Rapid 2nd Opinion Service
Rapid 2nd Opinion Service
When your child has received a diagnosis of new or recurrent heart disease, you may wish to get a second opinion. Although there may be urgency for the child to begin treatment, often there is a short time for consideration of treatment plans. Such treatment may consist of an interventional minimally invasive procedure (heart catheterization) or powerful medications, heart surgery, or other treatments all with significant risks attached. The sense of urgency may delay or eliminate the possibility of acquiring the reassurance and value of a second opinion in validating the need to take such risks. Nonetheless, we feel second opinions may be crucial at times given the value of: 1) verification of a serious diagnosis and treatment plan, 2) education from a different point of view, and 3) the reassurance associated to speaking to another expert.
Accordingly, at the Floating Children’s Heart Center we understand the need for patients to get rapid second opinions. The major delays in acquiring these appointments have been the availability of experts, the gathering of medical record data, and the ability to validate reports of pathology and radiology. The Floating Children’s Heart Center has experts in all fields including pediatric cardiac surgery, heart catheterization and minimally invasive procedures, electrophysiology (invasive and non invasive arrhythmia management), fetal echocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography in children. We are committed to providing an expert within 24 hours of an appointment request or on Monday for patients diagnosed over the weekend. We will assist in gathering medical record data after our initial contact, and also help arrange for the acquisition of other reports or material as required.
If you are interested in our service please call 617-636-5067 and state that you require a rapid second opinion. The phone is answered Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM with message taking capability off hours.
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