Comments on: I’d love a second opinion when it comes to my health sometimes… but not for $565 out of pocket! http://stayoutside.com/wordpress/20080521/id-love-a-second-opinion-when-it-comes-to-my-health-sometimes-but-not-for-565-out-of-pocket it's a matter of perspective... Thu, 01 Jul 2010 23:13:42 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Joe Straus, MD http://stayoutside.com/wordpress/20080521/id-love-a-second-opinion-when-it-comes-to-my-health-sometimes-but-not-for-565-out-of-pocket/comment-page-1#comment-3208 Joe Straus, MD Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:41:49 +0000 http://stayoutside.com/wordpress/20080521/id-love-a-second-opinion-when-it-comes-to-my-health-sometimes-but-not-for-565-out-of-pocket/#comment-3208 Dear Z, I just read your posting of May, 2008. Such, at times, is the nature of the Internet... As you hint at in your posting, I think it is indeed useful to differentiate between just asking a specialist a general question, and getting a true medical second opinion. Indeed asking a question should not carry a $500+ price tag. That price level at Cleveland Clinic and through other services that offer medical second opinions, includes a review of the patient's medical information, establishing a medical record for the patient, and a custom opinion/recommendation in writing. Considering comparables (say, lawyers' hourly rates), professional fixed costs (including malpractice insurance) and the physicians' opportunity costs, this is not all unreasonable. For general questions on the other hand, there are various "ask the doctor sevices" which are far(!) less costly. Thanks for recommending Health Care Reform Now! If you liked that book, you may also want to read Redefining Health Care by Porter and Olmsted Teisberg. Dear Z,

I just read your posting of May, 2008. Such, at times, is the nature of the Internet…

As you hint at in your posting, I think it is indeed useful to differentiate between just asking a specialist a general question, and getting a true medical second opinion. Indeed asking a question should not carry a $500+ price tag. That price level at Cleveland Clinic and through other services that offer medical second opinions, includes a review of the patient’s medical information, establishing a medical record for the patient, and a custom opinion/recommendation in writing. Considering comparables (say, lawyers’ hourly rates), professional fixed costs (including malpractice insurance) and the physicians’ opportunity costs, this is not all unreasonable.

For general questions on the other hand, there are various “ask the doctor sevices” which are far(!) less costly.

Thanks for recommending Health Care Reform Now! If you liked that book, you may also want to read Redefining Health Care by Porter and Olmsted Teisberg.

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