5 Reasons to Get a Second Opinion on Spinal Surgery Now

5 Reasons to Get a Second Opinion on Spinal Surgery Now
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By Dr. David Kramer Back Pain September 13, 2018

Whenever you’re considering spinal surgery, getting a second opinion is essential.  It’s the best way to ensure your surgery is, in fact, the right surgery for your condition and the least invasive option.

Here’s what distinguishes Second Opinion Spine from your other options.

Five Reasons to Get a Consultation with Second Opinion Spine

  1. Unlike many websites offering second opinions, Second Opinion Spine is one of the few sites that is NOT looking to have you travel to our office, or to convince you to have your surgery with us. To the contrary, we believe that by remaining purely consultative, we can remain entirely objective in our recommendations.  In essence, offering you an opinion that we would offer to a family member.
  2. Second Opinion Spine is the ONLY second opinion site that provides the opportunity for a direct conversation with our consulting spine surgeon. Such one-on-one conversations welcome dialogue, provide us with more personal insight into your medical condition, how your particular spinal condition is affecting you, and your goals seen in terms of operative or non-operative outcome. Our personal conversation with you allows the opportunity for your related questions to be answered more thoroughly.
  3. We understand the value of your time. A virtual second opinion from Second Opinion Spine provides the opportunity to avoid taking valuable time off from work. Virtual consultation means that you no longer need to travel to a major academic center–or to an entirely different geographical region–in order to obtain a high quality surgical opinion from a recognized expert in the field of spine surgery. Spending hours waiting in a physician’s office filling out duplicative medical history and insurance forms becomes obsolete. A virtual second opinion provides the opportunity to schedule your personal conversation with our spine surgeon at a mutually convenient time that fits within your schedule, regardless of where you may live.
  4. We provide rapid responses with our virtual consultation. We understand that some patients already have surgery scheduled and are seeking a second opinion for peace of mind and reassurance that the procedure that has been offered is appropriate and as least invasive as possible. Our consults can be provided within 48 hours of receipt of your imaging data.
  5. With the advent of electronic medical records (EMR) and health information exchanges (HIE), your medical information personal data may be legitimately shared with more physicians, insurance companies, and even government agencies (including Medicare and Medicaid) than you may be aware of. Your conversation with our spine surgeon remains entirely private and confidential.

Whether you decide to work with us or not, we strongly recommend getting a second opinion from a reliable provider.  It’s one of the best choices you can make to ensure that your original diagnosis is the right one.

If you would like to contact us, please fill out the form on the right side of this page or call us directly at: (844) 469-7377

Dr. David Kramer / About Author
Director of the Western Connecticut Health Network Spine Center since 2005, and with over 16 years in practice as a specialist in complex spinal surgery, Dr. Kramer conducts his spine practice at Connecticut Neck and Back Specialists in Danbury, Connecticut. He has been certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons since 1998.

After earning his bachelors degree from Dartmouth College, and his medical degree with honors from Dartmouth Medical School, Dr. Kramer completed his internship in general surgery at Harvard’s Beth Israel Hospital, followed by a residency in orthopedic surgery at the Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Kramer completed the combined orthopedic and neurosurgical spine fellowship at the nationally recognized Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, PA. Upon completing his spine fellowship, he was selected as a member of the prestigious Cervical Spine Research Society after his research in computer-assisted cervical spine surgery won the society’s annual research award.  After returning home to Connecticut in 1996, Dr. Kramer joined the surgical staff at Danbury Hospital where he became chief of the section of spine surgery.

Recognized as a physician leader with an interest in improving regional surgical outcomes, Dr. Kramer ascended to the Board of Directors of several hospitals including Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital, and ultimately, Western Connecticut Health Network.  In his role serving on these boards, Dr. Kramer contributed to improving patient safety and surgical outcome with his involvement in several peer-review and physician oversight committees including the board’s Medical Affairs Committee and Quality Committee.

Through these experiences, Dr. Kramer has come to appreciate that, in order to achieve the highest outcomes possible in spine surgery, patients must become well-educated on their specific spinal condition, the available operative and non-operative treatment options as supported by evidence-based medicine, and the ultimate potential impact on their personal lives.  Only then can the patient’s expectations truly be met.

Bragging Rights


Recognized annually in Connecticut Magazine’s Top Doctors issue, along with Castle Connolly’s Award for America’s Top Doctors, and The Patient’s Choice Award, Dr. Kramer has won numerous academic awards including the American Orthopaedic Association Zimmer Award for Orthopaedic Research, the Rothman Institute Award for Outstanding Research, the Dartmouth Medical School Surgical Scholar Award, and Alpha Omega Alpha. He has been widely published in spine peer-reviewed journals and numerous text books.
More posts by Dr. David Kramer

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