Do your homework, or you won’t pass the test

Back in the day it may have been common to implicitly trust your physician, but that is no longer the case. Of course, you should listen to your doctor, but you should also do your own research and follow up on any tests and so on.

A recent study by Weill Cornell Medical College found that physicians don’t inform patients of test results 1 out of 14 times. These tests could include cancer screenings, blood work, ultrasounds, mammograms, and others. Some medical offices failed to inform their patients of test results about 25 percent of the time, which is certainly unacceptable and practically unbelievable.

The study found that many facilities didn’t have systems in place for disseminating the test results to patients. If patients develop preventable conditions because they were not told of negative test results, this could lead to an increase in lawsuits.

So, word to the wise–if you’ve had tests done, make sure you call your physician to get the results. Don’t ever assume that no news is good news, especially when it comes to your health.

This was posted on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 and is filed in the Legal, Patient Care categories.