Request a Cardiac Second Opinion

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Request Cardiac Second Opinion

What You Can Expect

Our Cardiac Second Opinion Program is an opportunity for you to explore more options regarding your heart condition. The program includes:

  • Assistance from our team to help arrange your appointments, help you acquire all the test and treatment information available from your current medical provider and work with you on your follow-up care plan.
  • Ability to see one of our highly regarded cardiologists or cardiac surgeons.
  • Care coordinated within 72 hours of contacting us (within weekday business hours).
  • A customized care plan within 2-3 visits, with a letter to you and your physician describing our findings and suggested next steps.

Location

Froedtert & MCW cardiology services are available at multiple community locations in Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.

Your Appointments

It will likely take multiple visits to develop the best opinion. We anticipate that two visits will be needed for us review your situation and recommend the best course of treatment for you. Those visits include:

First Visit

If your prior records have been sent, the team will review them in advance of your appointment to help determine what you may need at this point. This could include ordering additional tests or treatments at the same time as this appointment. Our physicians will work with you so that we do not repeat tests or treatments unless absolutely necessary.

If your records have not been sent in advance, this appointment will be used to make a comprehensive review of your medical history and order any additional tests/treatments.

Second Visit

If your records have been sent, this appointment will be used as a comprehensive session with the physician and nurse to discuss your current condition and recommendation for additional steps. At this point, you will be presented with a letter and a packet which will outline the information presented in the visit. The letter and packet will contain recommendations, findings, alternatives and next steps. No additional visits are necessary unless indicated by the diagnosis.

If your records have not been sent in advance, this appointment will be used to have additional tests and treatments based on the first visit. For instance, if the cardiac cath is unreadable or dated, you could be requested to have a new cath. A third visit, similar to that outlined above, will then be scheduled as a comprehensive session with the physician and nurse to discuss your current condition and recommendation of additional steps.

Our Cardiovascular Program continues to receive recognition as one of the top programs nationally. We are honored to provide high-quality, effective care for even the most high-risk patients.

  • In its 2024 Specialty Excellence Awards, Healthgrades recognized Froedtert Hospital as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery, one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care and one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention, as well as other specialty achievements in various areas.

    For the second year in a row, Froedtert Hospital was identified as one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ according to an independent quality analysis based on a balanced scorecard provided by PINC AI™, and reported by Fortune. The hospitals recognized in the top 50 operated at lower cost and had better outcomes, recording significantly higher inpatient survival rates, fewer patients with complications, lower readmission rates and up to nearly $10,000 less in total costs per patient case. According to the study’s analysis, if all hospitals operated at the level of this year’s top performers, there could be 7,600 fewer deaths due to heart disease, 6,700 fewer bypass and angioplasty patients who suffer complications, and more than $1 billion in costs saved for the 2024 study year. Froedtert Hospital was ranked in the category of top teaching hospitals with a cardiovascular residency program. In this cohort of hospitals, Froedtert Hospital was ranked No. 4 in the country. No other hospital in Wisconsin was recognized with this national distinction.

    The Society for Vascular Surgery's Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) has awarded Froedtert Hospital three out of three stars for its active participation in the Registry Participation Program. The mission of the SVS VQI is to improve patient safety and the quality of vascular care delivery by providing web-based collection, aggregation and analysis of clinical data submitted in registry format for all patients undergoing specific vascular treatments. The VQI operates 14 vascular registries.

    The American Heart Association recognized Froedtert Hospital with its Get With the Guidelines® Heart Failure Gold Plus Award. In addition, the hospital was recognized on the AHA’s Target: Heart Failure(SM) Honor Roll and received the AHA’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™ award. 

    The American Heart Association also recognized Froedtert Hospital with its Get With the Guidelines® — Coronary Artery Disease Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Silver Plus and Mission: Lifeline NSTEMI Silver awards. These awards demonstrate our commitment to improving care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for heart attacks.

    The American Heart Association recognized Froedtert Hospital with its Get With the Guidelines® AFib Gold Award.

    ​The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) and Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Froedtert Hospital have each received a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. This award recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Receiving this national three-year award with gold, silver and bronze designations, marks a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and achieving a healthy work environment.