Physician Practice

Close the loop on test results: For want of a message, a life could be lost

Medical Environment Update, March 20, 2020

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by Brian Ward

In December, The Joint Commission (TJC) released Quick Safety Issue 52: Advancing Safety With Closed-Loop Communication of Test Results. Closed-loop communication means that every test result is sent, received, and addressed in a timely manner, and the patient is notified of the results and next steps.

“Diagnostic error is one of the most important safety problems in health care today. It is among the most common, catastrophic, and costly of serious medical errors and one study estimates that approximately 1 in 20 U.S. adults will have a diagnostic error annually in the outpatient setting,” according to Quick Safety Issue 52.

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Medical Environment Update.

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