I have a leg injury and the doctor from my clinic referred me to a surgeon.
I met with the surgeon but because it’s a big surgery I want to get 2nd opinion on it.
How can I meet another surgeon at another hospital? Do I need t I go through my clinic’s doctor again? What if the doctor refuses to refer me to another person?
Thanks for your advice.
2 comments
You can ask the surgeon if they can call in someone for a second opinion. There should be multiple doctors at the hospital and they’re not earning a commission or anything. At least they should be able to give you a referral to another hospital.
Failing that you could just walk (well, given that it’s leg surgery maybe hobble/roll) into another hospital and pay the non-referral fee to talk to someone. But you’d want to have your file including any imaging that’s been done handy for them to look at. So make sure you ask for that from the first hospital.
Second opinions are common now, and doctors are used to it. No revenge or backbiting anymore, for the most part. As another poster mentioned, there are often separate teams at the same hospital who will do a second opinion, or they often have a list of other hospitals or ask your GP at your clinic where to go. It may cost a bit, but if you are concerned, better be safe than sorry.