thesecondopinion

What thesecondopinion does

thesecondopinion is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 94-1696341) founded in 1969 by Dr. William Lester Rogers that provides free, comprehensive cancer second opinions to adults diagnosed with cancer in California. Its core product is a multidisciplinary panel review, in which volunteer physicians across oncology sub-specialties (medical oncology, pathology, radiology, radiation oncology, surgery) collectively review a patient's records, imaging, and pathology and deliver a written summary and recommendations to the patient and treating physicians. Service delivery runs through Virtual Zoom Panel Sessions scheduled two to three times per month, supplemented by telephone consultations and written reviews, Mini Panels for expedited cases, and a Prepared and Referred Service that routes rare-cancer patients to external specialists; a Patient Advocate Program provides guidance and emotional support alongside the medical review. Patient intake is handled via a HIPAA-compliant JotForm and paper forms with phone support, and panel consultations include patient and family participation, distinguishing the model from traditional closed tumor boards.

The organization is 100% donor-funded and explicitly does not bill insurance or receive government support. Its 2024 revenue mix is individual donations (70%), fundraising events (21%), and foundation and corporate grants (8%), sourced from supporters including the William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation, Koret Foundation, Oracle, and the Callison Foundation, and processed through Network for Good and JP Morgan for stock gifts. Operations are run by a small paid staff (1-10 employees) under Managing Director Cheri Livingston and Medical Director Dr. Howard Kleckner, supported by 219 volunteer physician participants who delivered 21 Zoom panels and 172 total patient engagements in 2024; the organization has cumulatively served more than 10,000 patients across California since 1969. Distribution is community-led, relying on healthcare-provider referrals, earned media (CBS News, Medscape, KTVU), monthly e-newsletters, annual events (Breakfast Speaker Benefit, Thrivers & Survivors Golf Tournament, Annual Donor Appeal), and peer-to-peer fundraising.

Name

thesecondopinion

Legal name

TheSecondOpinion

Website

https://thesecondopinion.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

thesecondopinion is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1969, that provides free multidisciplinary physician-panel second opinions to adults in California diagnosed with cancer, funded entirely by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oncology Second Opinion Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) (621111), Offices of Physicians (62111)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Molecular Tumor Boards & Clinical Interpretation Services (HLAAANAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oncology Telemedicine Platforms (HLALAGAH)

Keywords

• Cancer second opinions
• Multidisciplinary medical review
• Oncology consultation services
• Nonprofit healthcare services
• Patient advocacy support

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Personal donations from individuals, representing 70% of 2024 revenue. Includes monthly recurring donors and one-time gifts.
2. Fundraising Events: Revenue from annual events including the Breakfast Speaker Benefit (April), Thrivers & Survivors Golf Tournament (October), and Annual Donor Appeal Campaign (November/December). Represents 21% of 2024 revenue.
3. Foundation and Corporate Support: Grants and donations from foundations and corporations, representing 8% of 2024 revenue. Leadership supporters include William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation, Koret Foundation, Oracle, Callison Foundation, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

thesecondopinion provides free comprehensive second opinions to adults in California diagnosed with cancer through a multidisciplinary panel review format. Volunteer physicians in oncology sub-specialties (medical oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, and surgeons) review patient medical records, imaging, and pathology to deliver expert guidance on diagnosis and treatment options. Services are delivered at no cost via virtual Zoom panel sessions, telephone consultations, written reviews, and mini panels.

Product overview

thesecondopinion is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a suite of free healthcare consultation services for adults diagnosed with cancer. The core offering is a multidisciplinary panel format where volunteer physicians review patient cases; this is delivered through Virtual Zoom Panel Sessions (scheduled 2-3 times monthly), Telephone Consultation and Written Reviews, and Mini Panels for expedited cases. The Prepared and Referred Service handles rare cancer referrals. The organization connects patients with medical oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, and surgeons through these integrated service channels, all provided at no cost to patients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Comprehensive Second Opinion Panels

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Network for GoodminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 1969Online fundraising platform used for donation processing, event registration, and peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.
• JP MorganminorOthersStock donation processing through JP Morgan with DTC Number contact for incoming stock gifts to support the organization.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PinnacleCare: Private health advisory firm that arranges expert medical second opinions and care navigation for cancer and complex cases, directly comparable as a paid, specialist-driven second opinion service competing for the same patient need TSO addresses for free.
• Included Health: Virtual care and care navigation company (formed from Grand Rounds Health and Doctor On Demand) offering expert medical opinions and oncology specialty consults, comparable as a digitally delivered second opinion and specialist referral provider serving cancer patients.
• WorldCare International: International medical second opinion and concierge health advisory service partnering with leading medical centers, comparable as a specialist cancer second opinion provider though operating globally and via paid memberships.
• The Clinic by Cleveland Clinic: Cleveland Clinic's flagship online second opinion program provides specialty consults across multiple conditions including oncology, directly comparable to TSO's multidisciplinary cancer second opinion service though delivered as a paid service by an academic medical center.

Broad incumbents

• City of Hope: National specialty cancer treatment and research system (acquired Cancer Treatment Centers of America), a broad incumbent providing multidisciplinary cancer care and second opinion consultations across many states, competing for the same oncology second opinion use case at much greater scale.
• Stanford Cancer Center: NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center offering multidisciplinary tumor board reviews and second opinion consultations to patients including those in the Bay Area, a broad academic incumbent overlapping with TSO on the California oncology second opinion market.

Others

• Cancer.Net (American Society of Clinical Oncology): ASCO's patient information and physician finder platform providing educational content and expert resources for cancer patients, thematically adjacent to TSO's mission of helping patients understand diagnosis and treatment options though not delivering individual case reviews.

Emerging players

• Massive Bio: AI-driven oncology clinical trial matching and treatment advisory company providing cancer patients with expert-level guidance on next-line therapy options, an emerging technology-enabled competitor in the cancer second opinion and treatment decision space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/secndopinion
• Facebookfacebook.com/thesecondopinion501c3
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thesecondopinion

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about thesecondopinion