Private Medical Office: second opinions and treatment in Switzerland
A senior physician reviews your case, we find the specialist in Switzerland who fits your question, and we coordinate the next steps, whether you are treated in Switzerland or in the country where you live.
A service of the Health Prime Medical Family Office.
For private clients and families, whether you live in Switzerland or abroad.
Our Medical Director is Prof. Dr. med. Paul Mohacsi.
In an emergency, call 144 or 112 in Switzerland, or the local emergency number abroad.
What we do
The Health Prime Medical Family Office supports you personally and independently through a serious illness, and your family if you wish. One team works on your case from the first call to follow-up care.
Senior physician guidance
A senior physician reviews your records, discusses them with you and writes down the precise question that still needs an answer, together with the next step that makes sense.
Access to specialist medicine
When a second opinion or an examination by a specialist is worth it, we choose the specialist or centre for your question, request the appointment and send your medical file ahead with your consent.
Coordination
Your care coordinator organises appointments, prepares you for conversations with doctors and goes through them with you afterwards. We send records and reports between hospitals and countries, with your consent.
Continuity
We stay with you through treatment, rehabilitation and follow-up, including when the goals of treatment change. Family members you name receive the updates you have agreed to. You do not have to tell your story again to every new team.
Why Switzerland
Switzerland has university hospitals and specialist centres that patients from many countries consult for complex diagnoses.
Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals 2026 ranks University Hospital Zurich 9th, Geneva University Hospitals 19th and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) 21st worldwide. The ranking is based 35 percent on recommendations from medical professionals, the rest on quality metrics and patient experience.
Switzerland has 4.5 practising doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, against an OECD average of 3.9 (OECD, Health at a Glance 2025).
The revised Federal Act on Data Protection has applied since 1 September 2023. On 15 January 2024 the European Commission confirmed that Switzerland continues to offer an adequate level of protection for personal data transferred from the EU.
Staying at home is a valid outcome. Many questions can be answered from your records by video, and travel makes sense only when a Swiss specialist or centre can do something for your case that is not available closer to home.
Three ways to work with us
Most clients start with a Medical Orientation. You can stop there or continue with a Care Mandate. With a Membership, you have a care coordinator and a medical file before you need them, and Medical Orientation and Care Mandate are billed at member rates.
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Medical Orientation
For whom
People after a new diagnosis or before major surgery or treatment. Family members, with the consent of the person who is ill. A family office.
+Included
Intake of your case by a care coordinator
Collecting and ordering your records with your consent: reports, imaging, pathology, lab results
Review by a senior physician
An orientation call, by video or in person
A written orientation report: the precise question, the open points and the recommended next step, including whether a second opinion makes sense and in which specialty
–Not included
Fees of external specialists or hospitals for second opinions, examinations, treatment, ongoing coordination, emergency help.
A care coordinator, your medical file and an annual review.
For whom
Individuals and families (named family members).
+Included
An admission conversation
Setting up and maintaining your medical file
A dedicated personal care coordinator, with a named deputy
An annual review with a senior physician: a conversation and a look at existing check-up results, not an examination
Agreed hours of coordination per year for appointments, questions and planning check-ups
Medical Orientation and Care Mandate at member rates
–Not included
A Medical Orientation or Care Mandate in case of illness (billed per case), examinations, check-ups, treatment, third-party services, insurance of any kind.
We accept each Care Mandate and each Membership after a conversation, when the right medical expertise and capacity are available.
If, after a first look at your case, we cannot help in a useful way, we tell you before any payment is due.
For families and family offices
You decide who is involved. You tell us in writing who may speak with us on your behalf, who receives updates and what they may be told. You can change this at any time.
Who may act for you
A family member, a family office or an adviser can make the first contact with us and organise appointments, travel and payments. Medical decisions stay with you and your treating physicians. If you cannot decide yourself, we work with the person who legally represents you.
