Online Second Opinion – Information for Patients and Families
An online second opinion can be valuable when:
- Your child has been given a new diagnosis and/or treatment plan.
- A change in treatment plan, surgery or invasive procedure has been recommended.
- You want reassurance that your child is getting the best care.
- You want to confirm that a visit to CHLA would be valuable before making the trip.
- You want an expert second opinion from a CHLA pediatric specialist.
Request an Online Second Opinion
How Online Second Opinions Work
For urgent or emergent issues, please call 911 or seek local medical care. This Online Second Opinion service is only for requests that are not time sensitive. We receive and respond to requests during regular business hours.
1. Submit a request through our OSO portal.
Our case coordinator will review your case and contact you to obtain signed consent forms and payment. All second opinions are $875, except for cardiac surgery, which is free. Secondary radiology and pathology services are an additional $250 for each. Your case coordinator will review the specific price structure of your case with you.
2. A case coordinator assigns a physician.
A case coordinator will review the submitted case, and based on the patient’s specific diagnosis and physician availability, will match the patient with a CHLA doctor who is an expert in the patient's condition.
3. Collect your medical records.
Our case coordinator will work with the patient and their physicians to collect medical records, imaging and pathology (if needed). Please note, secondary radiology and pathology services are an additional $250 for each.
4. Receive your personalized second opinion report.
Your assigned CHLA doctor will review the medical records and tailor their report to your specific questions. The patient's local, treating physician will also receive a copy of the report.
5. Attend a virtual consultation.
Each patient family has the option to attend a virtual consultation with their local, treating physician and the CHLA physician who completed their report. This serves as a virtual education session. This is an optional offering at no additional cost.
Participating Programs
Questions?
If you have any questions, please email onlinesecondopinion@chla.usc.edu. Our team is available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. PST. You can also check out our FAQs for patients and families about Online Second Opinion.
