Half of Americans don't get a second opinion - Health care- msnbc.com

Half of Americans don't get a second opinion - Health care- msnbc.com: " Even if you don't take the second doctor's opinion, simply knowing your options and thinking through the pros and cons can improve your care. You don't have to have a serious condition to benefit. 'There may also be more than one way to approach the same problem, or there may even be a financial incentive for a physician to recommend one treatment over another,' says Gail Gazelle, MD, an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and president of MD Can Help, an online patient advocacy practice. 'Also, doctors can diagnose any problem incorrectly.'

Now you can get an elite doctor to weigh in as well: Top medical centers such as the Cleveland Clinic and Partners' Center for Connected Health (which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School) offer second-opinion services via the Internet. This practice of consulting from afar using patients' medical records and test results is having a profound effect on how problems are treated. According to Partners, although its experts changed only 5% of diagnoses during its first year of providing e-consults, 90% of the treatment recommendations differed from the referring physician's plan."

I have now been offering a free second opinion for infertile couples for over 5 years . I enjoy doing this - and have helped many couples , which means good karma for me !