Orthopedic second opinions.
A second opinion here is a non-surgical sports medicine read of an orthopedic case: the imaging, the treatment history, and the question of whether an operation is the only sensible path. It is requested by a patient before surgery or by a provider who wants another set of eyes, and the conclusions come back to both. The evaluation itself draws on what the capabilities page describes, and the physician rendering the opinion is dually board certified in sports medicine and family medicine.
Who asks for one
Two groups, mostly. Pre-surgical patients who want a non-surgical read before committing to an operation, often while already scheduled elsewhere. And providers with a stalled case who want a sports medicine consult before the next escalation. Traveling patients who want the read while visiting the island can pair it with the logistics on the care coordination page; providers sending a case directly use the refer a patient path.
What a useful packet contains
- Original imaging where possible, not report summaries alone
- Operative reports, if surgery already happened
- A treatment timeline: what was tried and for how long
- The current medication list
- The patient's functional goals
Originals beat summaries because a report is one reader's interpretation of the study, and a second opinion exists to re-read the primary evidence. A fresh read of the actual images regularly surfaces findings a summary flattened out.
What the evidence says
At a large referral center, the final diagnosis remained unchanged in about 12 percent of second-opinion referrals, was refined in about 66 percent, and changed in about 21 percent (Van Such et al., Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2017). That is one center's data, not a promise of a different answer. It says a structured second look tends to add information, which is the entire point of asking for one.
How conclusions come back
Two ways, always: a direct conversation with the patient in plain terms, and a written note to the requesting provider. The honest framing matters here: a second opinion sometimes confirms that surgery is the right call, and saying so plainly is part of the service. The read is independent of what the answer turns out to be.
Requesting one
Providers send the case through the refer a patient page or the phone line. Patients can call or text directly using the line below.