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Article: The Quality - Cost Connection: Don't fail to communicate critical test results.
- Article from:
- Hospital Peer Review
- Article date:
- April 1, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 A Thomson Healthcare Company. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Don't fail to communicate critical test results
Compliance continuing to be problematic
By Patrice Spath, RHIT
Brown-Spath & Associates
Forest Grove, OR
It could be a routine preoperative check X-ray that shows a suspicious-looking lesion or a STAT blood test suggesting a potentially virulent infection. The test results must be communicated to the ordering physician. When critical test results are not received by the physician in a timely manner there can be tragic results. In 2005 The Joint Commission added a National Patient Safety Goal requiring improvements in the communication of critical tests and test results. This is ...