Finding a clinic and doctor abroad: selection criteria and an independent second opinion
There are hundreds of clinics online, all with impressive websites and photos of satisfied patients, and it is precisely this abundance that leaves people stuck. The service on this page narrows the choice: we start from your diagnosis, check who treats such cases every day rather than once a year, obtain an opinion from a doctor who will earn nothing from your treatment, and only then request cost estimates, which we compare in one table.
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Selection by diagnosis, not by catalogueThe clinic department and doctor who regularly treat cases like yours
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A second opinion with no vested interestThe reviewing doctor does not carry out your treatment
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Cost estimates in one tableItem against item, so that cheap really is cheap
Four questions we ask every clinic on your behalf
A clinic's website and ratings rarely answer these questions. We obtain the answers in writing from the clinic's international department and record them in the selection report.
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How many such cases do you treat a year?
The outcome depends directly on experience. A department that performs your operation several times a week recognises complications better than one that does it five times a year. We ask for the figure for the specific procedure, not for the clinic as a whole.
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Who will personally carry out the treatment?
The professor gives the consultation, but the operation is often performed by another doctor on the team. We ask for the operating surgeon's name to be stated in the cost estimate and for their experience with your particular diagnosis to be confirmed.
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What accreditation and licence does it hold?
A national licence is mandatory; a JCI or ISO certificate is an additional sign of sound safety processes. German university clinics often have no international certificate at all, because national oversight is strict; we explain this in the report.
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How does the international department work?
We check whether the coordinator replies within 48 hours, which languages they speak, whether they provide a written itemised cost estimate and how disputes are resolved if the final bill exceeds the offer.
An independent second opinion: the medical answer first, the commercial one second
The main value of a second opinion is that its author earns nothing from your treatment. That is why we obtain it separately from the cost estimate.
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Preparing the history for the reviewer
The discharge summary, histology, radiology discs in DICOM format and the latest test results are translated and compiled into a single file. We redact the name and personal number on the documents, so the reviewer sees only the medical content.
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Choosing the reviewing doctor
We choose a doctor who specialises in your diagnosis and whose clinic is not on the list for cost estimates. The report shows their specialty and institution, so that you can judge the weight of the opinion yourself.
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Written opinion
The doctor answers three questions: whether they agree with the diagnosis, whether the proposed treatment is necessary and what alternatives exist. You receive the opinion translated into Georgian and can also show it to your treating doctor.
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Cost estimates for the confirmed plan
Only now do we send the history to 2-3 clinics and request an offer for exactly the treatment the opinion confirmed. This way the clinics answer the same question and the prices are comparable.
The reviewing doctor's fee is set at the rate for that country and specialty, and we tell you in writing before you order. Sometimes the second opinion shows that the treatment can be done in Georgia and there is no need to travel; for us that is an equally good outcome.
How we compare cost estimates: what we look for on every line
Two clinics' offers, one for 12,000 euros and the other for 18,000, may end up costing the same if the cheaper one leaves out the hospital stay and medicines. That is why we break every cost estimate down into the same table.
| Item | What it should state | Where the difference hides |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation and diagnostics | Number of visits, list of tests, repeat histology if needed | Some clinics redo all the tests, even if you have a recent disc |
| Operation or procedure | Method, operating surgeon, anaesthesia, type of implant or material | The implant brand and the anaesthetist's fee are often separate lines |
| Hospital stay | Number of days, type of room, intensive care days at a separate rate | Each day beyond the planned days is charged extra; we ask for this rate too |
| Medicines and blood | Whether inpatient medicines, blood products and chemotherapy drugs are included | In oncology the cost of drugs sometimes exceeds the cost of the procedure |
| Complications | What happens if a repeat procedure is needed, and who pays | Some clinics treat complications free of charge within a set period, others do not |
| Follow-up and remote contact | Visits after discharge, online consultations, a discharge summary in English | Answers to questions after you return are sometimes a paid consultation |
You receive the comparison table with your three clinics' figures and our comments on what is a real difference and what is only a difference in wording. We do not alter the clinic's price, and under no circumstances can we receive a commission from it that has not been agreed with you.
Clinic types by country: what choice you really have
In all three countries clinics come in different types, and the choice changes both the price and the approach. Here is briefly what each means.
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Turkey: private networks and university hospitals
Large private networks respond quickly, have Russian-speaking coordinators and offer package prices. University hospitals are strong in complex and rare cases, but respond slowly and their international departments are modest. We look at a high patient flow both as a sign of experience and as a risk of a conveyor-belt approach.
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Germany: university clinic or private
University clinics (Universitätsklinikum) are strongest in complex and rare diagnoses, and their treatment is reviewed by a multidisciplinary board, but the wait is 1-2 weeks and the full amount must be paid in advance. Private clinics admit quickly in orthopaedics and rehabilitation and offer a personal approach. Treatment by the head physician is charged extra and is optional.
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Israel: international departments of public hospitals
Israel's strongest oncology and haematology centres are public hospitals, which have separate departments for foreign patients. Russian-speaking staff make communication easier. Private centres are faster, but in complex cases they often bring in a professor from the same public hospital, so we look for the source rather than an intermediary.
Frequently asked questions about choosing a clinic
How does a second opinion differ from a clinic's cost estimate?
A cost estimate is a commercial document: the clinic tells you what it will do and what it will cost, and naturally it wants the treatment to take place there. A second opinion is a medical document: a doctor who will not carry out your treatment assesses whether the diagnosis is correct, whether the proposed operation is necessary and whether there is a less invasive or cheaper alternative. That is why we obtain the second opinion first and only then request cost estimates for the treatment that has been confirmed. This way the clinics price the same plan and their offers can be compared.
How many clinics do you send the documents to, and why not ten?
Usually two or three, one in Turkey and one or two in Germany or Israel, depending on the diagnosis and the budget. Ten clinics will send you ten different plans that cannot be compared, and your medical history will remain in ten places. Three pre-screened clinics, on the other hand, answer the same question and make the choice real. If the answers from the first three do not satisfy you, or one of them cannot take the case, we add the next pair, again with your consent.
What is JCI accreditation and how much should I rely on it?
JCI (Joint Commission International) is an international standard that checks a clinic's safety processes: infection control, medicines management, patient identification and surgical safety. It tells you that the clinic works systematically, but not that a particular operation is done well there. So we use accreditation as a first filter, not as the basis for the decision; university clinics in Germany and Israel often do not even have JCI, because national certification is stricter. What decides is the experience of the specific department and doctor with your diagnosis.
Can I choose a specific professor?
Yes, and this is often the right approach if the professor's experience relates precisely to your diagnosis. In Germany this has a separate status: treatment by the clinic's head physician (Chefarztbehandlung) is charged extra and appears as a separate line in the cost estimate. In Turkey and Israel, too, a consultation and operation with a professor cost more than with another doctor in the department. We check that the named professor actually operates at the clinic and does not only give consultations, and we ask for the cost estimate to state who will perform the operation.
What follows the choice of clinic
- Cancer treatment abroad Histology review, a tumour board and a plan within days, when the diagnosis is oncological.
- Discharge summary translation The history in the clinic's language, so that the reviewer and the international department read it the same way.
- Flights and travel planning Flights and accommodation matched to the clinic's dates, once the cost estimate is confirmed.
Three clinics, one independent opinion, one table
Send us the discharge summary and receive a selection report: which clinics and why, what the reviewing doctor says and what the real difference between the prices is.