Page 45 - 2022 Risk Basics - Surgical Practice

SVMIC Risk Basics: Surgical Practice

If received electronically, the result should be tasked to the

physician for review. The physician should date and sign the
report after the review and document any action taken

thereafter. Once it is signed by the physician in the electronic

system, staff should mark the log book with the date that the
results were received.

If a report on a test or referral does not come back within the

expected timeframe (usually within a few days of the order),
then an inquiry should be made and the physician notified.

Patients should be notified of all test and referral results, and

this notification should be documented on the log.

Scheduling

The scheduling mechanism can also be used to track patients.
One way requires that, after the physician orders a test or

referral, he/she schedules a follow-up appointment with the

patient to be seen in the office after the date that the results
should be available. This system only works if the practice

also tracks patient no-shows and cancellations. Another way
the scheduling system can be used to track results, after a

test/referral is ordered, is for the physician to instruct the nurse
(or scheduling staff) to place the patient’s name and the

test/referral ordered on his/her schedule for the day that the

results would reasonably be expected to be received in the
office. An appointment time is not given; the patient’s name is

simply added to the schedule with a “results pending” notation.

Each day, the medical records with the designated “results
pending” appointment are reviewed, and if the results have not

been received, then appropriate investigation follows. Standard
physician follow-up should occur.

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