Topic hub
Second opinions, and how facilitation actually works
Most cases here start with a question rather than a journey: is the treatment I have been advised the right one, and what would an independent specialist say about my file? These guides cover what a written second opinion does and does not do, what to send, and what the report contains. They also cover the money question every patient should ask any facilitator: who pays you? Ours is answered in public, with a published fee schedule.
What a second opinion settles
Whether the advised treatment is in line with accepted practice, what the alternatives are (including doing nothing yet), and which questions are worth putting to your own doctor. It is a written document addressed to you and meant to be shared with your treating team, never a replacement for them.
What it costs, and what it is credited against
A remote consultation is $50 and a written second opinion is $150; each is credited in full against the next step, so nobody pays twice for moving forward. The full schedule, including the refund rules, is on the Fees page.
Who pays the person advising you
A facilitator that is free to you is being paid by someone else, usually a commission from the hospital you are sent to. We take no commissions from hospitals. Our fees are paid by you, published upfront, and itemized separately from your hospital bill. These guides explain how the alternative model works so you can weigh the two for yourself.
6 guides in this topic
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Cancer Second Opinion Online from India: When It Changes the Treatment Plan
How a written cancer second opinion from an Indian specialist works, the situations where it commonly changes a treatment plan, and what to send for review.
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How an Online Second Opinion from India Works: Records, Fees, Timelines
How a written second opinion from an independent Indian specialist works: the steps, the published $150 fee, exactly what to send, and what the report covers.
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Our Fees, Published: $50 Teleconsult, $150 Written Opinion, $1,000 Full Journey — and What's Always Free
Medtu Care's complete published fee schedule: what each fee buys, how every fee is credited to the next step, the refund rules, and what is always free.
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Second Opinion Before Surgery: 7 Questions to Ask (Including "Should I Operate at All?")
Seven questions to ask before agreeing to surgery, starting with whether to operate at all, and how a written second opinion helps you ask them well.
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Waiting for Elective Surgery? What a Written Second Opinion Settles Before You Decide Anything
For patients on an elective surgery pathway in the UK, Canada or Australia: what an independent written second opinion clarifies while you wait, and how it works without committing to travel.
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Why We Take No Money From Hospitals: How "Free" Medical-Travel Agents Really Get Paid
Where the money comes from when a medical-travel agent is "free": commissions, quote padding, and lead sales, plus how a patient-paid model works instead.
Read next, outside the blog
Other topics
- What treatment in India costs Every Medtu Care cost guide in one place: honest INR and USD planning ranges by procedure, what hospital packages include and exclude, and how to read a quote.
- Travelling to India for treatment, from your country Country-specific guides to treatment travel: Indian medical visas, e-Medical visa eligibility, flight routings, attendants, and how families fund a journey.
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