How does outpatient labwork and radiology work get communicated in NY?

[pharmalt82]

I'm an NYC pharmacist. This is technical/mechanism question about how offices communicate these days.

I went to a family doctor recently and picked up 2 unsigned computer-printed orders: 1 for an MRI of my elbow and 1 for some blood work.

What is absolutely bizarre to me is that all I needed to get my elbow MRI and my blood work was to go to a private radiology office and then to a quest diagnostics lab with these printed papers.

Once the MRI and blood work reports were ready, I was able to see the results online myself.

I then received a call from my doctor's office saying "everything was normal."

I've got 2 questions:
1) These orders literally look like they were made in microsoft word. I'm assuming that these are not authenticated in any way? I guess there are no regulations demanding authentication of diagnostic test orders? Why would there be? It's not like there is a line of people that want to pay to hear an MRI machine. There is a line of people who would love some opioids with fake Rxs on the other hand?

2) How did my radiology office and quest diagnostics communicate with my doctor? There was a fax number on my orders but that's it. Is that how these offices communicate these days?

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[wholeheartedly]

I'm an NYC pharmacist. This is technical/mechanism question about how offices communicate these days.

I went to a family doctor recently and picked up 2 unsigned computer-printed orders: 1 for an MRI of my elbow and 1 for some blood work.

What is absolutely bizarre to me is that all I needed to get my elbow MRI and my blood work was to go to a private radiology office and then to a quest diagnostics lab with these printed papers.

Once the MRI and blood work reports were ready, I was able to see the results online myself.

I then received a call from my doctor's office saying "everything was normal."

I've got 2 questions:
1) These orders literally look like they were made in microsoft word. I'm assuming that these are not authenticated in any way? I guess there are no regulations demanding authentication of diagnostic test orders? Why would there be? It's not like there is a line of people that want to pay to hear an MRI machine. There is a line of people who would love some opioids with fake Rxs on the other hand?

2) How did my radiology office and quest diagnostics communicate with my doctor? There was a fax number on my orders but that's it. Is that how these offices communicate these days?

from the lab side, we faxed anything ordered by outside docs to their offices. we did require either a written or electronic sig. or something to that effect on the order to run the test.

 

[pharmalt82]

from the lab side, we faxed anything ordered by outside docs to their offices. we did require either a written or electronic sig. or something to that effect on the order to run the test.

I was wondering about this because I wanted to know if they had some more modern communication method but I guess outpatient docs and labs still basically use faxes and phone calls to communicate, at least as a fallover.

 

[wholeheartedly]

I was wondering about this because I wanted to know if they had some more modern communication method but I guess outpatient docs and labs still basically use faxes and phone calls to communicate, at least as a fallover.

It is possible to have an internet based connection if on the same EMR or if sending out labs to someplace like Mayo or Quest, but faxing is cheap and easy.