What payers are told
A family office, an adviser or a family member who pays for our work receives organisational and billing information. They receive medical information only with your explicit consent, and only to the extent you set. If an employer pays, it never receives medical information, even with your consent. We pay no referral fees to family offices or advisers (see our independence policy).
Across time zones
Families often live in several countries. We agree in writing on contact times, how often updates come, through which channel and in which time zones.
If treatment in Switzerland is under consideration, we prepare the medical file and the paperwork so that the hospital can give you a clear answer before anyone books a flight.
Records. With your consent we collect your reports, imaging, pathology and lab results from your doctors at home and order them for the Swiss specialist.
Cost estimate. We request the hospital's written cost estimate and go through it with you line by line.
Deposit. Unless an insurer confirms payment in writing, Swiss hospitals usually ask patients from abroad for a deposit before treatment, based on the estimate. We explain the amount and the deadline. You pay the hospital directly, and the final invoice follows the hospital's tariff.
Hospital confirmation and visa. We help with the hospital confirmation, the cost estimate and the deposit. Visas and permits are granted by the competent authorities.
External services. Travel, accommodation, interpreting and transport come from external providers. We obtain quotes in advance, and you decide.
Back home. After treatment, we hand over reports and the follow-up plan to your doctors at home, with your consent.
Confidential call. You tell us by phone or video what has happened and what you want to know. We tell you whether and how we can help.
Records. With your written consent, we request your reports, imaging, pathology and lab results from hospitals, clinics and practices, in Switzerland and abroad, and put them together in one medical file.
Senior physician orientation. A senior physician reviews your file and discusses it with you by video or in person. You receive a written orientation report.
The next step. We coordinate what the report recommends: a second opinion, an appointment with a specialist, or staying with your current team.
We stay involved. With a Care Mandate or a Membership, your care coordinator stays responsible for your case, at contact times agreed in writing.
Useful to have ready for the first call
Please do not send anything yet. It helps if you can find:
Medical reports and discharge letters
Imaging on CD, USB stick or as a download, ideally in DICOM format
Pathology reports
Recent lab results
A list of current medication
Your question, in one sentence
Who works on your case: the Health Prime Medical Family Office
The Health Prime Medical Family Office, a division of Health Prime AG, handles every case with one team, whether a private client or a company engages us.
Medical Director
Prof. Dr. med. Paul Mohacsi, specialist in cardiology and general internal medicine. Partner doctor at Hirslanden Klinik Im Park and Klinik Hirslanden. Languages: German, English, French, Italian and Hungarian.
Care coordinator: organises, explains and coordinates. Does not diagnose and does not recommend treatment.
Senior physician: leads the medical orientation of your case. Our senior physicians hold a specialist title and have experience as a senior hospital physician (Oberärztin or Oberarzt) or in a higher position.
Specialists: chosen for each case. They keep their own professional responsibility.
Treating physicians: decide on treatment together with you.
Medical assessments are made only by licensed physicians. Our team coordinates, explains and organises.
How we choose specialists
We choose specialists by your medical question, their specialist title and their experience in the field. Your language, location and preferences count too. You decide which specialist you see.
Health Prime belongs to Prime Public Media, the publisher of medizinonline. Through our publishing work we know specialists in many fields across Switzerland, which helps us find the right person for your question. The publisher is also funded by pharmaceutical advertising. Case work is kept separate from it, as set out in our independence policy.
Our independence policy
Published by the Health Prime Medical Family Office. As of 10 October 2026.
Health Prime receives no referral commissions, kickbacks or other benefits from hospitals, clinics, laboratories or doctors.
Health Prime pays no referral fees to advisers, family offices or anyone else who refers clients.
Money from pharmaceutical or medical technology companies has no influence on any case decision. Case work is kept separate, in organisation and finances, from the publishing and advertising business of Prime Public Media (medizinonline). Publishing staff have no access to case data. Client data are never used for publishing or advertising.
