deserve from SecondOpinions.com.

Dial up a Diagnosis

6/5/2013

Can you imagine anyone today being able to communicate effectively without a cell phone or smart phone? No way, right? Most of us use our phones to check email, take pictures, look for addresses, answer just about any question on the planet and, oh yeah, make phone calls. According to a new Pew Research Internet Project study, more than half of smart phone users in the United States are using it for another important aspect of life – getting health advice. That number is up 17% from just two years ago. The Pew research also revealed that 9% of smart phone owners receive text updates and alerts about medical issues. One in 5 downloaded an app to stay up-to-date on medical information. Those apps are for specific needs like first aid and health insurance. But exercise, diet and weight apps are the most popular according to Pew. All of these examples show that Americans are concerned about health issues and want to be able to access important, reliable information in a quick and convenient way. That’s’ where SecondOpinions.com comes in. We have U.S. board-certified, fellowship trained doctors and subspecialist experts on call to study your images and provide you with their advanced second opinion. Patients don’t have to wait days or weeks for a consultation. Our physicians are available 24/7/365 in all 50 states. The price ranges from $29.00 -$99.00 per report. You simply upload your MRI, CT, X-Ray, Mammogram, Ultra-sound or Nuclear Medicine study. Our expert doctors interpret then deliver the results in the privacy of your home or office. No appointments are needed. Quick, affordable and reliable medical information – now that’s smart!

Increased Workload for Radiologists

6/3/2013

If you’ve been fortunate enough to keep a job over the past few years, you’re probably doing the work of two or three employees. Increased workload has become a common practice in the American workplace. With less staff and resources the “lucky” people who’ve kept their jobs have been forced to do more work.
It may be a fact of life in our society today, but there are jobs that are at a greater risk of being negatively impacted by increased workloads. For instance, would you want a radiologist who’s interpreting the results of potentially life threatening medical scans to be overworked? It’s not likely. But that’s exactly what’s happening today according to a recent editorial published in the Applied Radiology journal.
The role of radiologists has grown significantly for a number of reasons:
Growing number of patients
An aging and generally sicker population
Greater paranoia about malpractice claims
The reasons may seem less significant when you think about the problems that can occur when radiologists have increased workloads. The interpretation quality and accuracy of medical scan reading can be negatively impacted. But there is a solution – implementing second reads or second opinions on a routine basis.
SecondOpinions.com provides patients with a quick and easy way to have a medical scan interpreted by a board certified fellowship trained physician or sub-specialist expert.
Patients simply upload their images such as an MRI or CAT scan and our expert radiologists will read your images and provide their advanced second opinion. You can also speak with an expert physician in any specialty via telephone or video chat.
Our services cost from $29 to $99 per report. No appointments necessary. You can receive your second opinion report in the comfort of your own home or office. Quality, affordability and convenience – your health is our greatest concern at SecondOpinions.com.

Obamacare and ACOs

6/2/2013

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was created to lower health care costs so all Americans could afford quality medical attention. A key to this new federal healthcare reform is something called accountable care organization or ACOs. Policy makers believe these ACOs have the ability to revolutionize the nation’s healthcare.
The concept is similar to health maintenance organizations. HMOs receive a certain amount of money for each patient every year and the less money they spend on these patients, the more profits they make. With ACOs, if they spend less money on patients but patients have poor health outcomes and hospital readmissions, companies could be penalized. If patients remain healthy and cost Medicare less, ACO member providers like hospitals, doctors, home health agencies and others can share in the savings.
ACOs will also provide care coordinators that will follow up with patients and make sure they have received their prescriptions or scheduled appointments with their doctors. The idea is the care coordinator will help to cut down on hospital readmissions and additional costs by making sure patients are following their doctors’ orders. Quality assurance techniques such as second opinions will also be mandated under Obamacare.
At SecondOpinions.com we provide second opinions in all areas of medicine because we feel that getting a proper radiologic diagnosis is the key. Because of our proprietary RADIOLOGY-ON-DEMAND® cloud technology, we are able to offer second opinions at an affordable price and deliver radiological reports within as quickly as an hour.
You simply upload your MRI, CT, X-Ray, Mammogram, Ultrasound or Nuclear Medicine study and U.S. board-certified, fellowship trained doctors and subspecialist experts, trained at top American institutions, study your images and provide you with their advanced second opinion.
No appointments are needed. Patients don’t have to wait days or weeks for a new consultation. Our subspecialist expert doctors are available 24/7/365 in all 50 states. The price ranges from $29.00 -$99.00 per report. . Get the peace of mind you need and deserve from SecondOpinions.com.
Article link: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/08/3329532/cheaper-better-healthcare-yes.html#storylink=misearch

Telehealth Growing by Leaps and Bounds

6/2/2013

Cutting health care costs has become a major initiative for governments across the world. And that worldwide mission is driving providers to adopt telehealth as a long term cost saving measure.
A new report from InMedica, defines telehealth as remote patient monitoring (RPM) and predicts 1.8 million patients will be using this service worldwide by 2017. Currently the number of patients being monitored remotely is 308,000.
Another recent study by research firm Berg Insight had even higher projections for telemedicine worldwide. Berg forecasts some 9.4 million people will be monitored remotely by 2017.
Telehealth is a way of reducing hospital readmission penalties for healthcare providers as part of the Affordable Healthcare Act. Other governments including France, China and the United Kingdom are also adopting these monitoring systems to cut costs.
The InMedica report found that the majority of Americans monitored remotely were released from hospitals in 2012 with chronic conditions such as diabetes and various heart conditions. Regularly checking in on these patients at home, reminding them to take their medications or visit their doctor has proven to cut their healthcare costs.
SecondOpinions.com is right in step with this telehealth parade. We provide second opinions on medical imaging at an affordable price for people all over the world.
Patients simply upload their images such as an MRI or CAT scan and our board certified fellowship trained expert radiologists will read your images and provide their advanced second opinion. You can also speak with an expert physician in any specialty via telephone or video chat. What’s amazing is you can get your report back within as quickly as an hour.
Our services cost from $29 to $99 per report. No appointments necessary. You can receive your report second opinion in the comfort of your own home or office.
SecondOpinions.com is helping cut healthcare costs without cutting quality. Try it out for yourself and get the peace of mind you deserve!

Actress Angelina Jolie has a Double Mastectomy

5/16/2013

She has been known to kick butt and fend off attackers as “Lara Croft” in her popular movie series. Now actress Angelina Jolie has revealed her real life attack against cancer.
Earlier this year, Jolie had a preventive double mastectomy and just recently shared the news with the world. Her partner, actor Brad Pitt called her and others dealing with cancer, “heroic.”
Jolie’s mother, actress and producer Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer in 2007. After being tested, Jolie learned she carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are known as tumor suppressors. Women who carry these genes have a significant risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Jolie decided to take preventive measures and remove both breasts in order to decrease her risks of developing cancer. She said this move was right for her and her family and wanted to let the world know in an effort to help other women going through the same difficult decision.
Jolie is being praised for her decision to speak out which serves as a reminder for women to know their family history and to have a simple blood test to determine if they are at risk.
Experts are recommending once you have a diagnosis to make sure you get a second opinion. And that’s where SecondOpinions.com comes in. Our U.S. board certified fellowship trained doctors and expert subspecialists are on call 24/7/365.
Women can upload their mammograms and our experts will read the images and provide their advanced second opinion. The price ranges from $29.00 -$99.00 per report.
There’s no waiting for an appointment or to be seen by a doctor. Our experts can have your report within as quickly as an hour. Get the peace of mind you need and deserve from SecondOpinions.com