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Some employers are offering a new employee benefit to compliment traditional health care practices: a second opinion. Large companies such as Genzyme, J.B. Hunt, and EMC have teamed up with a new service called Best Doctors, which provides a second look at medical records to assess the accuracy of diagnoses and treatment plans. Best Doctors, which consists of a team of experts chosen by their peers, can evaluate the work of a primary care physician to ensure that patients are receiving the correct care. The Boston-based company has partnered with employer health plans and worker’s compensation carriers, and their service is changing the way companies look at health care.

The goal of Best Doctors is to “give our members the power to make informed medical decisions.” The company was founded in 1989 by a group of physicians at Harvard University School of Medicine, and it has expanded to include experts in all medical fields. They draw their consulting doctors from a pool of 50,000 top specialists from around the world, which is how they’re able to make the most accurate diagnoses and recommend the latest treatments. Peer surveys are used to recruit new doctors to their pool, using questions such as, “If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty, to whom would you refer them?”

The Best Doctors service is meant to work side-by-side with employee health plans and physicians. As a recent press release explains, “When a patient calls Best Doctors, they are connected to a nurse who listens to all of their questions. Best Doctors compiles the patient’s medical information and selects an expert doctor from their database of 35,000 [now 50,000] physicians who is best qualified to assist the patient. The specialist examines the case and answers any questions posed by the patient. The findings are delivered to both the patient and their treating physician, so they can confidently choose the most appropriate next steps together.”

While it seems logical that a program which gives employees access to top medical experts might add cost to an insurance plan, Best Doctors suggests that correct treatment and diagnosis can save companies significant amounts of money. Indeed, having a specialist opinion from the start can cut down on mistakes and misdiagnoses, allowing patients to spend less time and money on expensive tests and inappropriate medications or treatments. Best Doctors “change rate” is astonishing. They change the initial diagnosis 22% of the time, and they modify the treatment plan for 61% percent of patients! On average, this adds up to $21,689 in savings by reducing unneeded medical costs.

Their website features testimonials from employers who have used the service. Stephen Wood, president of Insurers Administrative Corp, says “We’ve introduced Best Doctors as an added benefit that drives up quality of care. It really paid off. We’ve saved between $50,000 to $75,000 thanks to this program and maybe saved a life or two.” Indeed, as important as it is for employers to reduce the cost of providing health insurance to their workers, it can be even more important for employees to have the best possible medical care in case of serious illness. Hopefully, for the sake of the average worker, services like Best Doctors will become standard in employee benefits packages.

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

By Haley January Eckels