Whether you use Me2MD or not, we want you to be better prepared when you are seeking a second opinion.
We find that many people struggle with understanding what should be communicated to a cardiologist. This is our attempt to fix that. Here is a checklist of things you may need when seeking a cardiology second opinion.
Contents
- Why is this important?
- How do I organize my cardiac data for a 2nd opinion?
- What information is required for a 2nd opinion?
Why is this important?
At Me2MD, we help a lot of people seek 2nd opinions from Cardiologists. We communicate your needs, both clinical and non-clinical, to the cardiologist well ahead of your discussion with them. Due to this, the actual consult is very smooth, and the cardiologist can get to addressing the patient’s concerns quickly. Naturally, our first order of business when we get started is to build an accurate picture of the patient’s cardiac health. We provide patients a secure link using which the data can be safely uploaded.
What do we do with your data: We prepare an electronic file for our cardiologists to review. This also helps our clinical operations anticipate your needs better and prepare additional items. With experience, we have gotten better, and this is reflected in our case closures rates and patient satisfaction scores.
How do I organize my cardiac data for a 2nd opinion?
Cardiac data is usually available in two formats
Soft Copy (electronic)
As far as possible, request and retain soft copy data from the providers. Diagnostic data such as Angiography procedures or CT Angiographies are usually provided as a CD/DVD to a patient. You can request them to transfer it onto a USB drive and keep it safe.
What if I don’t have a CD/DVD drive: We can arrange for the CD/DVD to be shipped to us and returned to you after we have verified and copied it.
Hard Copy (paper)
You can either scan these or take clear pictures using your phone. Pictures or PDF should be organized page wise and named in date order along with their description, for easy reference e.g. - 20210722_2D-EchoReport.jpg
Pro tip: For taking pictures of documents, use apps like Office Lens, available on iOS and Android. If the photo is clear, the final output is extremely close to a scanned document.
So what information is required for a 2nd opinion?
Required Information (atleast one of them is a must have)
☑️ Angiography data
☑️ ECG, TMT Data: Clear picture of the graphs including data such as report date.
☑️ 3-D Echo reports: Details such as date of the report, diagnosis, reporting specialist.
☑️ Lab Tests (lipid profiles, sugar, and troponin tests): Details such as date, readings, reference ranges etc.
☑️ Discharge Summaries: Details such as Diagnosis, Chief Complaints, Final Diagnosis, Treatment, Procedures.
☑️ Medications: Clear pictures of the medication package along with dosage information (helps if you write it on a piece of paper, date it, and include it in the picture).
Optional Information (these are good to have)
☑️ Vital statistics such as weight and height.
☑️ Personal and family medical history, especially with regards to diabetes and hypertension.
☑️ Patient History: History of past cardiac ailments, procedures done and discharge summaries after hospital stays.
Please note that this list is relevant for common types of cardiac consults such as PTCA, CAGB.
For more information about our work in Cardiology, check out our cardiology offerings.
