PROCEDURES

Test Results By Phone

Time is precious to all of us.  With that in mind, our office is introducing a new service to our patients that will allow them to receive certain test results by phone rather than making an appointment in our office. 
 
Our new Tel•A•Patient service calls the patient when test results are ready.  If the phone is answered by a person, they will be given the opportunity to access the results by entering their "PIN" number, which is the  patient's date of birth.  This entry must be in eight (8) digit form and entered without dashes or slashes (i.e.  May 4, 1961 would be entered as 05041961).  If the phone is answered by a machine, a message will be left with instructions to call a special toll-free number to obtain results.  The same "PIN" will apply to this method.
 
Your results are dictated by a member of staff, not an outside source.  Tel•A•Patient is only given contact information, not results, and are bound by HIPPA laws to maintain your privacy.  Your contact information will never be shared with anyone. 
 
Since this service is new to everyone, we have decided to start slowly and only offer the results of Allergy (RAST) Testing via Tel•A•Patient.  If your results are unremarkable, meaning negative or mildly reactive (having no significant affect to your health), you will be told just that.  If your results are more complicated and you require counseling or treatment, you will be advised to make a follow-up office visit.
 
Our goal is to save you time and money and, in turn, allow our staff some additional time to help others with their health issues.  If you do not wish to receive test results by phone, please tell our staff of your preference when you are having your test done.  They will gladly set up a follow-up appointment to discuss your results in person.  If you do participate in the system, we would appreciate your feedback (good, bad or indifferent) regarding your experience.  This will help us to help you in the future. 
 
As we progress, and everyone becomes more comfortable with this system, we may make other negative test results available through Tel•A•Patient.  However, these results will be limited to routine tests and results that have little or no impact on the patient's health and welfare.  The results of biopsies will not be available on this system.