Second surgical opinion programs: dead or alive?
BACKGROUND
In the 1970s, second surgical opinion programs were established in an effort to improve medical care and to control health care costs. The cost-effectiveness of these programs has been questioned recently.


METHODS
A retrospective review was conducted of elective second-opinion surgical consultations for members of Local 32B-J of the International Service Employees Union for the years 1993-1994. Nonconfirmed consultations were reviewed against claims history data for the subsequent 2 years. Data were analyzed for rates of nonconfirmation by diagnosis and surgical specialty and for cost-effectiveness benefit.


RESULTS
Of the 5,601 second surgical consultations performed, 490 procedures were not confirmed as medically necessary (9%). Claims history survey for these 490 patients for the 2 years following the consultation revealed that no operation was performed in 62%. The highest nonconfirmation rate (41%) was in plastic and reconstructive surgery, followed by gynecology (22%). The cost-benefit ratio for the program was calculated to be 1.34.


CONCLUSIONS
A second surgical opinion program confers both cognitive and psychologic beneficial effects on Joint Trust Fund members and their dependents who are advised to undergo elective operations. Our current second surgical opinion nonconfirmation rate is 9%, with hysterectomy, prostatectomy, and bunionectomy among the procedures most frequently nonconfirmed. The cost-benefit ratio was estimated at 1.34.
McSherry
C K
CK
32B-J Health Fund, Professional Service Division, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York, USA.
Chen
P J
PJ
Worner
T M
TM
Kupferstein
N
N
McCarthy
E G
EG
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans; D007750:Labor Unions; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000191:economics; D012189:Retrospective Studies