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What do you need to know?
A second opinion is a report written and issued by a doctor upon request of the patient or of people acting on their behalf. Its objective is to compare a diagnosis or treatment for specific circumstances that are especially severe.
Authority responsible
This procedure concerns people insured by the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut) who have the right to receive public health care from it.
It may be requested at any time.
- Having the right to receive public health care from CatSalut.
- Any of these four cases must apply:
- When a progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system without cure, or a malign neoplastic disease, except for skin cancers that are not melanomas, is diagnosed.
- When orthopaedic surgery with a risk of important functional limitations, neurosurgery, surgery to the heart, vascular surgery or eye surgery is prescribed.
- When the need for a transplant is prescribed.
- When a rare disease (including genetically-linked diseases) is diagnosed. Rare diseases are those entailing a risk of dying or chronic disabilities and that affect, at the most, five people per every ten thousand inhabitants.
No fees are associated with this procedure.
It may be the case that the health centre where the second opinion is assessed may require additional diagnosis tests, in which case they will be preferential.
When a second opinion confirms a diagnosis or a treatment made/prescribed before, health care will be provided at the centre where the patient came from originally. It is not possible to change centres.
When the second opinion is different to the first one, the patient may request to receive medical attention or a treatment at the centre where the patient came from originally or at the centre where the new diagnosis was made, except for those cases where the original centre is unable, for whatever reasons, to offer an alternative therapy suggested in the second opinion.
Steps to follow
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1
Step one
Apply
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2
Step two
Receive the Administration's response
When is the Administration's response received?Within one month after the Health Area receives the application.
When is the Administration's response received?
Within one month after the Health Area receives the application.What response will be received?
A report written by a doctor giving a second opinion that may:- confirm the initial diagnosis and/or treatment;
- offer new alternative therapies;
- give a different diagnosis from the first one, with or without treatment.
