Page 22 - 2022 Risk Basics - Radiology

SVMIC Risk Basics: Radiology

clinical colleagues about meaningful abnormal findings on studies that
the colleagues have ordered. Often, phone numbers are not available, and

even when they are, referring physicians may not be. Most radiologists
practice in an environment that is extremely hectic and becoming even

more so. The radiologist and/or their staff typically spend hours every day
in a vain attempt to contact the referring provider in a busy hospital or

clinic who may have already left for the day; or, often even more difficult,
to contact a responsible party for a patient who has been discharged

from the emergency department.

RADIOLOGY PRO-TIPS

What should radiologists do when the referring provider is not

readily available? First, make the effort to call the provider; if
he or she is not available but a nurse or secretary is, give that

person the report and instruct the person to pass it on to the
provider – and then, document what you did (including the

staff person’s name) in the radiology report (1st choice) or in a
separate log kept in the radiology department (2nd choice). If no

one is available, the radiologist has a dilemma: the radiologist
should try to either reach the provider later the same day or the

following day (depending on the finding), or, if that is not feasible,
the radiologist should inform the patient directly that something

serious is wrong and that the patient should contact his or her
provider and/or go directly to the nearest emergency department.

Any such dialogue should be well-documented.

When it comes to the timing of the report’s preparation, many potential

problems are avoided if the report is generated immediately, possibly with

the use of voice-recognition reporting, while the case is being reviewed

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