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Don Sommers was diagnosed with peripheral artery disease, a painful condition that restricts blood flow to the limbs. It was causing a blockage in his left leg that persisted despite several surgeries, and his doctors told him his options were up. “I was emotionally and physically really distraught,” says Sommers, 66, a retired chemical engineer. “I was getting to the point where I thought I really would lose my leg.” So, on the advice of his son, who works in Silicon Valley, he turned to Grand Rounds, a health care referral network operated by a startup in San Francisco. The web-based service hooks patients up with someone on its roster of 30,000 specialists nationwide, all vetted by the company. About 1,000 of these doctors will even provide second opinions within 72 hours online. Read more.