Dr. Mark Urman is quoted in the Wall Street Journal regarding the importance of obtaining medical second opinions to help patients make sure they are getting the best medical care possible. Dr. Urman is the first to encourage patients to get a second opinion if they have any doubt about his recommendations. Patients should not worry about “insulting” their doctor as often another specialist will often confirm the first opinion allowing the patient to have much more confidence in the recommended medical work-up, treatment plan or proposed procedure or surgery. He said most of his patients who seek second opinions are those for whom he has recommended a procedure or surgery that is elective. He is a firm believer in patients making sure that patients have heard all options and recommendations. Sometimes, another doctor has a fresh or different perspective that can be helpful. However, he warns that it is very important that the second opinion is rendered by a physician who has adequate experience and a reputation for sound clinical judgement.
In fact, Dr. Urman is often the consultant whom patients seek for a second opinion regarding their cardiac condition and he sees patients in second opinion regularly each week. It is also not uncommon for Dr. Urman to see patients referred to him by their own cardiologist who trusts that Dr. Urman will render an independent and unbiased opinion to either confirm the original cardiac evaluation or provide alternative diagnostic or treatment options for the patient. When a patient comes to him for a second opinion, about 75% of the time his opinion will be similar to the previous doctor, he said.“You have to be careful, you can sometimes get too many opinions and all it does is confuse you more and then you don’t know what to do,” said Dr. Urman, who is an attending cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles. Sometimes, he is in general agreement with the basic recommendations of the first cardiologist but has additional important recommendations that can be immensely helpful to the patient. And, as a locally and nationally recognized top cardiologist with a reputation for wise and judicious clinical abilities, he sometimes will have recommendations that can result in diffferent diagnoses or treatments, that sometimes can be life-saving.
Need a Second Opinion About Your Cardiac Condition or Cardiovascular Health? Contact COR Medical Group
If you have a cardiac condition or have been recommended to have a cardiac procedure or surgery for which you are not certain about, do not hesitate to call our office to have one of our top cardiologists evaluate your medical condition. It is important that you gather all pertinent prior testing and lab results that our cardiologists have available at the time they evaluate you so that they can best help you.
For more information, call us at 310.659.0715.