{"id":18452,"date":"2019-12-04T14:07:55","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T19:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=18452"},"modified":"2026-02-05T04:33:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:33:47","slug":"a-guide-to-getting-test-results-from-your-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/a-guide-to-getting-test-results-from-your-doctor\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Getting Test Results From Your Doctor"},"content":{"rendered":"

During a months-long quest to resolve unexplained fatigue and joint pain, Rachel Horner took more than a dozen blood tests. To get test results, she typically had to schedule in-person appointments. Some weeks, she trudged into multiple doctors\u2019 offices just to hear that her blood work had come back normal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter any request for a test or blood work, they make me schedule a follow-up before I leave the office,\u201d says Horner, who lives in Los Angeles. \u201cThankfully my work is understanding, but I don’t understand why I can\u2019t just get a phone call.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Waiting for the results of any medical test, whether it\u2019s routine blood work, a pregnancy test or a biopsy, can <\/span>be a stressful experience<\/span><\/a>. Some doctors call, text or email patients with results, while others require in-person visits. No federal or state law dictates how or when doctors share test results with patients \u2014 legally, both approaches are fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, it\u2019s the patient\u2019s information, and it should be accessible to them.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cPatient-provider communications are largely unregulated,\u201d says Caitlin Donovan, senior director of public relations at the National Patient Advocate Foundation. So, in effect, providers, practices and hospitals determine their own policies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most providers who require follow-up visits to share test results have a reason for doing so, Donovan says, and aren\u2019t just trying to bill extra time: \u201cThey may want to be able to deliver bad news in a controlled environment where they can also discuss a treatment plan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean patients have to get on the same page. If you want to get results by phone or email, it\u2019s within your rights to ask. But before you speak up, make sure you understand what doctors need to consider, and what patients are owed, <\/span>when it comes to communicating medical news.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What your doctor is thinking<\/h2>\n

For years, Dr. Dennis Gingrich,<\/span> a family physician in Hershey, Pennsylvania, mailed lab results to patients. He\u2019d also share results over the phone, or let a nurse do it on his behalf, but only after he\u2019d reviewed the results and the patient had provided two forms of identity verification.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome patients like a personal touch,\u201d Gingrich says, \u201cbut phone calls are time-consuming.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gingrich has also timed blood work just before a patient\u2019s already-scheduled visit so they can talk about results in person without having to make an additional appointment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, it\u2019s the patient\u2019s information,\u201d he says, \u201cand it should be accessible to them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Siobahn Hruby, an internist in<\/span> Little Rock, Arkansas, says that large university hospitals often hold onto lab results for up to a week so that doctors have time to review them before they\u2019re released. Hruby has also seen front desk staff at some clinics tell patients they have their results, but they can\u2019t give them out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe main reason [office staff may refuse to hand over results] is that the person giving you the results should be able to interpret them and know what the next step is,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some screening tests for diseases, for example, are more prone to false positives. So even if a patient receives an initial positive result, it might not mean they have the disease in question. \u201cThe only person who\u2019s really qualified to talk to you about that is your physician,\u201d says Hruby.<\/span><\/p>\n

