Clinical Review
Assessing Diagnostic Test Result Management in a VA Health Care Network
Fed Pract. 2006 November;23(11):23
Author and Disclosure Information
Terry Wahls MD, MBA, Thomas Haugen, MD, Kristin Cowell, MS, and William Becker, MD
Dr. Wahls is the associate chief of staff at the VA Iowa City Health Care System (VA ICHCS); the hospital liaison and faculty member for the Institute for Translational Practice, Center for Research in the Implementation of Innovative Strategies in Practice, VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence; and an associate professor of medicine in the division of general medicine, department of internal medicine, University of Iowa (UI) Carver College of Medicine; all in Iowa City, IA. Dr. Haugen is the director of pathology and laboratory medicine service at the VA ICHCS and an associate professor in the department of pathology, UI Carver College of Medicine. Ms. Cowell is the laboratory manager at the VA Black Hills Health Care System, Fort Meade and Hot Springs, SD. Dr. Becker is the chief of staff at the VA Fargo Health Care System, Fargo, ND.
When test results are not communicated to patients or acted upon by providers in a timely manner, there can be serious medical consequences. Here, investigators describe a VISN-wide quality improvement initiative to identify the weak links in the results reporting process.