Below are answers to the questions we hear most often from patients considering a ScanCheck second opinion. If something isn’t covered here, email us at support@scancheck.com.au and we’ll get you the answer.
About the service
A ScanCheck second opinion is an independent review of imaging you’ve already had, performed by a senior subspecialist radiologist. We look at your scan again with fresh, focused eyes — identifying any additional findings, considering whether an alternative interpretation is warranted, and providing clear management recommendations for your GP or specialist where appropriate.
Some scans deserve more than a routine reading. Common reasons patients commission a ScanCheck review:
- Your scan came back “clear” but your symptoms haven’t resolved
- A finding has been identified but you’re unsure of its significance
- The original report leaves more questions than answers
- Your referring doctor wasn’t sure what the report meant or what your next steps should be
- You’re facing a major treatment decision based on imaging
- You simply want a senior subspecialist’s eyes on your scan, regardless of the original finding
You don’t need a specific reason. Wanting to be sure is reason enough.
Every reviewing radiologist on the ScanCheck panel is FRANZCR-fellowed (the highest qualification for radiologists in Australia and New Zealand) and continues to practise daily in their subspecialty across major Australian hospitals. We match your scan to a radiologist whose subspecialty fits the body region your scan covers — so brain MRIs go to a neuroradiologist, joint scans go to a musculoskeletal radiologist, and so on. No registrars, no junior radiologists, no general radiologists.
Yes — completely. ScanCheck has no commercial relationship with the clinic where your scan was performed, and our radiologists are different people from those who wrote your original report. That independence is the whole point of a second opinion: you’re getting genuinely fresh eyes on your imaging, not a re-read by the same team.
Getting another scan would mean repeating the imaging itself — more time, more cost, often more radiation, and another reading by whichever radiologist happens to be on shift. A ScanCheck second opinion uses your existing imaging and gives it the attention of a senior subspecialist who specialises in that body region. You get a more expert reading without going through another scan.
In some cases your treating doctor may genuinely need a fresh scan (for example, to track changes over time). But for the question “is the original scan being interpreted correctly?”, a second opinion on the existing imaging is faster, less invasive, and often more useful.
Yes. ScanCheck radiologists are Australian-registered (FRANZCR) and accept cases from patients and clinicians anywhere in the world. Reports are delivered in English as a downloadable PDF. See our International Customers page for the full process, including how to share your imaging in DICOM format and our international waiver.
The Process
Four steps:
- Send your enquiry through the form on our homepage
- Within one business day, you’ll receive a quote and the name of the assigned radiologist
- You sign a short consent form and provide us with your information, and we retrieve your images
- Your report is delivered, typically within one week
Most reviews are completed within one week of consent. Complex cases involving multiple scans may take longer — if so, we’ll let you know along the way. Urgent cases can sometimes be expedited; mention urgency in your enquiry and we’ll let you know what’s possible.
Very little. Submit the enquiry form (about six fields, takes a couple of minutes). The consent form will ask you for all the specific history and details of your imaging. After you sign the consent form, we handle the rest — including retrieving your images directly from your imaging provider where possible.
We have direct access to most major Australian imaging providers and can retrieve your DICOM images electronically once you’ve consented. If your scan is from a smaller or unusual provider, we’ll let you know if there’s anything you need to do — such as ask for patient access you can then share with us. In the majority of cases, no CD or USB is needed.
We’ll work with you. In most cases we can retrieve your imaging directly from the provider once you’ve consented, regardless of whether you personally have a copy. If access is genuinely difficult — for example, an older scan from a clinic that no longer exists — we’ll be transparent about what’s possible and what isn’t, before any cost is incurred.
You don’t need to send us your written report — we can review your imaging directly. However, your scan must have been formally reported and made available to you (through My Health Record, your imaging clinic’s portal, or your treating doctor) before we can review it.
This reflects standard Australian practice. Diagnostic imaging reports have a built-in waiting period before patients can access them — currently five business days for most modalities such as CT, MRI, ultrasound and mammography under the My Health Record system. That delay exists so your referring doctor has the chance to receive and discuss any urgent findings with you first. Once that period has passed and the report is available to you, you’re free to commission a second opinion.
If you do have the original report, sharing it with your enquiry helps us understand what was found and what specific questions you’d like answered — but it’s not required.
