Bill Would Require Notifying Patients of Imaging Test Results

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Rep. Marguerite Quinn (R-Bucks) introduced a bill that would have required that diagnostic imaging test results be sent directly to patients. 

The Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) and others opposed House Bill 1358, believing that it could potentially cause patients to become confused about the meaning of the test results without a physician’s explanation, and that it raised significant confidentiality concerns.

The bill died last session, but Rep. Quinn has indicated that she would like to introduce a similar measure this session. PAMED has been working with Rep. Quinn and others, including The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP), to address concerns.

Under discussion is language that would require notification to patients that test results have been sent to their physician, but would not require that the results be sent directly to the patient unless their physician requests.

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Comments: 9


Who is going to pay the additional costs of notifying the patient directly. This could be a significant cost to bare by the radiologist and hospital. A small community hospital can easily do between 80,000- 120,000 exams prr year. Large systems 500,000-1,000,00 exams. Multiply these numbers times the cost of a stamp, envelope, paper, ink, and someone to stuff the envelope. Who is going to track and record the patient received the mailing. Should this be done certified mail? Again, additional costs. What about wrong assesses and patients privacy issues. With decreasing reimbursements, this could cause quite an economic hardship on medical systems.

anonymous at 2/3/2011 2:00:50 PM


Why not an amendment to the bill requiring patients to schedule an office visit with the physician who ordered the test within 30 days of its completion, to review the results. Failure to do so could be used in evidence by physicians in the event of a malpractice claim in the future. There needs to be some balance between the obligation of doctors to explain test results, which are frequently ambiguous or non-definitive, to patients and the obligation of patients to take an active role and responsibility for their own health. Likewise, failure on the part of the physician to schedule a timely follow-up to a diagnostic study is a potential source of liability. My first impression is that if results go directly to patients, healthcare costs will go up dramatically, because over taxed primary care doctors are more likely to refer patients calling with questions about ambiguous results for specialty care or more tests than to spend 15 or 20 minutes with them on the phone or in the office due to time constraints.

Dr. Smith at 1/23/2011 8:38:11 PM


I favor notifying the patient that a result has been sent to the physician AND sending the result directly to the patient. I am a surgeon and cannot always respond in a fasion timely enough to satisfy the patient. If the patient has the result, they can ask for clarification from their PCP or directly from the radiologist as is common in the setting of mammography.

Kevin Garrett at 1/22/2011 8:52:23 PM


I submit that the patients already receive a notification that an imaging study was performed in the form of a billing statement for services rendered. Adding another form letter stating the same generic information would merely add an unfunded mandate, another layer of paperwork to satisfy a politician’s pet project and another time consuming clerical function. Copies of medical reports (containing Latin and Greek medical terms) will no doubt precipitate numerous calls to radiology departments and referring physician’s offices to clarify the issues, tying up office personnel and DECREASING care to the patient and all other patients of the practices. Does the representative truly believe this would be an improvement in patient care?

J. David Bohri, MD at 1/21/2011 8:09:42 PM


Dr. Messmer, your concern is exactly the problem with the legislation. However, as indicated in the story, we are working to amend the bill to require only that the patient be notified that test results have been sent to his/her physician.

PA Medical Society at 1/21/2011 9:59:48 AM


Responsible physicians notify their patients of all lab, pathology, and radiological testing results. I think it would be far more interesting for PMS to look at those cases in which this wasn't done, that it some how resulted in a mal-event, and then evaluate why the patient was not informed. The "excuse" that the doctor was too busy or "I forgot" is just not going to be adequate. With the malpractice climate being what it is in Pennsylvania, it is hard for me to imagine why the absence of informing patients of their lab results of any kind is ever an issue.

Carl H. Manstein, MD at 1/20/2011 10:07:21 PM


So, how is the patient with no medical training to interpret the nonspecific findings seen on so many imaging studies - the disc bulges on LS spine CT, the incidentalomas on abdominal and brain CT's, the vague densities on chest X-rays. This is much different than giving a woman a mammogram result.

John Messmer, M.D. at 1/20/2011 5:31:04 PM


There are no good answers here, but more costs. It costs the provider to send the results to the patient as well as the ordering physician. It will cost the patient a visit to the ordering physician's office to go over the test. I have already done this to avoid discrepancies in interpretations, since most of my patients demand a copy of their reports anyways. Keeping costs down?? No, it isn't. It's only going to increase costs further!

Jeffrey H Baker, MD at 1/20/2011 12:37:42 PM


If the patient requested to have a copy of the imaging report when the physician ordered the tests, then a copy of the repor should be sent to the patient either by the radiology department or by the physician.

Yu-Wen Chang, M.D. at 1/20/2011 12:00:52 PM

Last Updated: 1/13/2011
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