Get an online second opinion about your condition and treatment from global medical experts

We recognise that South African specialists offer exceptional quality of care through their high levels of expertise and knowledge. However, there may be times when patients face life-threatening or life-changing conditions for which treatment may not be well documented, or which require new treatment methods. There may also be times when a patient's healthcare Fprovider would like access to a second opinion to support the chosen course of treatment. In these cases, the expertise that internationally recognised experts, in certain sub-fields of medicine, can provide may be of real value to you and your clinician.

This is why Discovery Health has partnered with Cleveland Clinic, one of the most well-known and respected medical centres in the world, where you and your doctor can get the insights of an international expert specialist on your case. And it's all done online.

You and your specialist can ask for a second opinion if you are:

• Diagnosed with a serious condition, such as cancer
• About to make a major decision about a medical next step, such as surgery
• Considering a treatment that involves risk or has significant consequences
• Dealing with a condition or chronic illness that isn't improving or is getting worse
• Confused about/struggling with a diagnosis or treatment plan
• Told a condition isn't treatable
• Struggling between choosing from multiple treatment options

What the second opinion service with The Clinc by Cleveland Clinic offers you

The Clinic by Cleveland Clinic offers access to expert collaborative reviews by Cleveland Clinic physicians either online or by email correspondence, for more than 1,200 diagnoses. The Expert Collaborative Review service enables easy, secure access to world-renowned medical expertise from the comfort of home. All reviews are completed by Cleveland Clinic expert physicians - with no travel needed.

These diagnoses include conditions that impact a person's quality of life, or more serious life-threatening conditions, including inborn errors of metabolism like nephroblastoma, and unusual conditions in children like insulinoma.

The second opinion service is especially helpful for conditions that affect your quality of life or that are serious or life-threatening

These include:

• Cancer, tumours and blood disorders
• Kidney, urological and digestive diseases
• Heart, valve and lung diseases
• Orthopaedic injuries and diseases
• Pregnancy and childbirth (obstetrics) and gynaecological disorders
• Auto-immune, metabolic and neurological disorders

What you get?

We offer our members the opportunity to have an expert collaborative review from a Cleveland Clinic physician specialist. This value-added service is available for members on all Discovery Health Medical Scheme plans.

As a value-add service, Discovery Health will oversee the collaborative review process on behalf of you and your treating doctor. From the initial case creation, a dedicated case manager will facilitate all the interactions between the treating doctor in South Africa and The Clinic.

Cover

• As soon as the final medical report from The Clinic is received, Discovery Health Medical Scheme will reimburse you 75% of the amount paid to The Clinic.
• This amount does not affect your benefits, as the Scheme pays this amount.

Note for Executive Plan members:

• We cover 100% of the cost of the second opinion service
• We cover 100% of the cost of the collaborative review service.

Steps to follow to access the second opinion service

Step 1

To access the expert collaborative review service your treating doctor will request an online second opinion from a Cleveland Clinic physician specialist on your behalf.

Step 2

You need to pay Discovery Health Medical Scheme within 10 days for the second opinion process to start

Cost

The cost for a second opinion from The Clinic is $1300. This fee is inclusive of a radiology and pathology review as well as a detailed opinion from the Specialist who provides a comprehensive report to your treating doctor.

Payment

You need to pay the relevant amount that applies to your case within 10 days after your case is opened, and send the proof of payment to: CLEVELAND_PAYMENTS@discovery.co.za

Note for Executive Plan members: You will not need to pay upfront as the consultation is covered in full by the Scheme for your plan.

Step 3

You must send signed consent forms when you send your proof of payment

• Both Discovery Health Medical Scheme and The Clinic require consent forms to be completed.
• The case manager will send you the consent forms, The Clinic terms and conditions and a cover letter that will assist you when completing the form.
• Please note:
  If we do not receive proof of payment and the completed consent forms within 10 days after the case has been logged on our system, we will close the case.

Step 4

We will send the case details to The Clinic, by Cleveland Clinic physician specialist

• Once our case manager receives the required documents, we will send the details of the case to a physician expert at Cleveland Clinic.
• The expert specialist at Cleveland Clinic will review the case and provide Discovery Health's case manager with a detailed collaborative review report, including treatment recommendations.
• Our case manager will give the report to your doctor who will share the report and discuss the Cleveland Clinic physician's recommendations with you.

Important information

• The Clinic, by Cleveland Clinic online second opinion service is not for treatment related to scheme exclusions.
• The Clinic, by Cleveland Clinic service is for when a Discovery Health Medical Scheme member faces a life-threatening diagnosis or one that affects their quality of life.
• The second opinion provides confirmation of the diagnosis and treatment recommendations. It does not include the actual treatment related to any of the conditions and treatments that are excluded from cover on the Discovery Health Medical Scheme.

Get more information

For more information or if you have any questions:

• Go to www.discovery.co.za our Get Help feature
• Ask a question on WhatsApp (save our number 0860 756 756 on your phone and say 'Hi' to start chatting with us 24/7)