Frequently Asked Questions
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General Questions
SOG stands for the acronyms of Second Opinion Group
When facing serious major medical decisions, it is extremely important to get a second opinion. Accurate diagnosis and treatment plans increase the recovery rate and avoid unnecessary costly medical treatments and procedures. That’s why doctors suggest getting a second opinion before almost all non-emergency surgeries, long term treatments and major operations. If you are unsure or just want to confirm your current course of treatment, a second opinion can help give you confidence that you are getting the most appropriate treatment.
Once we receive the complete request and provide the records to a member of our medical panel. Our consulting physicians will write a second opinion that include reconfirming the diagnosis and comprehensive treatment options. See a sample opinion. Your Medical coordinator will keep you updated on the status and will be your point of contact for any questions or concerns you might have.
We want to make sure our clients are completely satisfied with our service. If you are not completely happy with your consultation, you can receive a full refund or you can obtain a second consultation at no charge through our network of specialists. Your credit card will not be charged until your second opinion report is completed and ready for your review.
We currently do not accept insurance as a form of payment but your health insurance plan may cover services from Second Opinion Group as an out-of-network provider. We can provide you with all the materials you need to submit a request for reimbursement.
Your personal account is the center for communication regarding your report. Here you upload your images, order your report, and get notifications about the progress of the report. You will receive your final report via your account.
Yes, we monitor and implement requirements and world standards for protecting personal health information of patients (HIPAA guidelines). Technology we employ encrypts and stores personal health information of patients securely while still allowing for the physician to access their information easily via Second Opinion Group platform. Our business practice is to only collect the information we need at the time we need it.
Even though Second Opinion Group is NOT subject to US jurisdiction, we follow HIPAA guidelines as we feel that HIPAA offers the most comprehensive patient privacy protection worldwide. We believe this step will help us a bond of trust with our consumers.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal program passed by the United States Congress, that requires all medical records and other individually identifiable health information used or disclosed by us in any form, whether electronically, on paper, or orally, to be kept properly confidential. This Act gives you, the Patient, certain additional rights to understand and control how your health information is used. HIPAA enforces penalties for covered entities that misuse personal health information.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal program passed by the United States Congress, that requires all medical records and other individually identifiable health information used or disclosed by us in any form, whether electronically, on paper, or orally, to be kept properly confidential. This Act gives you, the Patient, certain additional rights to understand and control how your health information is used. HIPAA enforces penalties for covered entities that misuse personal health information.
We keep our data offsite at a secure, undisclosed data facility. Physical access is restricted and logged; facility staff does not have access to our data. In addition, all sensitive information is encrypted with 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) operation, each patient is assigned a random user ID to prevent identification, and our data structure separates personal health information from user IDs. We incorporate a strict security policy into every aspect of our product; for example, we never communicate with patients via email, but only via our secure Expert wall.
Yes, you can either order the report for yourself as a patient, or on behalf of any of your friends and family.
Yes, you can save your order and come back to finish at any time.
A second opinion consultation costs between $850 to $1200. The fee may differs for each patient, depending on the complexity of the case. The costs of a second opinion may be covered by your insurance; please check with your provider to see if this is the case. The price you pay includes the processing fee for Second Opinion Group.
Second opinion group are providing English and Russian second opinion reports. Second opinion can provide translation id necessary, each translation being done by our professional medical associates who is a native speaker of that particular language. Please note that there is an additional fee of $50 per language translation required.
Once your selected specialist receives your complete request your will Receive a diagnosis and comprehensive treatment options within only days. Usually the time frame is between 5-9 days. Please note, each of our medical experts have full-time jobs, and may be required to handle emergencies that may delay submitting the second opinion report.
Second Opinion Related Questions
You should have the following information available while you order the service:
Primary or specialist physician's last report
The report should contain current physical assessment of the patient's condition and a description of current signs and symptoms. This can be written by either your primary care physician or the physician who diagnosed or is treating your condition.
Physician's letters - Copies of all letters sent to you by your physician(s) of past visit(s), if received.
Doctor's notation of medications - Doctor's notes clearly indicating current listing of all medications (prescription, over the counter, vitamins).
Physician's treatment reports - Physician's reports of any and all other treatments received for this diagnosis (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.).
CT images - Report and films
MRI images - Report and films.
Ultrasound images - Report and films.
Other X-rays - Reports and films.
Laboratory tests - Results of recent laboratory tests and relevant tumor markers.
Current blood work - Within the last 6 months.
Pathology reports - All Pathology reports and glass slides for any and all biopsies done.
Operative reports - Operative reports for all surgeries/biopsies.
Please download our Required Materials List document with the full list of you will need.
Primary or specialist physician's last report
The report should contain current physical assessment of the patient's condition and a description of current signs and symptoms. This can be written by either your primary care physician or the physician who diagnosed or is treating your condition.
Physician's letters - Copies of all letters sent to you by your physician(s) of past visit(s), if received.
Doctor's notation of medications - Doctor's notes clearly indicating current listing of all medications (prescription, over the counter, vitamins).
Physician's treatment reports - Physician's reports of any and all other treatments received for this diagnosis (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.).
CT images - Report and films
MRI images - Report and films.
Ultrasound images - Report and films.
Other X-rays - Reports and films.
Laboratory tests - Results of recent laboratory tests and relevant tumor markers.
Current blood work - Within the last 6 months.
Pathology reports - All Pathology reports and glass slides for any and all biopsies done.
Operative reports - Operative reports for all surgeries/biopsies.
Please download our Required Materials List document with the full list of you will need.
No, we do not need you to get any additional medical tests or treatments. We will ask you some questions about your case and will review your medical records. When additional information is needed your selected physician will send you a request via the Expert Wall.
For your convenience, you may print this Required Materials List and take it to the doctor or hospital where the patient's tests were performed. Your checklist will also include mailing instructions for all of the necessary items to be mailed to us. If you will be asked for a written request you may print this Medical Records Request Letter to send to your doctor.
In most countries the patient should have free access to medical records. You can request copies of your diagnostic medical images from your hospital/doctor. Most of the time you will be asked to fill out a request form from the hospital, or send in a written request. Please contact your hospital/doctor to know what the request procedure is. Once your request is received, your doctor/hospital should provide you copies of your medical records within a reasonable amount of time.
Your diagnostic images must be available in a DICOM Format. You have either received this on a CD already or can request it from the institution where your imaging was done. During the ordering process you will be asked to upload the images from your CD. These image files will be sent to our radiologist who will assess the files. Once the radiologist approves them as high quality images, he will send his diagnosis directly to your selected specialist. If you encounter difficulty uploading any files, simply follow our easy Tutorial or contact us.
Yes, you can send the physical CD with your diagnostic images directly to our office, our team will upload the images and send them to your select specialist. Print Second Opinion Group shipment label.
If your medical records, such as CT scan or pathology diagnosis, are found to be of poor quality, your specialist will not be able to provide an accurate second opinion report. In this case, you will be advised by our team to repeat the certain procedures or undergo a new one and send us the results.
Doctors Related Questions
Our consulting physicians are the leaders in their fields. Each one of our physicians was carefully handpicked and personally approved based on qualifications, experience, and reputation. Covering all major medical fields, our experts have an impressive record of successful treatments and high recovery rates.
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