Why seek a second opinion

Both families and physicians may request second opinions for GI conditions at CHOP.

A second opinion from an expert pediatric gastroenterologist can help you better understand your child’s diagnosis, resolve any lingering doubt about the recommended treatment, and offer information about new treatment methods or clinical trials that may be available, but unknown to your physician.

Getting a second opinion can also help you move past the shock of the diagnosis and proceed to treatment for your child.

When to get a second opinion

The best time to get a second opinion is before your child has surgery, starts therapy or during the first few weeks of therapy. Other common times families may seek a second opinion are when a change in treatment has been recommended, or if a relapse has occurred.

Questions to ask during a second opinion consultation

The following questions can help guide your discussion with clinicians during a second-opinion appointment.

• What type of gastrointestinal disorder does my child have?
• How many children with the same condition have you or your program treated?
• What are the treatment choices for the disorder my child has?
• Which treatment do you recommend for my child and why?
• How will this GI condition and its treatment affect the length and quality of my child's life?
• Are there other specialty services (e.g. cardiac, oncology) that will be involved in my child’s care?
• How long will treatment last for my child?
• What are the chances this treatment will be successful and how will we know if it is successful?
• What are the risks of this treatment for my child — both short-term and long-term?
• Are there other treatment approaches are available for my child? What are they?
• Are there any clinical trials my child is a candidate for? What is your experience with those trials?
• What support programs do you offer GI patients and their families?
• Are professionals such as pediatric psychologists, social workers and nutritionists on your staff?
• What resources do you offer to help my child and my family cope with the emotional, financial and physical issues we may experience?

How to request a second opinion at CHOP

To request a second opinion with a physician in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at CHOP, please call 215-590-3630. If you are a U.S. resident, you can also see if your child is a candidate for our Online Second Opinion/Consultation Program, which is only allowed in certain states.

Information you’ll need

To help us perform a thorough pediatric GI second-opinion evaluation, we need a full summary of your child's evaluation, treatments and studies up to this point. It’s important for you to provide as much of the following information as possible to allow our expert team to make the best possible second-opinion recommendation for your child.

Patient information

• Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Name of parent/guardian and contact information
• Insurance information

Clinical information

• Your child's physician's name and contact information
• Your child's diagnosis, or working diagnosis, and list of presenting symptoms
• Copy of any existing treatment plan for your child

Documents

Before we schedule your child’s second-opinion appointment, we need the following documents sent to us:

• Parent summary. Please provide a few paragraphs about your child’s disease process or download and fill out the Parent Summary Form.
• HIPAA authorization form.
  • English
  • Spanish
• Growth chart.
• Progress notes from your child's physician.
• List of medications your child is currently prescribed and currently taking — including over-the-counter medications. Please include the medicine name, dosage, frequency, prescribing doctor, pharmacy name and phone number, as well as how long your child has been using this medication.
• Complete clinical summary, including:
  • Diagnostic scans (e.g. X-ray, CT, MRI, bone scan, PET scan, MIBG scan), including actual scans or biopsy slides when available.
  • Procedure/diagnostic information, such as endoscopy/colonoscopy reports, capsule endoscopy, pathology records, pH probes, manometry, motility studies, breath tests and diet records.
  • Laboratory tests, such as complete blood count (CBC), comprehensive metabolic panels, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac panel, thyroid studies and stool studies.
  • Any additional radiology tests, including UGI with SBFT, ultrasound, DXA scan, gastric emptying and Sitz marker X-ray.
  • Any surgery or operative reports.
  • Details of any hospitalizations and discharge summaries.
  • Cardiology reports (if applicable).

Seeking more answers?

Some families that are looking for more information on their child’s diagnosis choose to use our remote consultation service.

Depending on your home state and the clinical specialty area, the online remote consultation program allows CHOP pediatric specialists to review your child’s medical records remotely and provide a detailed written consultation report that answers your specific questions based on the information provided. This differs from an in-person second opinion visit, which is also available, because your family doesn’t need to travel to Philadelphia. Instead, the service is 100% remote and digital.

The Online Remote Consultation Program is available for families living in 23 states and covers 17 specialties.

Learn more about CHOP’s remote consultation program.