The second medical opinion consists in verifying the accuracy of the diagnosis and the treatment proposed so far. Its task is to confirm or rule out a previously made diagnosis. Such a solution is provided by the MediSky Health Card, which, apart from the second medical care, also provides concierge services. What are these services, what are the benefits and how to get them, explains Iulia Apostu, Chief Operating Officer France Sugery.
What does France Surgery do?
I.A.: – France Surgery is a virtual health assistant that connects International Patients with a network of highly renowned Specialists, Healthcare Facilities & Health Insurers in Europe. We provide innovative healthcare services such as Second medical opinion & medical concierge services in Europe.
Do your services cover customers from all over the world?
Most of our customers come from Europe, Middle East, North Africa, but we address our services to people all over the world. For example, we often receive requests from French expatriates located in China, Canada or USA, or simply from residents located at the other end of the world. The integration of the technological evolutions in our services makes it possible to answer to patient’s needs wherever they are located and whenever they need it.
Who are your services dedicated to?
Our services are dedicated to international patients in search of a better quality of healthcare, at affordable prices and/or with shorter waiting lists than in their country of origin. They can be self-paid patients, but more and more of them have now international healthcare insurance policies, covering for their healthcare services abroad.
What is a Second Medical Opinion?
A Second Medical Opinion is a medical service requested by a patient after he’s received an initial diagnosis or treatment plan for a medical condition. Especially in case of a serious health problem (but not only), the patient may decide to address himself to one (or several) other specialist(s), who will then review the patient’s medical records and give an opinion about the patient’s health problem and how it should be treated. A second opinion may confirm or question the first doctor’s diagnosis and treatment plan, give more information about the patient’s disease or condition, and offer other treatment options.
What diseases are included?
We cover 37 medical and surgical specialties in our network. You may find a comprehensive list here below:
Cardiology
Dermatology
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Hematology
Infectious diseases and tropical medicine
Sport medicine
Internal medicine
Nephrology
Neurology
Obstetrics
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Addictology
Tabacology
Shoulder surgery
Foot surgery
Hip and knee surgery
Hand and upper limb surgery
Spine surgery
Sports surgery
Trauma surgery
Plastic reconstructive surgery
Vascular and endovascular surgery
Digestive or visceral surgery
Obesity surgery
Pediatric surgery
Neurosurgery
ENT
Stomatology
Urology
What documents does the client need to have to obtain a second medical opinion?
We request a complete medical file, including a health questionnaire adapted to each pathology we cover and the most recent medical imaging of the patient. Medical reports may also be necessary. In some complex cases, our specialists request the complete medical history of the patient.
What are concierge services?
Medical concierge services are a comprehensive range of services we provide to our patients, to ensure peace of mind for them and their families. Our dedicated team of patient coordinators combines the patient’s specific medical needs, choices, religious and cultural expectations into a tailor made experience to make him feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible during his medical travel.
Among our concierge services, we provide:
Flight booking
Arrange pick up/Drop off from airport (and special transport if required)
Accommodation booking nearby the hospital
Delivery of medication
Visa Assistance
Check-in/check-out at the hospital.
Meet patient at the hospital, take care of patient’s relatives. Contact family members in case of emergency….
What are the costs on the client-side?
It depends on each patient’s international healthcare policy. Some policies may cover a part or all our services, other may not.
What conditions should the client meet to be able to use the service?
In which countries is the concierge service provided?
For the moment, we provide these services in France, UK, Spain.
Can the documents be sent in Polish or do they need to be translated?
Indeed, medical documents can be sent to France Surgery in Polish. However, there will be an extra cost for the translation of these documents in English / French.
Regarding the SMO Report provided by our specialists, this is always sent in English.
Why our clients should use France Surgery services?
France Surgery is a double-certified medical facilitator (by both American and German institutions), and one of the very first European actors on the international medical assistance market. We have the largest network of medical providers, with over 120 healthcare facilities & more than 1500 specialists connected to our secure telemedicine platform, DigiMED.
Our main value comes from the perfect combination of on-site assistance, provided by our highly experienced Patient Coordinators & a virtual assistant, represented by our totally secure e-health platform, whose primary purpose is to place patients, doctors, healthcare facilities, health insurers all in contact with each other, for an active case management.
We have managed hundreds of medical cases over the years, all with the same passion and quality for service.
See also Webinar about second medical opinion and concierge services.
