Patients Prefer Test Results Through Password-Protected Portals

Patients increasingly prefer to receive laboratory test results via password-protected websites and portals, according to a study published in the November- December issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Password-protected websites and portals are even more preferred with increased perception of test result sensitivity. “It is necessary for health professionals to deliver results using the most confidential and patient-oriented method possible,” write the Georgetown University Medical Center-based authors. “Despite these needs, no standardized delivery method has been established, nor have preferences been clearly delineated.” Determining patient communications preferences is difficult given both how rapidly technology is evolving and how quickly patients adapt to these new communication methods. The authors acknowledge that while return of results must be Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant, Internet-and mobile-based communication have dramatically increased since the law’s passage in 1996, and this changing technological environment may not be fully captured in regulations. For example, in 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services began requiring laboratories to provide patients direct access to results and permits use of patient portals; the agency does not require, however, results be returned electronically. The Georgetown study utilized electronic surveys to evaluate patient demographics, familiarity with […]