Should doctors make test results available over the internet to their patients?

Question

Or would that defeat the purpose of having to pay for an extra office visit?

Answer 1

yes i think they should.....its annoying to have to go just to get the results.. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 2

Actually my doctor does.  I recently had some tests done and she sent me the results via email.  She even answered a question I had about the results.  It was great!  Plus I didn't have to call them and stay on hold to get the results myself.  I think it's a good idea unless your email is not private.  

Answer 3

yes they should....security...no names just patient # and results

Answer 4

God no.  There are laws about medical privacy.  The people sending it to you couldn't know for sure who got the information and their computers could get hacked.

I used to work at a hospital that was transitioning to computers.  It was horrible.  People would put confidential medical record on Palm pilots, and then lose them at places like coffee shops.  How would you feel about that?   Computers get hacked ALL the time.  They are no place for confidential medical information.  

Answer 5

Doctors do e-mail their patients...example: we were just recently waiting to hear the outcome of an MRI...the doc sent it to us via e-mail.

Answer 6

You need somebody to interpret the test results. And it's the doctor's responsibility to do that and I think they can be held reliable for conveying the information to you.

Should they email you the result? The answer is NO. I think it takes less of their time to tell you verbally instead of typing it. And if you have questions or doubts, you can ask on the spot (imagine doing this using emails...  you may be asking the doctors to sit in front of the computer entire day instead :)

Should you have access to the result using the internet? The answer is YES. But there's a catch and it's all about security and technology. Emails are forwarded from one server to another until it reaches your mail box.

Furthermore, HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act) has strict requirements on how patient information should be kept. By distributing it over the internet or emailing to you, doctors may find themselves in a messy lawsuit or heavy penalty.

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/pediatric...

Doctors can still use software to give you access to your reports as long as that software complies with HIPAA rules and obviously, email is not on the list.

Answer 7

I think an email would be a good idea if results are normal.  However, if you are finding out that you have cancer or something, I would rather have a face to face meeting so that all of my questions were answered.  I think all results by email would cause a lot of problems for those who did not have good results!

Additional thoughts:

I think simple things like cholesterol or blood sugar would be great to get through email...unless you are going to need further treatment...example: you are finding out you are diabetic.  There is a fine line with how people will take these results.  Also it needs to be very clear to the patient what a normal range is which can also be included in the email.  As for HIPPA, I don't think it would be a violation if the patient signed something ahead of time to recieve results that way.  Not sure though in the case of shared email.

Answer 8

Personally, I would hate to be told I have cancer or some other disease over email.

Answer 9

No. You cannot disclose that type of sensitive and private information over the internet.  E-mail is not secure enough and can cause problems.  Besides, it's not the MD's fault.  The government has HIPPA laws that prohibit this.

Answer 10

probably would violate hippa violations...

Answer 11

Yes (but with conditions).

There should be prior agreement between patient and doctor.

The results should be via secure server and password protected.

The patient should be assessed prior to this option being available - will the patient be able to react rationally if the result is adverse (e.g. cancer or HIV positive)  and present themselves for treatment...

Answer 12

Actually this is already taking place in some parts of the world. More than that actually. People are able to stay at home and have their dr visits.

They call it:

DR WEBCAM.

Yah i know. It sounds weird! =D visit the site for more info.

Answer 13

definitely not. as we all know the internet is not the most private place on earth and medical history is definitely a private thing.

Answer 14

No, it would violate HIPPA rights. (privacy)

Answer 15

Excellent idea!

Answer 16

I the end probably not.  It's just not as secure as mailing them or as personal as having the patient come in or conveying them over the phone.  But it is convenient and it's already happening, so what can you do?

Answer 17

no not a good idea cause anyone could see it but you can always call into the doc office and not go into the office and pay 4 the extra visit

Answer 18

It would be totally awesome if Doctor's made use of the Internet for communicating with patients

Answer 19

No, it shouldn't be given over the internet as it isn't a secure means of communication. By going over the internet, it also violates the HIPPA laws (by bringing a 3rd party, the servers company, into it who doesn't legally have rights to that info). Same reason they can't just leave you results over your answering machine. They have to ensure that you have received your info in a confidential manner without any reason to believe that someone else may have access to it.

Answer 20

Mine does that already. Mine has an online system I can log into to get my results. Many offices give patients a call or mail the results. If there is an issue they always call for a follow up appointment.

Ya know, even Blue Cross, Blue Shield... a MAJOR health insurance provider already has claim information online for their customers, for all of you complaining about HIPPA laws.

For example:

"UPHS will also be using LabCalls®, TeleVox's lab results delivery system, to communicate with patients following lab tests. LabCalls makes test results available to patients via touch-tone phone or Internet in a secure, HIPAA-compliant environment. Patients are given convenient, 24/7 access to results, alleviating much of the anxiety surrounding lab tests. UPHS saves the personnel and financial resources associated with other delivery methods, including staff time and postage and printing costs."

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pw...