Immediate Radiology Report Access: A Burden to the Ordering Provider.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Many practices have eliminated their delayed-release of radiology report programs in response to anticipated penalties under the information-blocking provision of the 21st Century Cures Act. Our purpose is to share the results and suggestions from a survey of our referring providers regarding the impact of the removal of the radiology report embargo on their practices. METHODS: An electronic survey invitation was sent to all referring providers at our institution. The survey consisted of 12 questions that solicited information regarding the calls and questions received by providers from patients who accessed their radiology reports in the online portal since the removal of the report embargo on October 20, 2020. Responses were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Out of 4,671 survey recipients, there were 249 respondents (5.3%). 195 (78.3%) respondents reported being contacted by patients regarding their radiology reports and, of those, 165 (83.8%) reported an increase in patient call volume in the past 60 days since the radiology report embargo was removed. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of ordering provider respondents reported an increase in the volume of patient calls regarding findings in their radiology reports following the removal of a radiology report embargo program. Practices contemplating the removal of their report embargoes in response to the information-blocking provision of the Cures Act should be aware of the potential impacts on patients and referring providers and consider strategies to mitigate patient anxiety and provider workflow disruption.