Lawrence P. Casalino

Physicians frequently fail to inform patients about abnormal test results

NEW YORK (June 22, 2009) -- New research shows that physicians failed to report clinically significant abnormal test results to patients -- or to document that they had informed them -- in one out of every 14 cases of abnormal results. In some medical groups, the failure rate is close to zero; in others it is as high as one in four abnormal results.

Some patients are not notified of abnormal test results

Primary care clinicians and their staff appear to fail to inform some patients, or to fail to document informing patients, about abnormal results on outpatient medical tests, according to a report in the June 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Physician practice interactions with health plans cost $31 billion a year

Bethesda, MD--As policymakers consider ways to cut health costs as a part of health reform, a new national survey of physician practices finds that physicians on average are spending the equivalent of three work weeks annually on administrative tasks required by health plans. According to the study by Lawrence P.

Lawrence P. Casalino

Physicians frequently fail to inform patients about abnormal test results

Some patients are not notified of abnormal test results

Physician practice interactions with health plans cost $31 billion a year

About us

Recommended