Category Archives: SecondOpinions.com News

Second Opinions April 2017 Newsletter

4/11/2017

Happy Spring and spring Holidays from Second Opinions!  Last year Elli Yuz, our COO shared her personal story of why she and her husband started Second Opinions.  Read it here https://hubpages.com/health/How-Second-Opinions-Changed-my-life

Second Opinions is presenting the National Institute of Health’s Awareness campaigns this year in an effort to highlight important health related issues to our customers.  Last month we talked about Colo-rectal cancer.  This month we are talking about the impact of alcohol consumption.

Remember Alcohol consumption has an impact on your health.  Drinking alcohol alters your mood, reaction time and balance.  Regular alcohol consumption can increase your risk of developing many diseases as well as accelerate aging in your liver and other organs.  Moderation is key to alcohol consumption.  Too much of anything isn’t good for you but too much alcohol can put you and others in deadly situations.  Excessive drinking can lead to dependence and can worsen existing conditions.  By raising awareness in the health community, we can all benefit.

Our recent holiday with a pastime of drinking large amounts is a good time to remember to use alcohol responsibly especially when you go out and are in big groups.  Tow and cab companies always offer free rides and tows for you on these holidays, be sure to plan ahead when you go out.

If you are drinking too much, you can improve your health by cutting back or quitting.

Here are some strategies to help you cut back or stop drinking:

  • Limit your drinking to no more than 1 drink a day for women or 2 drinks a day for men.
  • Keep track of how much you drink.
  • Don’t drink when you are upset.
  • Avoid places where people drink a lot.
  • Make a list of reasons not to drink.

For more information http://niaaa.nih.gov/

Visit the forum to discuss a variety of Second Opinion topics

https://www.secondopinions.com/forum.html

Don’t Forget!  We are at ATA this month! 

Getting a Breast Cancer Second Opinion

12/24/2015

 

A strong sense of urgency comes with a breast cancer diagnosis and many women want to get treatment right away. However, there is value in doing research and seeking a second opinion. Having an additional radiologist look at your imaging tests can help determine whether any additional imaging or biopsy is needed for follow up. It also helps breast specialists with treatment options in the future.

By looking at your tissue, a pathologist can change your treatment plan based on the type of breast cancer you have. Another surgeon reviewing your diagnosis can offer you alternatives to standard surgery. The doctor may suggest chemotherapy before surgery, or reconstructive surgery at the same time as the breast cancer surgery. Having access to another medical or radiation oncologist reviewing your treatment plan can help provide other options or access to novel clinical trials and faster or more specific treatment options.

Having a second opinion on your breast cancer diagnosis can be vital to your recovery and doctors are used to hearing this request. Some insurance companies even require it before treatment begins.

 

Jessica’s Story: Second Opinion – A Piece of Advice

 

“Everything happens so quickly while you are still trying to wrap your head around having cancer.  Your mind is overwhelmed and foggy” she says

Just days after a suspicious mammogram in 2014, Jessica was scheduled for a stereotactic breast biopsy.  At the last minute, the procedure was aborted in favor of a wire-guided breast biopsy. The pathology report from the wire-guided breast biopsy showed a breast cancer.

A sentinel lymph-node biopsy was performed a week later by a local general surgeon who had also treated her father for colon cancer.

“You see so many people – a surgeon, an oncologist, a radiation oncologist that you feel like you are already getting a second opinion” she remembers.  Experts say that it’s best to go outside of your local group for a second opinion, because physicians in the same group/practice most likely share similar or the same theories on treatment options.

After suffering a painful complication of her biopsies the result was raised cords from her breast and lymph nodes.  This eventually cleared with intense physical therapy.  Because her sentinal lymph nodes eventually cleared, she did not have to undergo chemotherapy, but she went through 32 rounds of radiation therapy.

A follow-up mammogram the next year unfortunately showed another suspicious area in the same breast.  Jessica was now faced with another round of decisions to make.  Thankfully, she got up enough courage to tell her doctor that she would like another opinion of her options.

