Closing the Loop on Results for <Better Care/> – Magenta Health Fall Update #4

This is the fourth message in our six part Magenta Health Fall Update series. These are short but important updates to help us provide you with <Better Care/>. In this edition, we want to remind you why it is important to keep track of your tests and test results, and how doing so helps ensure nothing is missed.

Why this matters

It is a common belief that “no news is good news.” But when it comes to test results, that is not always true. Most results reach us without issue, but occasionally they can be delayed or misplaced due to human or technical error. Even with ongoing improvements to our systems and those of our community partners, mistakes can still happen. That is why closing the loop is so important.

How to collaborate on this

  • Sometimes your physician will order a test and explicitly say: “no news will be good news.” In those specific circumstances, you don’t need to follow up unless you have a concern.

  • Otherwise, for every test you complete, we encourage you to track whether you have heard back, and if you have not, to either follow up or ensure you bring it up at your next appointment.

  • If it has been longer than you would expect to hear back about your test results, you can use our online tool to prompt a follow-up (you will need to enter your OHIP number when using this link).

How this helps deliver <Better Care/>

Your collaboration helps close potential gaps and ensures nothing is missed. At the same time, we are continuously improving our electronic medical record (EMR) system to reduce the chance of errors at every step. These improvements mean better, more reliable care not only here at Magenta Health, but also at other clinics across Canada that use the same platform.

For example, we have developed internal audits that regularly scan our database for potential problems that need closer inspection. Eventually, we aim to automatically track every single test, but we are not there yet.

If you would like to support these improvements, you can learn more or contribute monthly at: www.magentahealth.ca/better-care-2

Closing the loop on results helps us catch potential issues early and strengthen our systems for the future. Thank you for being an active partner in your care.