Opinion Remote Medical Health People Specialist Face To Face Patient

As the costs of healthcare "rise" (increase), many people who have received a diagnosis of a serious medical condition are "seeking" (looking for; trying to get) a second opinion without visiting another doctor. "Remote" (from a distance; not face-to-face) second opinions allow people to "submit" (send in) their medical records and test results online, so that a medical specialist can review them and provide a second opinion.

The major advantages of a second opinion are that it is inexpensive and usually much faster than scheduling a face-to-face appointment with a busy specialist. However, health insurance usually "covers" (pays for) a face-to-face appointment, but usually does not cover a remote second opinion.

Another advantage of a remote second opinion is that it could allow the patient to receive the opinion of an international expert on any particular condition, even when that specialist lives and works far from the patient.

The biggest "drawback" (disadvantage) of a remote second opinion is that the patient does not meet with the specialist. This makes it difficult or impossible to know exactly who is reviewing the medical records.

There are also concerns about the "confidentiality" (privacy; a guarantee that secret information is not shared) of health records. If they are sent to an unreliable provider of remote second opinions, personal information could be "made public" (shared with other people).