Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. 200 CRITICAL TEST RESULT REPORTING POLICY: • Test results are received in this Agency 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week. • All critical test results/values are reported to the physician within one (1) hour of receipt of the results by MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. DEFINITION: • Critical test results are those results/values deemed critical by: • The laboratory and/or diagnostic center reporting the results/values, or • The physician ordering the test(s) PROCEDURE: • When verbal critical test results are received by an appropriately qualified Agency staff member, the results are verified by the individual receiving the results reading them back to the reporting individual. • The critical test results are documented in the patient’s medical record along with the date and time the results were received in the Agency. The following statement accompanies the documented test results: “Critical test results read back to and verified with (full name and title of the individual providing the results)”. • The physician is notified of the critical test results, regardless of whether the laboratory and/or diagnostic center notified the physician, and the physician asked to read back the results. • The date and time of physician notification and response is documented in the patient’s medical record, along with the following statement: “Critical test results read back by Dr. (name of physician)”. • If the initial physician contacted is not the ordering physician, the ordering physician is notified of the critical test results/values as soon as possible and/or feasible and the above-mentioned information is again documented in the patient’s medical record.