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Best Doctors reports increased expert‑opinion use but low overall uptake among SFHSS members
Summary
Best Doctors reported a 27% increase in Expert Medical Opinion cases in 2018 (194 cases), high member satisfaction (99% of respondents), but board members noted only a small fraction of members used the service and asked staff and carriers to boost outreach.
Trent Rainey, client executive at Best Doctors, presented the organization's 2018 utilization highlights to the SFHSS board. Best Doctors reported 194 Expert Medical Opinion (EMO) cases in 2018—a 27% increase over 2017—and a 99% satisfaction rate among respondents (based on a 40% response rate for EMO users).
Rainey described common reasons members contact the service—help choosing among multiple treatments (about 50%), symptoms not improving (21%), and questioning the need for surgery—and said most EMO use comes from retirees: of 194 cases, 114 were from Medicare‑eligible retirees, 64 from active members and 16 from early retirees.
Board members and public commenters praised the thoroughness of expert reviews but raised concerns about low overall uptake: one commissioner noted that out of more than 100,000 members only 194 used the EMO service in 2018. Panelists suggested better integration and marketing with health plan partners and SFHSS member services; staff said they would ask carriers to report how second‑opinion services are offered and measured.
Several retired‑member representatives (RECCSF, UESF retired division) told the board Best Doctors provided reassurance and, in some cases, treatment changes that mattered to members. The board asked staff to include carrier practices for second opinions in future negotiations, particularly for Kaiser and Blue Shield members.
Rainey said Best Doctors and SFHSS will continue efforts to increase member engagement and integrate use of analytic outputs from SFHSS (for targeted outreach) into Best Doctors campaigns.
