Accessible via the Best Doctors’ worldwide network of specialists, HIF Second Opinion enables an expert second opinion on any diagnosis, condition or treatment. From providing peace of mind, improving treatment outcomes and saving lives, this unique service grants eligible members access to leading minds within the medical industry, including 50,000 experts spanning 40 specialties and 430 sub-specialties. In this short clip, Darren Reynolds, Managing Director of Best Doctors, joined the team at Everyday Health TV to provide further information on this incredible service.
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Transcript
Bridie O'Donnell: Have you ever needed a second opinion? Darren Reynolds is the Managing Director of Best Doctors – he’s here today to talk to us. Darren what is HIF Second Opinion?
Darren Reynolds: HIF Second Opinion is a complimentary service for its members with top Hospital and Extras combined cover and it is powered by our company Best Doctors. We have a network of global specialists who are able to help members when they’ve got questions around their diagnosis, their treatment or any other medical questions that they may have.
Tiffany Casey: So Darren, then what conditions are covered by HIF Second Opinion?
Darren Reynolds: We cover a whole wide range of conditions. As you can imagine people come to us when they have serious conditions. So we cover oncology, we cover neurology, cardiac conditions but we also help people with what we would call more life impacting issues. We get people coming to us with asthma; we get people coming to us with skin cancer conditions. And one of our most heavily utilised specialties is orthopedics. A lot of people come to us with shoulders, with knees, with hips and backs because a lot of people get conflicting advice as to whether to have a back surgery or whether not to have a back surgery.
Casey Beros: Darren getting a second opinion can be incredibly important – explain why?
Darren Reynolds: It’s really about making sure. It’s your health and you have the right to be sure about the decisions that you’re making. Medicine is changing at the rate of knots, there are thousands of new articles that are published in medical journals every year and it’s really hard for a treating doctor, one treating doctor to be across the wide range of knowledge that they need to have. So getting a second opinion is just about increasing your network of knowledge, it’s about making sure that you’re getting that opportunity to get the best possible outcome for your care.
Tiffany Casey: We waste, I believe, $30 billion dollars a year on incorrect diagnosis and incorrect treatment or treatments that aren’t necessary; so how can HIF Second Opinion alleviate that issue on our health system.
Darren Reynolds: It’s about helping the member to become more empowered and more informed. So often times doctors are prescribing tests, pathology scans, MRI’s and those MRI’s may come back with an incidental finding. There may be a surgery that’s recommended, by getting a second opinion it allows an independent person to ensure that the decision they’re making is the right one.
Casey Beros: You said that there’s a lot of pressure on the health care system; certainly on doctors who only have a limited amount of time to see patients and the educate them but likewise a lot of consumers don’t have the time, the money, the luxury of going and getting a second opinion especially with specialist health care which can be really expensive.
Darren Reynolds: HIF’s Second Opinion tries to make that easy. It’s one simple phone call or it’s a simple online enrollment and then we take over the process. And I want to make it clear this is not about moving away from the treating doctor. Our opinions are designed to be in consultation with the treating doctor to ensure that it is a combined effort to make sure it is the right path way.
Bridie O'Donnell: Darren we really appreciate you coming in and expanding a little bit more on this really important topic.