Best Doctors is a company that connects eligible MLC Life Insurance members and their families* with leading specialists to provide a valuable medical information service without them having to leave home.

Established by Harvard University medical specialists in 1989, Best Doctors is a privately held company. It now operates in 30 countries, covering more than 30 million members.

Using its global network of over 50,000 leading medical specialists (who've been nominated by their peers), Best Doctors provides eligible MLC Life Insurance members with comfort and reassurance when:

• you want to be sure about the condition you suffer

• you need help deciding between various treatment options available

• you’re unsure about whether you really need surgery

• you feel sceptical or confused after accessing information from multiple sources

• you don’t understand your diagnosis

• you’re questioning why your symptoms don’t seem to be improving.

The use of Best Doctors is entirely your choice.

*Family means you (being the life insured under the policy), your children, your parents, your partner, as well as your partner’s parents.

Best Doctors believes that doctors and specialists are the best qualified to evaluate the experience and skill sets of other specialists and to identify those who are at the peak of their field.

Best Doctors has undertaken the largest, continuous, peer-to-peer survey of the medical profession ever conducted to develop its proprietary Best Doctors database of over 50,000 expert physicians. Only current medical specialists within the Best Doctors network nominate and vote for peers to join.

As part of the process, the specialists are asked the same question – if you or a family member need a doctor in your speciality, who would you refer them to?

The Best Doctors service is available to eligible MLC policyholders, their children, parents, partner and partner’s parents.

Eligible MLC Life Insurance members can voluntarily access this service regardless of whether they have submitted a claim or the status of that claim. Best Doctors does not share any information about your case with MLC Life Insurance – the service is completely confidential.

Best Doctors will arrange independent and confidential advice for any condition, injury or illness that affects your way of life - it's not just heart attack, cancer and stroke, Best Doctors helps people with non-critical conditions such as allergies, severe migraines and back pain.

Best Doctors services are not available for acute care (emergency room) cases and dental health conditions.

If you would like to discuss whether advice is available for your particular situation, call Best Doctors on 1800 186 088.

At the request of Best Doctors in Australia, a team of medical experts (including Harvard-trained specialists) reviews your case in rigorous detail by:

• identifying the important issues in your case
• identifying specific questions or concerns you may have
• distilling the specifics of the case into a detailed clinical summary.

Best Doctors then searches its global network of over 50,000 leading peer-nominated medical specialists to identify who is best suited to review your case.

The leading specialist receives your medical information and conducts a thorough analysis of your case. The specialist then writes a report based on their key issues and concerns.

Before sending this report to you a medical professional from Best Doctors in Australia will call you and review the key findings of the report.

You will then receive a report that you may want to share with your doctor.

On average, you should receive an In-depth Medical Review™ report within 15-20 business days after all the relevant medical information and reports are received by Best Doctors. That's if pathology doesn’t need to be reviewed.

No, the service is provided to you at no additional cost by MLC Life Insurance.

Best Doctors has formed an Australian-based Medical Advisory Board. One role of this Board is to help educate doctors at a local level about Best Doctors. However, it is not possible to ensure that every doctor will be familiar with the service.

From an operational perspective, Best Doctors collects medical records, diagnostic tests and pathology through departments of the hospital where you or your family member have been treated.

If Best Doctors needs to approach your doctor to request your medical records, they will fully explain the service.

Best Doctors also has to show that they have your permission to collect medical records, and the reason/s for doing so.

Over the past 20 years, Best Doctors has established itself in 30 countries worldwide and has experienced acceptance with treating physicians in about 98% of cases.

These days, it's virtually impossible for any doctor to stay informed of the evolving techniques, medications and treatments for every medical condition.

As a result of sharing your Best Doctors In-depth Medical Review™ report with your treating doctor/s, leading medical specialists may provide them with valuable insights. These may be regarding complicated medical conditions, and additional information on innovative diagnostic and treatment protocols that might not be readily available.

Your privacy is fully protected.

• We will not receive a copy of your In-depth Medical Review™ report from Best Doctors

• We will not accept your In-depth Medical Review™ report in support of a claim

• Best Doctors will not share the names of participants with MLC Life Insurance

• If we receive a copy of an In-depth Medical Review™ report, it will be promptly returned to the sender

• If received, a copy of your In-depth Medical Review™ report will not be retained on our system

Best Doctors won't share their findings with us and your use of the service won't affect our assessment of a claim. The Best Doctors In-depth Medical Review™ report can't be used to support a claim with us and we will not request a Best Doctors report in connection with a claim.

However, your treating specialist may, with your consent, share information from the Best Doctors In-depth Medical Review™ report with us. Your privacy will be protected throughout the process.

To access the Best Doctors' online services, you simply need to visit askbestdoctors.com, where you'll be able to access:

• In-depth Medical Review

• Ask the expert

• DocOnline

• extensive multimedia library

• medical encyclopaedia

• symptom checker.

If you have any further questions please call Best Doctors on 1800 186 088.