Too Important To Wait For A Doctor's Call

Diagnostic errors account for as much as 40 percent of medical malpractice claims. And communication lapses, including failing to pass along test results, make up a growing proportion of those claims, according to a recent study. The work, published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, shows that malpractice payouts due to communication failures more than quadrupled between 1991 and 2010, to $91 million annually. UGG Classic Short Patients who've gone along with some doctors' "don't call us, we'll call you" approach to medical care need to snap out of it. Instead, patients need to take an active role in making sure test results are given to them and to other doctors working on their care. "Patients should expect to get test results even if they're completely normal,"says Dr. Glen Stream, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. "That way, patients can be part of their own 'culture of safety,' and if they don't get the results they can follow up."