 

Contact one of our professionals at Second Opinions for the best care. We are available 24/7 by phone – 855-5-SECOND | 855-573-2663 as well as online via live support chat at www.secondopinions.com

How Good Is a Virtual Doctor?

8/27/2015

The increased usage of internet-enabled mobile devices is changing the way that we communicate. One of the most cutting edge and dynamic niches within mobile communications is health care. Today individuals don’t need to sit for hours in a medical waiting room or wait days for an appointment with their family doctor. Now individuals can simply “tap” themselves into a virtual doctor’s office.

A Preferred Way for Consultations

In May 2014, MDLive conducted a study that revealed how welcomed virtual doctors are.

• 82% of individuals aged 18 to 34 would prefer consulting with a doctor through their mobile device than attend an appointment
• 27% of patients would be willing to give up shopping for one month, skip their next vacation and even refrain from bathing for a week if it meant being able to speak to a health care professional through their phone

Virtual doctors and health care consultations are becoming the ideal solution for our overburdened health care system. But how good are these virtual doctors? Is this the style of treatment that’s right for you and your symptoms?

Not For All Symptoms and Treatments

Virtual doctors do come with a set of limitations. These e-visits are ideal for handling a number of common and non-emergency situations, such as:

• Colds
• Flues
• Stomach pains
• Allergies and rashes
• Sports injuries

What virtual doctors are not helpful for are potentially life-threatening issues, including:

• Breathing problems
• Chest pains
• Uncontrolled bleeding
• Broken bones
• Seizures

Given their inability to perform a physical examination, they are also not able to conduct annual check-ups and shouldn’t be used to manage chronic illness.

Can Virtual Doctors Prescribe Medications?

At this time, federal law prohibits virtual doctors from prescribing any controlled substances such as stimulants and opioid painkillers. Other companies won’t prescribe “lifestyle” drugs such as Viagra or other drugs like anti-depressants.

What a virtual doctor can prescribe includes:

• Antibiotics
• Antihistamines
• Anti-inflammatory drugs
• Topical medications

Is a Virtual Doctor Right for Me?

Being unable to perform a physical examination and not having a patient’s medical history do raise some important questions concerning the validity of an e-visit. Many professionals are concerned that virtual doctors may miss more serious underlying conditions by not being able to see a patient in person. Because of this, a virtual doctor may be best for those of already good to excellent health, have no chronic issues, and whose symptoms indicate a mild illness or irritation.

Diagnosed With Breast Cancer? Get a Second Opinion!

3/20/2015

I was reading an article about diagnosing breast cancers on time.com, and was surprised. Medicine is not black and white, it is not about being sick or healthy, is not good or bad, as I used to think. Going through breast biopsy does not give you a simple answer and doctors do not agree on what the biopsy shows. Invasive cancer, non-cancerous biopsies, atypia, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are some of the possible diagnosis. That may be the reason that many breast cancer patients do not understand the details of their disease. Knowing your health challenges or risk factors can help you get better, feel better, and live better.

Approximately 12 million adults who seek outpatient care are misdiagnosed, according to a study published last year. With the high rate of misdiagnosing 1 out of 20 patients, what are the options we have? Sharing and looking for advice from friends and family; using Google to treat yourself; doing nothing and just taking one doctor’s conclusion for sufficient enough? I have done all of this. I had a doctor who wanted me to go under a surgery saying that was my only option. And I was scared. Scared of the anesthesia, of the results, and the recovery time. It was a matter of time for when to schedule the surgery.

What gave me a peace of mind was getting a second opinion at www.secondopinions.com. Family members are trying to comfort you, but in situations like that it does not work. Google results take you to different directions, and most of the time there is no credibility in what you find. And just seating and waiting for the time to pass, most of the time is an agony.

I went for another doctor’s opinion and instead of a snap judgment, it was the care I needed so bad. I found that confirmation as the relief I was desperately looking for. And everything fell into place!

How often do you need medical second opinion?

