Imaging startup Braid Health launches radiologist 2nd opinion service charging $199 per read

A San Francisco-based imaging startup is launching a new radiologist second opinion service, charging $199 apiece while boasting fast turnaround times with no referrals necessary. 

Braid Health said Thursday it will soon begin offering expert MRI, CT, ultrasound and X-ray re-reads from board certified radiologists. Founded in 2018, Braid provides AI tools to manage imaging and other healthcare data, helping over 650,000 platform users “get peace of mind through better diagnostics.” 

The company is targeting its new service toward patients who want a radiologist’s expert review but “without the friction that often comes with hospital scheduling, referral requirements and unclear pricing.”

"Most patients don't know they have the right to a second opinion on their imaging—and getting one online should be as easy as uploading a file," CEO and Co-founder Kevin Quennesson said in a statement May 14. “We built Braid to make expert radiology review more accessible, more affordable and faster for patients who need answers."

Quennesson and Alessandro Sabatelli, who previously worked together at Twitter, founded the company to help improve connections between radiologists and patients. Braid Health previously raised over $9 million in funding from Lux Capital and others in 2020 and earned FDA clearance for its AI-powered diagnostic collaboration platform the same year. 

The company said it's offering second opinions for patients seeking greater clarity before surgery, treatment or follow-up care. It allows patients to securely upload their DICOM files directly into the platform, with a board-certified radiologist then performing a “sequence by sequence re-reread.” The rad then delivers a written second opinion with annotated findings, comparisons to prior imaging (where available) and a clear summary. 

Responses are typically delivered “within days,” rather than the weeks it might take through a hospital. Other potential reasons for using the service could include confirming an initial diagnosis, reviewing unexpected findings, preparing for a specialist visit or getting more confidence before making a major healthcare decision. Traditional in-person radiology second opinions can cost anywhere from $500 to over $1,500, Braid Health claims, along with requiring a new referral.