The move to patient portals<\/h2>\n

Gingrich\u2019s office recently started giving out lab results electronically, but Gingrich would never email results. He worries about providing security without a top-notch encryption system. Instead, his office has a <\/span>patient portal<\/span><\/a>, which is a secure online system where patients can log in to view test results and message their doctors. Portals also serve as a central repository for lab results. Many doctor\u2019s offices, like Gingrich\u2019s, upload them to the portal as soon as they come in.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, even with more doctors using patient portals to streamline communication and make practice operations more efficient, <\/span>patient adoption is<\/span><\/a> still relatively low<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>One recent study<\/span><\/a> found that portals can positively affect patient satisfaction and retention. In a 2016 case study, a family physician in North Carolina estimated his practice\u2019s portal resulted in <\/span>10,000 fewer phone calls<\/span><\/a> to his office each year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPatients have direct access to blood tests, imaging reports and notes,\u201d says Gingrich. \u201cSome patients like that, others haven\u2019t adapted to it. It\u2019s quite variable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost every blood test should be interpreted in relation to past blood tests, current medications and diseases, and age.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hruby sends most test results via her practice\u2019s portal: She writes a summary explaining what a patient\u2019s results mean and lets them know whether she recommends follow-up care. Test results are usually posted in the portal, with Hruby\u2019s summary, the same day they\u2019re received or the day after. For older patients who aren\u2019t comfortable with the technology, she still prints out letters and mails results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Baltimore, Laura Laing gets regular blood work done because of her hypothyroidism. She sees two doctors, at different medical centers, to manage the condition. Both use patient portals to share lab results. <\/span>Before, Laing says, she only heard about results if they were abnormal. Now, results are promptly uploaded to the portal and Laing receives an email notification that they\u2019re ready. \u201cI love the system my doctors use,\u201d she says. \u201cThe summaries are super easy to follow, and I\u2019ve found myself looking through my blood work results to check each of the levels.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting results on your own<\/h2>\n

You can also get results directly from a lab. Patients who register with Quest Diagnostics, for example, can access most results in the Quest system <\/span>within seven to 10 days<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

A 2014 federal regulation \u2014 the <\/span>lab test result data access rule<\/span><\/a> \u2014 guaranteed patients in all 50 states the right to access the results of tests performed by freestanding labs (as opposed to a lab in a hospital or doctor\u2019s office). Before that, patients in some states had direct access to lab results, while other states required a doctor\u2019s permission for direct access, and still others forbade it altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hruby and Gingrich are all for giving patients direct access. But they both have concerns that patients who see slightly abnormal test results \u2014 either in a report sent directly from a lab or in a patient portal \u2014 without any explanation from a doctor will worry unnecessarily. \u201cPeople get very anxious,\u201d Hruby says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doctors should let patients know how results will be conveyed, when the results will come in, and what to do if they don\u2019t hear back in that time frame.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Almost every blood test should be interpreted in relation to past blood tests, current medications and diseases, and age, she says.<\/span> A lab company can\u2019t do that; only a physician can. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not the kind of thing you can Google,\u201d says Hruby.<\/span><\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean every portal does its job perfectly. A\u00a0<\/span>recent study<\/span><\/a> found that almost two-thirds of patients who obtained test results from a portal received no explanatory information. Nearly half of those patients then conducted online searches, and many with abnormal results ended up calling their doctors. <\/span>Another study<\/span><\/a> found that while portals help patients participate more actively in their healthcare, they also may increase anxiety. <\/span>Yet another study<\/span><\/a> showed that more patients are receiving serious diagnoses over the phone, which in part could be due to doctors wanting to get ahead of patients seeing the news on a patient portal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, portals do help ensure that patients receive their results, and quickly. Past <\/span>studies have shown that\u00a0<\/span>between 8 and 26 percent<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of abnormal lab results were not communicated to patients promptly.<\/span><\/p>\n

What patients are owed<\/h2>\n

The American Medical Association has general <\/span>guidelines for physicians<\/span><\/a> on how to communicate clinical results. Patients should get results in a \u201ctimely fashion\u201d and doctors should be \u201cconsiderate of patient concerns and anxieties.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Doctors should let patients know how results will be conveyed, when the results will come in, and what to do if they don\u2019t hear back in that time frame, says the AMA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Hruby orders a test, she always gives patients an idea of when results will be ready. \u201cIt\u2019s a fair question to ask,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Patients should also assume that \u201cno news is no news,\u201d she says, and not necessarily good news. If you haven\u2019t received results after a reasonable amount of time, follow up. \u201cDefinitely take ownership,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Donovan adds that, when it comes to getting test results, \u201cthe process should be transparent and patients should consent to it as part of the check-in process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Ready to book a doctor’s appointment? Visit Zocdoc.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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