Teleradiology and Telemedicine Technology Offers Patients Same-Day Second Opinions from Board Certified Experts

5/11/2013

Patent-Pending Automated Web Platform Provides Phone and Virtual Medical Consultation and Medical Second Opinions

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 2013--

USARAD.com, a leading US Joint Commission Accredited teleradiology and telemedicine solutions provider is officially launching long awaited SecondOpinions.com at the American Telemedicine Association Conference in Austin, Texas, May 5-7. USARAD.com is a service that connects patients all over the world to top American radiology experts and other medical specialists by obtaining same-day, second opinions from board certified experts.

SecondOpinions.com enhances patient care by providing consumers with a new resource for informed health care decisions. This proprietary online service brings the best that modern medicine has to offer.

“Due to the complexity of radiology, it is essential for every patient who has an advanced radiological scan such as an MRI or CT scan to get a second opinion from a subspecialist expert,” says Michael Yuz, MD, MBA Founder and CEO of SecondOpinions.com. Yuz goes on to say that diagnostic errors are the leading cause of medical related deaths and he urges people to educate themselves on the importance of obtaining a second opinion. “It could be a matter of life or death,” says Yuz.

According to a recent study conducted by the National Practitioner Data Bank that examined 25 years of malpractice payments, diagnostic errors are the leading cause of death due to medical errors. It is also estimated that 40,000 – 80,000 Americans die from incorrect diagnoses each year.

SecondOpinions.com decreases medical errors, save lives, and keeps healthcare costs down by preventing unnecessary surgeries and procedures. In addition, no appointments are needed, patients don’t have to wait days or weeks for a new consultation and your second opinion is received within hours of submission.

SecondOpinions.com offers a patent-pending, fully automated platform that allows you to easily upload your original radiological images to a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulated, secure and confidential platform and receive your expert second opinion within as quickly as 1 hour. The price, ranging from $29.00 -$99.00 per report, makes the service both accessible and affordable. Expert subspecialist radiologists are available 24/7/365 in all 50 states.

Over the past few months SecondOpinions.com conducted a pilot program with patients from around the world and customers are telling us they are happy with the results and the convenience of the service. In addition, specialist and sub-specialist physicians in virtually all medical fields provide second opinion consultations via telephone and video chat at an affordable price as low as $49 per 5-minute consultation.

The Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was signed into law March 23, 2010. It remains a hot button political issue that has many on both sides of the bill questioning what it means in terms of healthcare coverage for all Americans. What we do know for certain, there is tremendous pressure to cut healthcare expenses and prevent unnecessary expensive treatments and surgeries, lower medical errors and improve mortality. According to Dr. Yuz, “As consumerism in healthcare is exponentially growing, so is the need for a second opinion service which has become universally accepted and desired. SecondOpinions.com provides a solution to all of these issues.”

The new service offering contains a network of thousands of board certified doctors, providing consultations in all medical specialties as well as primary care. The large network enables the company to provide global service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Expert doctors are available for Medical Second Opinions in most medical specialties and subspecialties including Radiology, Cardiology, Urology, Emergency Medicine, Orthopedic surgery, Neurosurgery, Dermatology, Oncology, Neurology, Ear Nose & Throat (ENT), Anesthesia, General Surgery, Pulmonology, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Thoracic & Vascular Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology and many others.

For more information, please visit the website www.secondopinions.com.

About USARAD.com

USARAD.com is a fully physician-owned and operated company that interprets general and a full range of subspecialty exams in all imaging modalities. Utilizing unique Radiology-On-Demand(R) cloud-based technology, USARAD.com is committed to providing timely and responsive image review using highly qualified specialists. All subspecialty interpretations are performed by board certified fellowship trained radiologists and cardiologists. USARAD.com offers state-of-the-art proprietary RIS and PACS technology for advanced report communications with client sites via web based interface and fax. USARAD.com is headquartered in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey and Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is one of the fastest growing teleradiology groups in the country. The company provides 24/7/365 service in all 50 states for imaging centers, hospitals and mobile imaging providers.

 
    CONTACT: USARAD.com LLC

David Bohacs, 888-886-5238 Ext. 45

Director of Marketing

info@blog.secondopinions.com

www.SecondOpinions.com

 
    SOURCE: USARAD.com LLC 
Copyright Business Wire 2013