Hi everyone! I recently went to a hospital to check up on a lump under my arm (got a CT scan and ultrasound) and got back some diagnoses I’m not 100% convinced about so I want to search for a second opinion. Does anyone know if I can transfer my CT and ultrasound data to another hospital? Or if I need something like a 紹介状in this case? Any information is appreciated, thank you!
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It may be the case of living in a small city. But I changed hospitals once for a broken bone (original one was inconvenient to where I lived and convenient to where I broke the bone) and the new place insisted on doing their own x-rays. They didn’t want the other hospital’s x-rays.
First please call the next hospital and ask what all they need. Sometimes there is a special form. Unless you wish to repeat testing at the new hospital you’ll need a 紹介状 or the special form from your current hospital and you’ll need to possibly pay a second opinion fee. This is not covered by insurance and can be 10,000 to 30,000〜per hour of the doctors time. It depends on your case.
The CT data you can transfer on a disc. (Same with MRI) This costs about ¥1000. Ultrasounds, blood tests, etc will be redone as they are quick, cheap, and don’t expose you to radiation.
If you ask some clinics will just give you the data but the clinic you go to for the second opinion will most likely reject it unless you do a proper transfer aka get the intro letter and decide to go to that clinic from now on, or specifically ask for a second opinion which not all clinics offer to begin with and even if they do, if you wanted to then go with their treatment plan, you’d need to get the intro letter for an official transfer.
I have exactly the same question! In my case I don’t wish to change hospitals, but I may have no choice if I make a house move. It all seems like such an unwieldy process, if the other comments here are anything to go by. And I just don’t understand why hospitals and clinics are so reluctant to share patient records. Where I’m from, your records follow you everywhere you go.
Don’t hesitate to tell your doctor that you want a second opinion. That is the general approach.