By Dr. Anthony J. Cerone Jr. Recently, I had to deal with a leaky roof. Several roofers dropped by to take a look and give me different estimates. One guy wanted to patch the area of concern while others recommended a completely new roof. I had to evaluate these options and do what I thought was best. Decisions regarding...
By Dr. Anthony J. Cerone Jr.
Recently, I had to deal with a leaky roof. Several roofers dropped by to take a look and give me different estimates.
One guy wanted to patch the area of concern while others recommended a completely new roof. I had to evaluate these options and do what I thought was best.
Dr. Anthony J. Cerone Jr.Decisions regarding your health care are no different. They should be made after being thoroughly informed about your diagnosis, prognosis and treatment options.
While some people take it upon themselves to investigate and gather this information, most will rely on obtaining a second opinion.
Studies show that as many as 20 percent of patients will seek a second opinion. This rate is more than 50 percent when the diagnosis involves cancer.
When should this be done? Easily diagnosed conditions such as heartburn or an ankle sprain don't call for a second opinion.
Usually this should be employed when symptoms don't go away despite treatment, when the diagnosis is unclear, when dealing with a serious or rare condition or when treatment options are risky. Dr. Jerome Groopman, MD, in a discussion on WebMD notes that certain situations demand a second opinion.
This would include the presence of a serious or life-threatening disease:
- Where the treatment is very risky or toxic;
- Where the diagnosis is not clear, the treatment is experimental, or there is no established consensus or Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment;
- If you're considering participating in a trial for a new drug;
- If you're considering some new experimental approach or a procedure that involves using experimental instruments or devices.
You may be seeking a second opinion on your own initiative. Often, a good doctor will recommend one and welcome another physician's input.
This input may be similar to the first doctor's recommendations which will serve as a confidence boost. Yet, a study involving elective surgery showed that up to 30 percent of times the two opinions may not be in agreement. This can be related to a number of factors that include experience, training and available technology.
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A common scenario is that one doctor may weigh more heavily on conservative and medical management while another may favor more aggressive procedures and surgical intervention. This can lead to obtaining a third or even fourth opinion. Ultimately, this should provide you with a decision that is most suitable for you. Most health insurances and Medicare will cover second opinions but be sure to check with your health plan ahead of time.
Today, there are a growing number of online medical services that are offering second opinions. Often these services are affiliated with major medical centers such as the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic.
This gives you the benefit of going outside of your normal institutional culture in order to learn about newer approaches to diagnosis and treatment without having to travel far distances. However, these probable out-of-network consultations may not be covered by your insurance.
Of course, one drawback is that there are those patients who will take this process to the extreme and obtain so many opinions that they don't know what to do. Also, we have all heard stories about the patient who gets repeated opinions until he or she finds a doctor who tells them what they want to hear.
In conclusion, a second opinion is usually a wise decision to make to help educate you and reassure you about your diagnosis and treatment choices. Please take full advantage of this. As for the roof, you guessed it, I'll be getting a complete overhaul. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
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Dr. Anthony Cerone is a semiretired urologist and a Clayton resident. His articles appear monthly and deal with health care issues. You can reach Dr. Cerone at amcerone@verizon.net with any question or topic you would like him to cover.
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