Patient access to imaging reports faster post-Cures Act enactment

A key provision in the 21st Century Cures Act has led to decreased time for patients to access imaging results, according to research published March 27 in the American Journal of Roentgenology. Researchers led by Nelly Tan, MD, from the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ, also found that after implementing institutional policies to comply with the act’s information-blocking provisions, more patients accessed their reports before the ordering provider did. However, the researchers cautioned that this could impact communication between patients and radiologists when discussing findings. “Radiologists should consider mechanisms to ensure timely and appropriate communication of important findings to ordering providers,” Tan and co-authors wrote. Federal regulations have called for health systems to provide patients with immediate access to electronic health information, including imaging results, as part of the Cures Act. The "information-blocking" provisions of the act require health systems to provide patients with immediate access to their health information upon request. This means that patients can instantly access their imaging, potentially before the exam’s ordering provider can review them. The researchers highlighted that while this could impact reporting and communication practices for radiologists, such an impact hasn’t been well-studied. Tan and colleagues compared patient access to radiology reports before and after the implementation of the information-blocki...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Practice Management Administration Source Type: news