Moshayedi said that Bid for Surgery provides a wealth of information for patients information that they often fail to get from surgeons located through more traditional referral systems, and much of which is double-checked by Medicine Online. To sign up with the service, prospective patients fill out an online form with procedure-specific health status information. The Bid for Surgery site provides information on available procedures, including a description of how each procedure is done, the risks involved, possible side effects, what type of anesthesia is used, and the length of recovery time. Surgeon-bidders have seven days to submit a proposal, which Medicine Online delivers to the patient. All patient identities are kept confidential and surgeons bidding for a patient's business cannot view their competitors' proposals.
Patients then have seven days to schedule a free consultation with the surgeon of their choice.
Medicine Online requires an in-person consultation prior to any surgeries being performed. Buchanan, who had eyelid surgery performed on May 8, said the service allowed her to see if she could afford the procedure which she could. Her doctor was familiar with the work of one of the surgeons and recommended that Buchanan choose that one, which she did. I'm very happy. It was a nice experience to be able to window shop.