Los Angeles-based Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai expanded its Virtual Second Opinion Program to women with heart disease.
The program offers patients live, virtual 30-minute education sessions with Cedars-Sinai experts to review findings and discuss next steps. Nurse coordinators conduct a detailed interview and collect necessary medical records before organizing a meeting with physicians with specialized expertise. The physician provides a second-opinion report with analysis based on the patient's past medical history and previous recommendations.
The expanded program is led by Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center. Cardiologists in the program specialize in evaluating how sex and gender differences affect heart health and recommend treatment options, according to a Dec. 14 system news release.
The Virtual Second Opinion Program is available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New York, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Washington.