Frequently asked questions

Alpine Diagnostics KlG is a family-run Swiss radiology practice headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. We specialize in expert interpretation of radiological imaging, with a focus on online second opinions for individual patients and teleradiology for medical institutions.

Yes. Alpine Diagnostics is fully licensed under Swiss medical law. Our radiologists are practicing physicians with an active Swiss medical license, working in Swiss hospitals. Specialist titles in Switzerland are federally regulated; our radiologists hold Swiss-recognised specialist titles in radiology (MEBEKO) and active Swiss licences.

No. Alpine Diagnostics is not an imaging center and does not perform scans. We specialize exclusively in the diagnostic interpretation of imaging already performed (MRI, CT, X-ray, mammography, and more).

Yes. Patients from any country can request a radiology second opinion online. So far we have served patients from 18 countries, most of them in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and Ireland.

After payment you receive a personal encrypted upload link. Upload the DICOM files of your MRI, CT, X-ray, ultrasound or mammography; you get them from your imaging centre or hospital on a CD, a USB stick or as a download from the patient portal, and providers are generally obliged to give you a copy on request. Add your earlier reports if you have them. If you only have a CD or are unsure which files to upload, Caterina walks you through it. We correspond in English, German, Russian and Italian.

Most reports arrive in under 24 hours. Standard delivery is within 72 hours and included in every package. With Priority (+CHF 100) the 24 hours are binding, and we refund the Priority fee if we miss the deadline. The clock starts once your images and your completed questionnaire have reached us. Your report arrives as an encrypted download link by email.

Every scan is reviewed by a Swiss-licensed subspecialty radiologist: not a generalist, not an AI and not a technician. Your scan type determines which specialist is assigned: knee MRIs go to a musculoskeletal expert, mammograms to a breast imaging specialist, brain MRIs to a neuroradiologist. Our Medical Director, specialist radiologist Oxana Smagulova, oversees quality across all cases. Every report carries the name and specialist title of the radiologist who read your case.

Yes. Alpine Diagnostics is a standalone diagnostic practice. We are not affiliated with any imaging center, hospital, or surgical team. We do not perform imaging, and we do not recommend treatment. Our radiologists have no financial incentive other than providing an honest, accurate interpretation.

All data is encrypted end-to-end and stored on Swiss servers under the FADP (Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection).

Radiology is inherently a remote discipline: your radiologist already reads your scan on a screen, not by examining you in person. What matters is the specialist's expertise and the quality of the analysis, not physical proximity. Alpine's subspecialty matching means your scan is reviewed by an expert who focuses exclusively on that imaging type.

No. Artificial intelligence is not used for diagnostic assessment; all conclusions in your report are made by the radiologists. We use AI purely for operational efficiency, to simplify and speed up administrative tasks behind the scenes.

Yes, and we encourage it. The questionnaire has room for your history, your specific questions and anything you believe was missed or left unexplained in the original report. Numbered questions, named anatomical structures, a measurement you want checked, a reporting brief if you are a clinician yourself: all of it goes to the radiologist and each point is answered in writing in the report. If a new question comes up after you have read the report, you can book an additional written answer.

Yes. Every report is a formal radiological interpretation in the format physicians receive from hospital radiology departments: detailed findings, impression and recommendations for the next step, signed with the name and specialist title of a Swiss-licensed radiologist, plus a plain-language summary for you. Treating physicians work with it directly. For insurers, employers, legal representatives or medical boards the report documents the imaging findings objectively; we describe what the images show and do not take sides. Where two signatures carry more weight, choose Conscientious or Elite.

MRI, CT, X-ray, ultrasound and mammography of all body regions: brain and spine, head and neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis, breast, joints and the musculoskeletal system. Typical reasons: a treatment or surgical decision, an undiagnosed problem with several prior scans, oncological staging and follow-up, a sports injury, a finding that has to be watched over time, a scan done abroad, or a report you want checked by a specialist in the field. We review existing images; we do not perform scans.

One region is one anatomical area in one examination: one knee, the lumbar spine, the brain, the chest. A full spine is three regions. Longitudinal and Elite compare your current examination with your earlier examinations of the same region and report what has changed. Two different examinations of different regions each receive their own report. If two existing reports disagree with each other, tell us before you order and Caterina will recommend the package that resolves the question.

Then you have what most patients come for: a second specialist has independently confirmed the reading, and you and your doctor can proceed on solid ground. Published studies report clinically relevant discrepancies in roughly 10 to 30% of second reads, depending on body region and subspecialty. Where we see something different, we say so clearly and explain the reasoning, so that you and your doctor can decide what to do with it.

Alpine Essential CHF 260 (one radiologist, one region), Alpine Longitudinal CHF 400 (current scan plus all prior imaging of the region), Alpine Conscientious CHF 460 (two radiologists, one consensus report), Alpine Elite CHF 600 (two radiologists, full imaging history). Each additional region: +CHF 180 with one radiologist, +CHF 320 with two. Standard delivery within 72 hours is included in every package; Priority 24 hours costs +CHF 100, refunded if we miss the deadline.

Most reports arrive in under 24 hours. Standard delivery is within 72 hours and included in every package. With Priority (+CHF 100) the 24 hours are binding, and we refund the Priority fee if we miss the deadline. The clock starts once your images and your completed questionnaire have reached us. Your report arrives as an encrypted download link by email.

No. Patients can request a second opinion directly through our website, no referral required. After payment you upload your DICOM files through a personal encrypted Tresorit link and receive your report by email.