Yes — but who can do this depends on the patient’s situation.
For children under 18: a parent or legal guardian can submit and consent on the child’s behalf. From age 16, the child can generally consent in their own right if they’re capable of understanding the review.
For adults who can’t consent themselves (for example, due to dementia or significant cognitive impairment): you can submit on their behalf if you’re their court-appointed guardian, their appointed medical decision-maker (enduring guardian, medical treatment decision-maker, or equivalent in your state), or their “person responsible” under guardianship law — typically a spouse, partner, primary carer, or close relative. A standard Power of Attorney covers financial matters only and doesn’t grant medical decision-making rights.
For adults who can consent themselves but want a family member to manage the process: the patient must still sign the consent form personally, but you can manage everything else — submitting the enquiry, communicating with us, organising payment.
When you submit on someone else’s behalf, the consent form will ask you to confirm your relationship and your authority. For complex cases, we may ask you to provide supporting documentation. If you’re unsure whether you have the authority to consent on someone’s behalf, contact us at support@scancheck.com.au and we’ll help you work it out.
Mention urgency in your enquiry and we’ll respond accordingly. Most reviews are completed within one week regardless, but for genuinely time-critical cases — for example, when imaging will inform an imminent treatment decision — we’ll do our best to prioritise.
Cost and payment
A standard single-scan review starts at $350. Multi-scan reviews and complex cases are quoted individually based on the work required. You’ll receive a clear quote before any work is done — there are no hidden fees.
ScanCheck prices are extremely competitive globally. Premium sub-specialty radiology second-opinion services in the US, UK, and Europe routinely charge AUD $300–$1,000+ per study, with reviews at major academic centres running into the thousands. Every ScanCheck report is delivered by a senior FRANZCR-fellowed sub-specialty Australian radiologist — the same calibre of expertise, at the lower end of the international range.
A ScanCheck review often costs less than the additional unnecessary imaging it can help avoid. A sub-specialty second opinion can confirm findings, clarify uncertain results, or identify aspects of your imaging that warrant different management — preventing repeat scans, mistaken treatment paths, or unnecessary follow-up tests. For complex or borderline cases, the cost of a review is a small fraction of what an undetected issue (or an unnecessary procedure) could cost.
No. Second-opinion radiology reviews aren’t covered by Medicare, which is why there’s a private fee. The trade-off: you get to choose a senior subspecialist for your scan, rather than whoever happens to be on shift at the clinic.
We’re not aware of any Australian private health insurer that currently covers second-opinion radiology reviews. If you find a policy that does cover it, let us know — we’d like to update this answer.
No. The review is completed first. Once your report is ready, we send you a PayPal invoice (no PayPal account needed — you can pay by credit card). Your report is released to you, and to any treating doctors you’ve nominated, as soon as payment is received.
Our initial assessment of whether we can help is free. If we determine your case isn’t suitable for review — for example, if we genuinely can’t access your imaging, or if it falls outside our subspecialty coverage — we’ll let you know without charge.
International payments are processed via PayPal, which converts your local currency automatically. All quotes are issued in Australian dollars. Full details on our International Customers page.
Commitment and cancellation
No. The quote is no-obligation. After you submit your enquiry, we reply with the assigned radiologist and the fee. You can then decide whether to proceed without any cost or commitment. If the timing, fee, or any other detail isn’t right, simply don’t sign the consent form — no charge applies.
Yes — provided the review hasn’t yet started. If you change your mind after signing but before the radiologist has begun reviewing your imaging, email support@scancheck.com.au and we’ll cancel without charge. Once the radiologist has begun work on your case, the standard fee applies, regardless of whether you choose to view the report.
We’re transparent about this because we want you to feel comfortable proceeding. There’s no fine print and no penalty for changing your mind early.
Doctors and reports
Only if you nominate them on the consent form. We don’t share your report with anyone you haven’t specifically authorised. Most patients do nominate their GP or specialist — having the second-opinion report on file is genuinely useful for your treating team, and can speed up subsequent referrals or treatment decisions.
Yes. They can either submit an enquiry on your behalf (with your consent), or you can submit one yourself and provide their details so we send them a copy of the report. Many of our patients come through GP or specialist referrals.
