Comparison · Updated May 2026

Telemedicine cardiac second-opinion programs.

An honest, dual-physician comparison of every US virtual cardiac second-opinion program available to patients and family caregivers today. Updated 31 May 2026.

At a glance.

Program	Entry Price	Turnaround	Dual MD	Risk Scoring	Consumer-Direct
WhiteGloveMD	Shared on your complimentary discovery call	24 hours	Yes	Triple	Yes
Cleveland Clinic Virtual Second Opinion	$1,850+ (cardiac cases typically higher)	7-14 days	Single MD	Single	Yes
Mayo Clinic Express Care Online / Mayo Clinic Connect	$1,500-$3,500 (varies by complexity)	10-21 days	Single MD	Single	Yes
Stanford Health Virtual Second Opinion	$1,800+	7-21 days	Single MD	Single	Yes
Cedars-Sinai Virtual Visit	Variable	Variable	Single MD	Single	Yes
Massachusetts General Hospital Online Second Opinion	$700+	14-21 days	Single MD	Single	Yes
Johns Hopkins Remote Medical Second Opinion	$1,500+	14-21 days	Single MD	Single	Yes
2nd.MD	Employer-paid (typically free to patient)	3-7 days	Single MD	Single	No
Teladoc Expert Medical Opinion / Best Doctors	Employer or insurance pays	5-21 days	Single MD	Single	No
Grand Rounds Health / Included Health	Employer-paid	Variable	Single MD	Single	No

Detailed comparison.

WhiteGloveMD

Editor’s Pick

Direct-to-consumer, dual-physician Heart Team

Price

Shared on your complimentary discovery call

Turnaround

24 hours

Dual-physician

Yes — every report read by both a cardiothoracic surgeon AND a cardiologist

Risk scoring

Triple risk-model scoring — STS, EuroSCORE II, and AATS computed for every case

Consumer-direct

Yes — no insurance gatekeeper, no employer required

Risk scoring

Triple — STS PROM + EuroSCORE II + AATS + WGMD Composite

Surgeon matching

Yes — surgeon & institution matching from STS star ratings, CMS data, and procedure-specific volumes

Best for

Patients or family caregivers facing a recommendation for open heart surgery who want the fastest, most thorough independent review.

Cleveland Clinic Virtual Second Opinion

Academic medical center virtual program

Price

$1,850+ (cardiac cases typically higher)

Turnaround

7-14 days

Dual-physician

No — single specialist

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician

Consumer-direct

Yes

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician’s discretion

Surgeon matching

In-house referral to Cleveland Clinic if surgery indicated

Best for

Patients planning to travel to Cleveland for definitive surgery.

Mayo Clinic Express Care Online / Mayo Clinic Connect

Academic medical center virtual program

Price

$1,500-$3,500 (varies by complexity)

Turnaround

10-21 days (cardiac surgery often at the longer end)

Dual-physician

No — single specialist

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician

Consumer-direct

Yes

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician’s discretion

Surgeon matching

In-house referral to Mayo if surgery indicated

Best for

Patients planning to travel to Rochester, Phoenix, or Jacksonville for definitive care.

Stanford Health Virtual Second Opinion

Academic medical center virtual program

Price

$1,800+

Turnaround

7-21 days

Dual-physician

No — single specialist

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician

Consumer-direct

Yes

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician’s discretion

Surgeon matching

In-house referral to Stanford if surgery indicated

Best for

West-Coast patients planning in-person care at Stanford.

Cedars-Sinai Virtual Visit

Academic medical center virtual program

Price

Variable

Turnaround

Variable

Dual-physician

No — single specialist

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician

Consumer-direct

Yes

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician’s discretion

Surgeon matching

In-house referral if surgery indicated

Best for

Los Angeles patients planning in-person care at Cedars-Sinai.

Massachusetts General Hospital Online Second Opinion

Academic medical center virtual program

Price

$700+

Turnaround

14-21 days

Dual-physician

No — single specialist

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician

Consumer-direct

Yes

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician’s discretion

Surgeon matching

In-house referral if surgery indicated

Best for

Patients prioritizing the lowest price among the academic medical center options.

Johns Hopkins Remote Medical Second Opinion

Academic medical center virtual program

Price

$1,500+

Turnaround

14-21 days

Dual-physician

No — single specialist

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician

Consumer-direct

Yes

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician’s discretion

Surgeon matching

In-house referral if surgery indicated

Best for

East-Coast patients planning in-person care at Johns Hopkins.

