Handling Unsolicited Diagnostic Tests

This episode focuses on the issue of what medical practices should do when they receive clinical information (often test results) about an individual who is not a recognized patient, or which did not originate from an order or request from the practice. This situation increases as patients have more options to self-refer for tests, and more ways to deliver results to providers. Examples include health fair reports, results of self-authorized tests, or records from external providers. Such information, once received, can present an information management dilemma and potential liability exposure. We walk through considerations such as evaluating if there is an existing provider-patient relationship, was the information sent in error, how clinically urgent the information is, and documentation steps to take.

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