What is a Second Opinion Review Panel?
Thesecondopinion is a small agency that is primarily volunteer-driven, yet delivers professional results. The heart of our program relies upon the efforts of over sixty volunteer physicians whose diverse experiences in cancer treatment practice are critical to our mission.
The purpose of thesecondopinion is to provide second opinions to California adults diagnosed with cancer. Thesecondopinion program is unique because 1) our Review Panel consists of board-certified physicians who are volunteers from different disciplines and who work within different medical facilities, and 2) patient and family members are in the room at the same time with the multidisciplinary medical specialist team and are able to engage in a shared dialogue that clarifies questions about treatment options or personal uncertainties.
The goal of thesecondopinion program is to provide confidence in treatment options to those with cancer and to do so in a compassionate manner. Bringiing clarity to their diagnoses improves the well-being of patients and reduces emotional trauma in both patients and family members
Our physicians independently study patient medical records. On the day of the Review Panel, patients and family members meet the volunteer physicians, hear the diagnostic and treatment opinions, and engage in a shared dialogue that can clarify questions about their options or address any personal uncertainties or concerns.
The panels are tape-recorded for each patient, and a written summary is mailed to the patient and to their treating physicians.
Using a multidisciplinary team of volunteer cancer specialists to provide a second opinion and communicate directly as a committee with patients, is truly a unique and compassionate approach not duplicated in this manner by any other agency in the United States.