Medical second opinion for international patients
SickKids offers medical second opinion (MSO) to support international patients and physicians abroad with validating diagnosis and medical and surgical treatment recommendations. Medical second opinion involves review of medical records from abroad, such as physician consults, lab results, pathology results and diagnostic imaging.
What we offer
- Comprehensive review of the patient's medical records, diagnosis, and treatment plan.
- Expert recommendations from our highly experienced pediatric specialists.
- Virtual consultation with a SickKids expert, the patient and family, and/or responsible physician abroad, from anywhere in the world through secure virtual consultations.
Benefits of a medical second opinion
- Access to expertise: Benefit from the knowledge and experience of top paediatric specialists.
- Peace of mind: Gain confidence in your child's diagnosis and treatment plan.
- Convenience and cost savings: Access world-class care without the need to travel.
Request a medical second opinion
Complete the Medical Second Opinion Referral Form
Parent/legal guardian must complete sections 1–3, and 6.
If applicable, the referring physician must complete and sign sections 4–5.
Download the Medical Second Opinion Form (PDF)
All applications must include the following documents:
- A complete medical history and current condition;
- Medical notes completed within the last 6 months;
- Recent laboratory, test results, and imaging studies (X-rays, CTs, MRIs, etc.) must be sent in DICOM format by either uploading to a secure file transfer link provided by IPP, or by courier on CD or USB drive;
- If pathology analysis is required for the physician to provide an opinion, digital images of the pathology slides may be sent. If your referring physician does not offer scanned slides, all original pathology slides and report, as well as a block or 10 unstained slides from a representative block must be sent by courier;
All information must be submitted in English, translated by a medical translator and include patient's name and date of birth (DOB). Referrals with documents in another language will not be reviewed by the SickKids team.
Send your completed referral form and documentation to: international.patientprogram@sickkids.ca.
Clinical review by the subspecialty team within 2 business days
- Once the International Patient Program has received the completed referral and all required medical information, it will be reviewed by the appropriate medical teams.
- This stage can take up to 2 business days to complete.
- The medical team may ask for additional information.
Acceptance decision and plan
- Medical second opinion requests are reviewed by a paediatric specialist. If accepted, we provide a cost estimate for medical second opinion based on the plan, which may include medical record review conducted by various disciplines, interprofessional case conferences, radiology imaging reviews, and pathology analysis. A virtual appointment may be booked to review and discuss the MSO report by the SickKids specialist(s) with the patient and family, and/or responsible physician abroad.
Financial agreements
- Full financial coverage is required before proceeding with medical second opinion assessment and documentation.
- Payment may be arranged directly in full via cheque, bank transfer, or online by credit card. Alternatively, insurance companies, embassies, or governments may provide coverage for the total cost of proposed services through a Letter of Guarantee.
Comprehensive report
A comprehensive report with expert recommendations will be provided to the family and physician abroad, as applicable.