21 Oct Should Patients Have Immediate Access to Cancer Test Results?

By: Kara Grant

Source: Medscape.com

In the second installation of the Medscape Masters series, Aaron Goodman, MD, a hematologist at UC San Diego, and Mark Lewis, MD, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, came together to debate the topic of patients’ immediate access to cancer test results. Moderated by WebMD’s chief medical officer John Whyte, MD, who practices as an internist himself, Goodman argued in favor of patients getting access to their electronic health records (EHRs) without delay, a key feature of the 21st Century Cures Act that went into full effect in October 2022. Lewis took the opposing position, arguing that even though there’s no changing the Cures Act, patients’ unprecedented access to their results has been burdensome for both patients and the healthcare system alike.

The argument in favor of immediate patient access to test results:

According to Goodman, his position is obvious: Patients deserve to see their EHRs without delay. It’s their health information, and they should be able to control when and where they see it. Patients also don’t have to look at it, Goodman emphasizes.

The argument against:

Lewis knows that his stance against Open Notes and immediate EHR access isn’t a popular one, especially among patients. He also knows that despite his opposition to it, the 21st Century Cures Act isn’t going away anytime soon. But Lewis holds that giving all of this information to patients — or what he calls “à la carte oncology” — puts the onus of understanding their labs and test results unfairly on patients before they have the chance to see a doctor.

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