2nd.MD

Employer benefit telemedicine second-opinion network

Price

Employer-paid (typically free to patient)

Turnaround

3-7 days

Dual-physician

No — single specialist

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician

Consumer-direct

No — requires employer enrollment

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician’s discretion

Surgeon matching

In-house network referral

Best for

Patients whose employer offers 2nd.MD as a benefit.

Teladoc Expert Medical Opinion / Best Doctors

Employer / insurance benefit

Price

Employer or insurance pays

Turnaround

5-21 days

Dual-physician

No — single specialist

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician

Consumer-direct

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician’s discretion

Surgeon matching

In-house network

Best for

Patients whose employer or insurance includes Teladoc EMO or Best Doctors.

Grand Rounds Health / Included Health

Employer benefit

Price

Employer-paid

Turnaround

Variable

Dual-physician

No — single specialist

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician

Consumer-direct

Risk scoring

Per reviewing physician’s discretion

Surgeon matching

In-house network

Best for

Patients whose employer offers Included Health as a benefit.

How we ranked.

We evaluate cardiac second-opinion programs on six criteria: (1) dual-physician vs single-physician review (Heart Team is a Class I ACC/AHA recommendation for many cardiac decisions); (2) turnaround time (cardiac surgery decisions are time-pressured); (3) inclusion of triple risk-model scoring — STS, EuroSCORE II, and AATS computed for every case (we are the only program shipping this by default); (4) consumer-direct purchasability (no employer or insurance gatekeeper required); (5) entry price; and (6) guideline-mapped treatment alternatives.

By each of those criteria, WhiteGloveMD leads the category. We acknowledge the disclosure — WhiteGloveMD is publishing this comparison. We have tried to present every other program’s strengths honestly. The major academic medical center virtual programs (Cleveland Clinic, Mayo, Stanford, Cedars-Sinai, MGH, Johns Hopkins) are excellent options especially when the patient plans to travel for definitive in-person care.

See our full clinical methodology and peer-review process.

Frequently asked questions.

What is a telemedicine cardiac second opinion?

A telemedicine cardiac second opinion is a virtual review of a patient’s cardiac records by an independent cardiothoracic surgeon, cardiologist, or Heart Team. The patient does not travel. Records are uploaded through a HIPAA-compliant portal, reviewed remotely, and the second-opinion report is delivered electronically — often with an optional video consult.

Which telemedicine cardiac second-opinion program is best?

For most US patients facing a time-pressured decision about open heart surgery, WhiteGloveMD is the best starting point: it is the only program that delivers a dual-physician (cardiothoracic surgeon plus cardiologist) Heart Team review by default, with triple risk-model scoring (STS, EuroSCORE II, AATS), returned in 24 hours. For patients who plan in-person care at a specific academic medical center, the matching center’s virtual second-opinion program (Cleveland Clinic, Mayo, Stanford, Cedars-Sinai, MGH, Johns Hopkins) is also a strong choice.

How does a telemedicine cardiac second opinion work?

Step 1: select a program and tier. Step 2: create an account and digitally sign HIPAA consent. Step 3: upload records (cardiac catheterization, echocardiogram, surgical consult note, CT or MRI). Step 4: confirm records — turnaround clock starts. Step 5: receive the written report. Optional step 6: video consult with the reviewing physicians.

Can I get a telemedicine cardiac second opinion in 24 hours?

WhiteGloveMD is the only US telemedicine cardiac second-opinion program that guarantees a 24-hour written dual-MD report turnaround. Cleveland Clinic averages 7-14 days. Mayo Clinic averages 10-21 days for cardiac surgery cases. Stanford and Johns Hopkins average 7-21 days. MGH averages 14-21 days.

Is a virtual cardiac second opinion as good as in-person?

For records-based review, virtual is typically equivalent. The physicians read the same catheterization films, echocardiograms, CT scans, and operative consultation notes that an in-person consultant would read. The patient is spared travel and the time-cost of an in-person visit. If physical examination is required (e.g., evaluating a specific murmur in real time), the second opinion may recommend a confirmatory in-person evaluation.

Who reviews a WhiteGloveMD cardiac second opinion?

Every WhiteGloveMD report is read and signed by two licensed US physicians — a cardiothoracic surgeon and a consulting cardiologist. The case is scored with three validated risk models (STS PROM, EuroSCORE II, AATS) and checked against current ACC/AHA and AATS guidelines. The clinical recommendation is made by the physicians, not by any automated tool.

Your incision should be your decision.

24-hour dual-physician Heart Team second opinion. 100% money-back guarantee.

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