WHAT DOES SPINE SURGERY SECOND OPINION CANADA NEED FROM YOU TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE?
The surgeons who qualify to bring you this level of expertise are few and far between. If your case is accepted, expect that you may have to travel to visit with them – they are unlikely to be travelling to you! And travel might be costly for you.
You’ll have to collect some information and materials about your case and have them available to bring with you to the consultation.
Then you’ll fill out our Submission Form online, and it will be reviewed within a week. If your case qualifies, you’ll be asked to pay the fee up-front before your consult can be arranged. You will very likely have to wait a few weeks or more for the assessment to happen because the surgeons who work with us all have very busy schedules and aren’t available at the drop of a hat.
And you will get an informed and impartial Second Opinion of your spine care case.
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WHAT WE NEED YOU TO HAVE AVAILABLE AND BRING WITH YOU
You’ll have some work to do up front.
1. The First Opinion
You will have to get and bring (1) a print copy of the “first opinion” doctor or surgeon’s spine care consult (or consults!) in your case and be willing to bring them with you to our visit. We can’t provide you a “second opinion” without the first!
2. Most Recent MRI
You will also have to get either a “hard copy” (usually a CD disc, sometimes an e-file on a USB key) or the access codes for the online viewing of your most recent Spine MRI, and bring them with you. Our surgeons can’t review your stuff and explain it to you if they can’t see it!
3. Willingness to have an X-Ray
You will have to have some special Dynamic X-Rays of your spine done locally at the time of your visit. If you’re out-of-province that may cost you a bit too.
4. Completed Submission Form
You’ll fill out our Submission Form online, and it will be reviewed within a week. If your case qualifies, you’ll be offered a few dates and asked to pay the fee up-front before your consult can be arranged. You may have to wait a few weeks or more for the assessment to happen because the surgeons who work with us all have very busy schedules and aren’t available at the drop of a hat.
5. Method of Payment
A booking fee will be requested at the time you make your appointment. Receipt of the booking fee allows us to confirm a surgeon to see you.
You will then have to pay the full fee for your assessment in the office at the time of your appointment. We are a private consulting service that you have chosen to use, not a health care referral service, and Health Canada does not provide for that. Expertise like this is not cheap. But, our fees are a lot less than what people pay for care outside the country, or what they lose in lost wages and disability support costs while on the wait list, or the life cost of an unsuccessful operation.