The emailing test results procedure, is achieved by the CCS ‘e-mail server’ software. MediLab LIS’ has the ability to send test results by e-mail, to patients who wish. Each patient has the ability to request an electronic submission of his test results. For this purpose, the Health Unit personnel, records the e-mail address of the patient. The functionality, without being restrictive, mainly concerns the outpatients equipped by a test prescription.
The emailing procedure concern the tests of the biopathological laboratories (Biochemical, Hematological, Microbiological, Immunological, Serological). MediLab LIS has the ability to send emails either to a specific patient, or automatically to all patients that have asked for.
The laboratory results of an order, can be sent electronically, only if there is a proper authorization by the patient. The ‘MediLab LIS’ system maintains a flag, informing the authorized lab personnel that the health unit has been authorized by the patient, to send his test results by e-mail. The registration of the patient’s e-mail address flags the “consent” of the patient for the emailing process.
The outgoing e-mail contains as attachments the lab results reports in PDF format. If the results sent by e-mail are password protected (recommended), then the patient must have been informed of the password. The patient is informed by the authorized personnel during the registration of the order, by the ERP / HIS system.
Tests that are sent electronically are displayed by a special mark (an envelope icon), so that the user has a complete picture of those tests that have been sent electronically, in order to avoid the phenomenon of multiple shipments. Additional functionality is the ability for the use of a filter, to display both the results to be sent and the already sent ones.
‘MediLab LIS’ is able to a fully automated bulk sending of outpatient laboratory results, via e-mail. The shipment is made without any user intervention. The selection of results to be sent includes all unsent approved results. Shipping frequency is parametrically determined during software configuration. Note that the results must be complete and approved in order to be transmitted.
To send e-mail results to patients, the following must be ensured:
In order to comply with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation, the patient must consent and authorize the Health Organization accordingly. The registration is takes place in the management system (ERP / HIS) during outpatient examination and test ordering procedure.
The authorization concerns all the tests of the specific order, ie specific visit of the outpatient. The existence of the e-mail address in the HL7 message (ORM) sent to the LIS, for each laboratory test order, is equivalent to confirming the patient’s consent to be sent by e-mail the test results.
The registration of the patient’s e-mail is done in the management system (ERP / HIS) of the Hospital, during his admission. The email address is sent to the ‘MediLab LIS’ laboratory system with an HL7 message via the existing interface. The presence of the e-mail address in the HL7 message received by the LIS is the confirmation of the patient’s consent.
The emailing test results procedure maintains password protected documents. The patient is informed of the password by the authorized personnel of the institution during the registration phase, by the ERP / HIS system. The password can be either the Hospital Registration Number or the Social Security Number. It may also be another datum among patient’s demographics data or even a combination, under certain conditions. The method that defines the password has been agreed during the installation – configuration of the ‘e-mail Server’ with the IT service of the Hospital. The method decided, applies to all patients.
