4 ms·

Something that I don't understand (and I haven't lived in the USA to know): when you get tested for something, you don't walk away with the results? They are ke

Something that I don't understand (and I haven't lived in the USA to know): when you get tested for something, you don't walk away with the results? They are kept in some system that only the MD who asked for them have access ??? You are unable to give the results to some other doctor, asking for a second opinion?

mcherm 7y ago
Yes, that is accurate. In the US, lab results are nearly always sent to the doctor who prescribed the tests, not to the patient. (And most tests cannot be requested without a doctor's order.) Some doctors are good about sharing the detailed results with their patients while others are not. You can ask your doctor to send the results to another doctor (more often you just tell the new doctor to request them from the original doc). By law you are entitled to a copy of your medical record yourself but with many doctors it is surprisingly difficult to get them to do this. I have heard of cases where it took many weeks and the threat of a lawsuit. Ostensibly, the reason for this state of affairs is so a patient can have a professional help explain and interpret the results.
joelberman 7y ago
I can go online and get all of my test results including graphs that show change. X-ray reports. The only thing not online is surgical notes, but I easier got copies of them. This is from the UCLA healthcare system. Also Quest labs has online results to patients. This is in CA. My brother-in-law, could not get results from tests in Virginia to get a second opinion. Perhaps it varies by state.
hansthehorse 7y ago
I go to a VA medical center and every word they have written about me, all my labs and scans are available online.
Bubbadoo 7y ago
I had the option of having all test results emailed to me. I had the results of my physical before my doctor did. This is a result of modern medical information systems.

mcherm 7y ago

Yes, that is accurate. In the US, lab results are nearly always sent to the doctor who prescribed the tests, not to the patient. (And most tests cannot be requested without a doctor's order.) Some doctors are good about sharing the detailed results with their patients while others are not. You can ask your doctor to send the results to another doctor (more often you just tell the new doctor to request them from the original doc). By law you are entitled to a copy of your medical record yourself but with many doctors it is surprisingly difficult to get them to do this. I have heard of cases where it took many weeks and the threat of a lawsuit. Ostensibly, the reason for this state of affairs is so a patient can have a professional help explain and interpret the results.

joelberman 7y ago

I can go online and get all of my test results including graphs that show change. X-ray reports. The only thing not online is surgical notes, but I easier got copies of them. This is from the UCLA healthcare system. Also Quest labs has online results to patients. This is in CA. My brother-in-law, could not get results from tests in Virginia to get a second opinion. Perhaps it varies by state.

hansthehorse 7y ago

I go to a VA medical center and every word they have written about me, all my labs and scans are available online.

Bubbadoo 7y ago

I had the option of having all test results emailed to me. I had the results of my physical before my doctor did. This is a result of modern medical information systems.