Health Prime does not arrange insurance and receives no payment for doing so.
Health Prime owns no hospitals or practices and has no agreements on preferred access. Staying with your current treatment team is a valid recommendation.
The physicians involved disclose any conflict of interest for each case.
The Health Prime Medical Family Office's income comes only from fees paid by clients and companies.
Confidentiality
Whoever pays does not see findings unless you explicitly consent. This applies to family offices, family members and other payers. Employers receive no health data. Medical information is passed on only with your explicit consent, and only to the extent you set.
The physicians involved are bound by medical professional secrecy (Article 321 of the Swiss Criminal Code).
What we do not do
We are not an emergency service. In an emergency, call 144 or 112 in Switzerland, or the local emergency number abroad.
We are a service, not insurance, and we do not sell or arrange insurance. Examinations and treatment are paid by you, or by your health insurer as far as it agrees to pay. Check this with your insurer in writing beforehand.
Our care coordinators do not diagnose and do not recommend treatment.
We do not operate or treat. Your treating physicians do.
We do not replace your treating physicians.
We give no guarantee of an appointment, admission, a place in a clinical trial or a result.
We suggest a different place of treatment only when it changes something for your question.
We are not available around the clock, unless your mandate says so.
We do not pass health data to employers, and to other payers only with your explicit consent.
What second opinions show
Among 286 patients referred from primary care to Mayo Clinic's general internal medicine department for a second opinion in 2009 to 2010, the final diagnosis was distinctly different from the referral diagnosis in 21 percent of cases (Van Such et al., Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2017).
A systematic review of 33 studies of second opinions that patients sought on their own initiative found that they confirmed the diagnosis in 50 to 57 percent of cases and changed it in 13 to 15 percent (Greenfield et al., BMJ Open, 2021).
A changed diagnosis does not mean the first one was wrong. Whether second opinions improve treatment outcomes has rarely been studied.
That is why every Medical Orientation first checks whether a second opinion makes sense for your case.
What is a private medical office, and how is it different from a hospital's international office?
id: faq-what-is-a-private-medical-office
Our Private Medical Office is the Health Prime Medical Family Office's service for private clients and families in Switzerland and abroad: an independent team that guides you through a serious illness, from the diagnosis to follow-up care. A hospital's international office organises your stay at that hospital or within its hospital group. We are tied to no hospital, so our recommendation can be a specialist in Zurich or Geneva, a centre in your own country, or staying with your current doctors. More under What we do.
Can people from abroad get medical treatment in Switzerland?
id: faq-treatment-for-foreigners
Yes. Swiss hospitals treat patients from abroad. Before treatment, they ask for payment in advance or a written payment confirmation from your insurer. University hospitals such as University Hospital Zurich (International Office) and Inselspital Bern (Insel International Center) have dedicated teams for this. They review your records, decide on admission and prepare a cost estimate. More under International coordination.
Can I get a Swiss second opinion without travelling?
id: faq-remote-second-opinion
Often, yes. Many questions can be answered from your records: reports, imaging in DICOM format, pathology and lab results. A senior physician reviews them first and tells you whether a second opinion from the records is enough or whether a specialist needs to see you in person. The orientation call takes place by video. Some reviews need the original pathology material, which your hospital sends with your consent. More under Medical Orientation.
Which Swiss hospitals are known for cancer and heart care, and are you tied to any of them?
id: faq-swiss-hospitals
Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals 2026 ranks University Hospital Zurich 9th, Geneva University Hospitals 19th and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) 21st worldwide. The ranking rates hospitals in general, not cancer or heart care, and is based 35 percent on recommendations from medical professionals, the rest on quality metrics and patient experience. The right centre depends on your diagnosis. Health Prime is tied to no hospital and has no agreements on preferred access. More under Our independence policy.
