Consumers Uncertain About Their Medical Diagnosis &...( Clinical Case Reviews Reveal Deficien...),Health

Clinical Case Reviews Reveal Deficiencies in Care for Individuals across the Country

BOSTON, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ --Members who recently sought expert medical consultations from Best Doctors, Inc., expressed deep uncertainty about their initial diagnosis or course of treatment, according to data released today.

The findings are based on clinical reviews of cases of Best Doctors members. Best Doctors is a unique health benefit that calls upon top medical specialists to help members navigate critical decisions about their care.

More than 500 members in the United States voluntarily called Best Doctors for help during the second quarter of 2008. Of those:

• 25 percent said they needed help choosing among treatment options;
• 23 percent questioned whether they needed surgery;
• 16 percent were skeptical of their doctor;
• 15 percent didn't understand their diagnosis;
• 14 percent felt their symptoms were not improving; and,
• 7 percent had no firm diagnosis to guide their treatment.

"There is tremendous uncertainty among consumers about whether they are getting the right diagnosis and treatment,"said Evan J. Falchuk, president and chief operating officer of Best Doctors. "Consumers face hard decisions that impact their lives, as well as the bottom line of employers who pay for their care. Certainty is the one thing people want most when they make tough medical decisions, but it's harder and harder to attain."

Members had legitimate reasons to be anxious about the quality of their care, according to Best Doctors, which offers its service through public and private employers.

The initial diagnosis and treatment received by members was incorrect or inadequately supported in more than two-thirds of th
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