No. ScanCheck provides imaging interpretation only. We don’t have a clinical relationship with you beyond the report — your GP or specialist remains your treating doctor, and they’re responsible for any further imaging, treatment, or referrals based on our recommendations.
This is by design: a second-opinion service should provide an independent reading and clear advice, then hand back to your treating team. We’re not trying to replace your GP or specialist.
Clinical and medical
Yes — in most circumstances, your ScanCheck report can be used as evidence in legal proceedings such as personal injury claims, insurance disputes, workers’ compensation matters, or other civil cases. The report is part of your medical record and you’re entitled to share it with your legal representatives or include it in court documents.
However, there’s an important distinction between using the report as evidence and engaging the radiologist as a retained expert witness:
Standard ScanCheck reviews are clinical reports, not medico-legal reports. Our radiologists do not accept engagement as your retained expert witness — we won’t attend court on your behalf, give expert testimony in support of your case, or write supplementary medico-legal opinions based on a standard review. We don’t accept retainers from patients or their legal representatives for these purposes.
If your matter is specifically medico-legal in nature from the outset — please let us know. Contact us at support@scancheck.com.au to discuss whether this service is suitable for your situation.
We review CT, MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine studies across the body. Our subspecialty coverage spans:
- Neuroradiology
- Musculoskeletal imaging
- Abdominal imaging
- Chest and cardiovascular imaging
- Paediatric imaging
- Women’s health imaging
- Nuclear medicine
If your scan falls outside these areas, contact us — we may still be able to help, or we’ll point you towards an appropriate alternative.
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Yes. We have paediatric subspecialist coverage on the panel. When you submit your enquiry with the patient’s date of birth, we automatically route the case to the appropriate radiologist.
Yes — there’s no time limit. Note that some scans dating back more than 10 years may be of lower quality than current imaging, and plain films can be more difficult to compare with newer scans. Sometimes older scans become relevant when new symptoms emerge, or when comparing them to a recent scan to track changes over time. We can review one scan in isolation or compare scans across multiple years.
Yes — and this is one of the areas where a senior subspecialist review adds particular value. Comparing multiple scans across time, especially across different modalities (CT, MRI, PET, etc.), is genuinely complex work. Pulling the picture together over time is something many patients with chronic conditions, cancer, or autoimmune disease need but rarely receive in standard radiology workflows.
Yes — and these are some of the most valuable reviews we do. We’ve reviewed cases involving up to 25 scans across multiple years, across the whole body, often combined with pathology results to build a complete diagnostic picture.
Complex multi-scan reviews are particularly valuable for patients who haven’t been able to reach a satisfactory diagnosis from their existing reports — cases where the answer lies in piecing together patterns across many investigations rather than in any single scan. Our subspecialist radiologists genuinely enjoy this kind of integrative work; pulling together a patient’s imaging history over time often yields important findings and clear management direction that wasn’t apparent when each scan was reviewed in isolation.
These reviews are quoted individually based on the scope of work. Submit an enquiry with as much detail as you can about the scans involved — modalities, dates, body regions, and your specific questions — and we’ll discuss what’s possible.
This happens — and it’s a major reason second opinions exist. We’ll explain our reasoning clearly, including what the original report identified and how our interpretation differs or adds to it. The report becomes part of your medical record, and your treating doctors can use both opinions to inform your care.
We don’t critique the original radiologist — different radiologists can reasonably interpret the same imaging differently, particularly when subspecialty expertise is brought to bear on a case originally read by a generalist. Our job is to provide our independent view, with additional explanations, not to grade theirs.
Privacy and data
Yes. Your enquiry data and imaging are held within secure medical record systems, accessed only by your assigned radiologist and the necessary administrative staff. We comply with Australian privacy law — including the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles — which govern how Australian healthcare providers must handle patient data.
Only the people who need access to deliver your review: your assigned radiologist, ScanCheck’s administrative team, and any treating doctors you’ve specifically nominated on your consent form. We don’t share your information with anyone else, we don’t sell data, and we don’t use your information for marketing purposes.
Still have questions? Or ready to proceed?
Email us at support@scancheck.com.au if there’s anything else you’d like to know. Or if you’re ready to commission a review, request a second opinion using the link below.