"Absolutely!" must be the answer. Because a recommendation for an operation is not always really justified and the operation is not always necessary. The Swabian Joint Center is only operated on if it really has to be and this is exactly how we assess your case within the framework of the SGZ second opinion. If you feel unsure about your disease and the previous therapy recommendation but are unable to visit the SGZ personally, we offer you our SGZ second opinion service.

Let our specialists check whether an operation is really necessary. An experienced team of specialist doctors under the direction of Prof. Dr. Michael Maier will assess your case and answer your questions.

Why is a second opinion useful for you?

• You need help in making a decision because you have been to different doctors and have been given different treatment recommendations.
• Your attending doctor is not an expert on your clinical picture.
• They were not given a clear diagnosis or treatment recommendation.
• You have been recommended a major intervention and you want to make sure that it is really useful and necessary.
• The therapy suggested by your doctor does not promise a clear improvement in your condition and you would like to find out whether there are any alternative treatments that could be considered.
• They have the impression that they have been insufficiently informed about the planned therapy and are therefore concerned.

How much is the investment in an SGZ second opinion?

• The remuneration for the preparation of an SGZ second opinion report according to the German scale of fees for physicians (GOÄ) is legally binding and depends on the time and effort involved. The remuneration starts as SGZ-Basic-Zeitmeinung at about 600 €.
• Our premium product is the SGZ-Deluxe-second opinion in which additional services such as diagnosis of performed MRT/ CT images and the use of further experts are added and justify a correspondingly higher remuneration according to GOÄ.
• We would be pleased to send you our second opinion sheet for your cost calculation.
• Talk to your health insurance company about the extent to which they will contribute to the costs of your second opinion for the benefit of your health.

Steps to my SGZ second opinion

• You send us an e-mail to zweitmeinung@sgz-stuttgart.de.
• We will then contact you regarding the further procedure.
• The preparation time for the second opinion depends on the scope of the second opinion.

How secure is my data?

The protection of your data has the highest priority for us. Your data is collected, processed and stored for the purpose of creating a second opinion. We treat your data strictly confidentially and in strict compliance with the basic data protection regulation (DSGVO). With the exception of the medical specialists involved in the preparation of the second opinion, your data will not be passed on to third parties.