What does treatment in Switzerland cost, and why do hospitals ask for a deposit?
id: faq-treatment-cost-deposit
The cost depends on the diagnosis, the treatment and the hospital, so only the hospital can give you a figure. Patients without a written confirmation from their insurer pay the hospital directly. For that reason the hospital prepares a written cost estimate and asks for a deposit based on it before treatment starts. The final invoice follows the hospital's tariff and can differ from the estimate. We request the estimate and go through it with you before you pay.
Will my health insurance from home pay for treatment in Switzerland?
id: faq-insurance-from-home
That depends on your contract and on the country of your health insurer. Ask your insurer for a written confirmation before treatment begins, naming the hospital, the treatment and the amount. We help you prepare the request with the hospital's cost estimate and medical report. If your insurer does not pay, the hospital will expect payment from you. Health Prime does not sell or arrange insurance. More under What we do not do.
I live in Switzerland. Do I have a right to a second opinion, and does my health insurance pay?
id: faq-right-second-opinion-insurance
Yes, you may consult a second doctor and ask for copies of your records. Whether your health insurer pays depends on your basic insurance, your insurance model (a GP or HMO model can require a referral from your practice) and any supplementary insurance. Some insurers offer their own second-opinion service, often linked to a supplementary hospital insurance or a particular insurance model and to planned procedures. Ask your insurer, in writing if possible. We help you use what your existing insurance offers.
I have semi-private or private hospital insurance in Switzerland. What does the Private Medical Office add?
id: faq-private-insurance
Your supplementary insurance decides which ward and which doctor you can choose in hospital, and what your insurer pays beyond basic insurance. We help you decide what to do with those options. A senior physician frames the medical question, we find the specialist who fits it, and a care coordinator organises appointments, records and handovers between hospitals. Your insurer pays for treatment under your contract. Our fees are separate and come only from our clients, never from hospitals or insurers. More under Our independence policy.
Do I need a visa for medical treatment in Switzerland?
id: faq-visa
That depends on your nationality. Citizens of EU and EFTA countries do not need a visa for a short stay. If you need a Schengen visa, the consulate may ask, under the EU Visa Code, for an official document from the hospital confirming that you need treatment there, and proof that you can pay for the treatment and your stay. Stays longer than 90 days within 180 days need a residence permit from the cantonal migration office. Visas and permits are granted by the competent authorities. More under International coordination.
We already have excellent doctors at home. Why involve you?
id: faq-doctors-at-home
Often to confirm that the plan at home is the right one. A senior physician in Switzerland reviews the records and the questions your family still has, and a specialist gives a second opinion where it could change a decision. If the plan holds, staying with your current team is the result, and with your consent we tell your doctors. If it does not, we coordinate the next step together with them. More under What second opinions show.
Can a family member, family office or adviser act for me, and what are they told?
id: faq-family-office
Yes, if you agree in writing. You decide who may speak with us, who receives updates and what they are told. A family office or adviser who pays receives organisational and billing information. Medical details go to them only with your explicit consent. If you cannot decide yourself, we work with the person who legally represents you. The roles are under For families and family offices, the rules under Confidentiality.
Can you stay involved over months, including follow-up at home?
id: faq-long-term-care
Yes. A Care Mandate runs in written phases with agreed review points. It continues through treatment, rehabilitation and follow-up, after you return home and also when the goals of treatment change. You have a named care coordinator, with a named deputy, and we stay in contact with your doctors at home. What the mandate includes is listed under Care Mandate.
Request a confidential call
Call us to arrange an initial conversation. We do not need any medical details for this. The first call is without obligation, and if we cannot help in a useful way, we tell you before any payment is due.
We ask for medical documents only once a mandate has begun, through a separately agreed document channel. Email is not a secure channel for health data.
We are not an emergency service. In an emergency, call 144 or 112 in Switzerland, or the local emergency number abroad.
Booking for your company's executive team? Executive Medical Office is our service for companies in Switzerland.
Medical orientation, access and coordination, not a procedure.
