A Wonderful Benefit

Staring down major surgery can be a pretty daunting situation.  It is a very odd feeling because the objective and logical viewpoint is that the surgery will, in my case, be life saving and the outcome is most likely feeling better and a longer shot at life than without the surgery. And yet, when the cardiologist said "it's time to replace that valve", there was still a sinking feeling.  The next reasonable thought is to seek a second opinion.  It just happened that I was chatting with a friend at work, and she told me about a benefit that we have through work which offers a medical review! We both thought it was interesting that neither of us had ever heard of this, even though it has been available for some time. 

The promotional materials for the benefit say that you gain the insight of a panel of medical experts who will review your situation and provide an clinical overview and answer any questions you might have.  I was quite skeptical but decided to give it a whirl.

On October 31st 2016, I followed the instructions my company intranet and filled out a simple form (name and a brief over-view of my situation). Within 24 hours, I got a call from a cardiologist from “Advance Medical” (the company that provides the benefit).  The doctor asked me to describe my situation in detail, asked lots of questions and gathered the names of the medical professionals that I had seen so far for my issues.  He asked me to articulate all of the questions that I had, and helped me to formulate the wording to maximize the opportunity to gain the best insight.

He went on to explain that he would spend a few days gathering my medical records from each of my doctors and after that, he would assemble a packet of information, along with my questions, and submit it to a panel of experts in cardiology who would review my packet and questions, and would then provide answers to him (as my physician case manager).  He informed me that he would contact me within 2 weeks with the results.  In the meantime, he provided me with his email address and encouraged me to email him with any questions that I might have along the way.

Fast forward to November 30th 2016 when I received a 33 page pdf report, analyzing all of my medical records with 2 independent opinions on what my next steps should be.  In my case, one of the experts was a Professor of Cardiac Surgery in Harvard (and Cardiac Surgeon in Massachusetts General Hospital) and a Professor of Clinical Medicine in UC School of Medicine. The report reviewed each of my visits with doctors and hospitals and had commentary (from each expert) about the results of all of each of the procedures.

The report also included a detailed (1 page per expert) set of recommendations and each expert answered the questions that I had originally given the cardiologist on the first phone call.  

The following day, I received, via FedEx, 2 printed and bound copies of the report!

Printed and Bound Copies of Expert Medical Report

The two experts were in complete agreement that the best option for someone with my diagnosis should have open heart surgery using a mechanical valve.  One of them noted:

"If you undergo tissue valve replacement, you will need at least three or four other interventions (transcatheter or standard surgical), assuming you will live at least into your seventies. In my opinion, the cumulative risks of these procedures is higher than the risk of life long blood thinners."

This was exactly what I felt was what was in play (see Hurry up and Wait) and to hear it confirmed by some independent doctors gives me some confidence that we're moving in the right direction.