Can I have an opinion from a doctor overseas?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I had an injury in my ankle two years ago. It is better now, but it still occasionally hurts and I can’t exercise, etc. I also have an extreme case of flat feet (overpronation) which makes things worse.

I’ve seen several doctors and they basically have said that there’s nothing I can do. However, I don’t trust local doctors much.

So I am thinking of contacting a doctor from overseas. I have the MRI scan results in electronic format so I could email them and have them give me an opinion, for a fee of course.

Would a foreign (for example US) doctor agree to do this?

2

There may, or may not be, doctors willing and able to review your case at a distance.

That said, are there orthotic practitioners near you? Perhaps something as simple as an orthotic insert might help.

3

Since this involves medical advice, let’s move it to IMHO.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

4

There are plenty of people who travel to get medical procedures done, so I don’t see any reason you couldn’t get a second opinion.

However, I’d be surprised if doctors could give you much of an opinion based only on your existing records. Most doctors would want a chance to see you for themselves.

5

PM’d you

6

We use remote access specialist consult for neuro and radiology in my ER, so it’s not unprecedented. Now, that is a consult with a bedside ERMD, but ‘long distance medical second opinion’ yields plenty of search results, and some of them say upload your records for a 2nd opinion.

I have no opinion about the quality of such sites.

7

I do. We use them in litigation as a last resort. I’ll emphasize the last resort part.

8

Here is the perfect resource for you:

www.2nd.md

A number of reputable US medical institutions participate, such as the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Dana Farber, Harvard, etc. You book a 20-minute video appointment with the physician of your choice from their roster, upload your medical records first, and get a second opinion from them.

They are perfectly willing to do consultations with foreign patients. The cost depends on the physician but is usually around $100 to $150 per session.