Many people involved in Orlando automobile accidents find themselves requiring medical treatment. The most unfortunate find themselves requiring significant intervention such as pain medication injections, rhizotomies, discograms, or even spinal fusion surgeries. When doctors recommend serious procedures like these, many accident victims are understandably worried, and sometimes not sure what to do.
This is why I thought I would pass along some useful information I recently read about seeking second medical opinions in a recent Los Angeles Times article.
According to the piece, recent research confirms that seeking second opinions saves lives in instances of serious illness and purportedly fatal disease. In addition, seeking a second opinion can often save money by steering people away from expensive procedures. Nevertheless, a 2010 poll showed that 70 percent o Americans never seek a second opinion, or even do additional research after hearing a doctor’s recommendation.
Here a few suggestions from the article:
1. Don’t worry whether your doctor will be angry at you or seeking a second opinion. Any doctor worth his salt will understand the situation you are in and will welcome a second set of eyes upon your problem.
2. Discuss issues that are important to you. Many times a specialist providing a second opinion will not know you will, and may not know what issues might be important to you.
3. Don’t conceal your first doctor’s opinion. The second opinion physician may find the first doctor’s approach helpful in crafting a recommendation for you.
4. Bring important information with you. The second physician cannot give you a well-reasoned recommendation unless he has your medical records, films, lab work, and any other relevant medical information.
Hopefully, these suggestions will be helpful to Florida car accident victims. If you have any questions about medical care or seeking a second medical opinion after an Orlando motor vehicle crash, call Winter Park accident attorney Kim Cullen at 407-644-4444.
