Getting lab results to patients without the phone calls

Ask any clinic secretary what fills their phone, and "is my result ready?" will be near the top. Each call is short, but they add up, and each one pulls the front desk away from the patient standing in front of them.

Why patients keep calling

Mostly because they do not know when to expect the result, and have no way to look. The fix is not to make calling harder. It is to make asking unnecessary.

Three things that cut the calls

1. Tell patients when to expect it

When you order a test, say how long it usually takes and write the date on the request. A patient who knows "Thursday afternoon" will not call on Tuesday.

2. Let patients see the result themselves

A patient portal lets patients sign in and view what the clinic has chosen to share, such as lab results, documents and bills. You decide what is visible. A result that needs a conversation first can stay with the doctor until that conversation happens.

3. Send it to them when it is ready

If a result is ready and the doctor has reviewed it, sending it by email takes a click. The patient gets it without calling, and the clinic keeps a record that it was sent.

What should still be a conversation

Not every result belongs in an inbox. A result that may worry the patient, or that changes their treatment, is better delivered by the doctor, in person or by phone. A good rule is to automate the routine ones and keep the ones that matter personal.

Keep the result with the chart

Whichever way a result reaches the patient, it should also land in their chart. That way the next consultation starts with the full picture, and nobody has to search a folder or a phone for it.

DokEMR files lab results to the patient's chart, lets the clinic share them through the patient portal or by email, and gives every new clinic a free 30-day trial.