Someone has recommended spine surgery.
Getting another look is normal, and any good surgeon expects it. Spine surgery is difficult to undo — it is worth an extra two weeks.
How it works
Three steps. Tell us your surgical date when you call and we work to it.
Send your imaging
Your MRI or CT is reviewed before you travel, so you know the visit is worth taking.
Come in and be examined
A physical examination, then your scans on the screen with you in the room.
Get it in writing
A clear opinion on whether the recommended operation matches the findings — yours to take back to your surgeon.
- Imaging reviewed by a Mayo-fellowship-trained spine surgeon
- A physical examination, not a scan read in isolation
- A clear answer on whether the operation fits the findings
- The non-surgical options, if any are left worth trying
- Our opinion in writing
- The images themselves, on disc or through your portal
- Radiology reports and the operative recommendation
- What you have already tried, and for how long
- Your insurance card
- Your questions, written down
- Imaging older than about 90 days may need repeating
- We do not contact your surgeon without your permission
- You do not have to switch to us
- Billed to insurance like any consultation
- Telehealth review available before you travel
Questions people are too polite to ask
Will my surgeon find out?
Only if you tell them, or if you ask us to send them our opinion — which many patients do, and which is usually the most useful thing you can do with it. We do not contact your surgeon without your written permission.
What if you agree with them?
Then we say so plainly, and you go back to your operation with more confidence than you had before. A second opinion that only ever says no is not an opinion.
How quickly can I be seen?
Tell us your surgical date when you call. Dr. Sethuraman’s schedule changes week to week, and getting someone in ahead of an operation is exactly what the office moves things around for.
What does it cost, and is it covered?
A second opinion is a consultation, and we bill it to insurance. Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Aetna, workers’ compensation and letters of protection are all accepted, along with most other major plans. Insurance & cost →
How do I get my records and scans?
Ask the imaging centre for your study on a disc or a download link — you are entitled to it, and it is usually same-day. The images matter more than the report. If you cannot get them, call us and we will help.
My scan is a year old. Does that matter?
Probably. As a rule of thumb, imaging older than ninety days may no longer describe your spine, and if your symptoms have changed it certainly does not. Tell us the date when you call and we will say before the visit whether it needs repeating.
We will tell you if the operation is the right call.
Sometimes it is.