Are doctors supposed to call you with test results?!
Question: I had a CT scan test done and my doctor should have it by now. Are doctors supposed to call you with test results or are you supposed to make an appt?
Answers: I had a CT scan test done and my doctor should have it by now. Are doctors supposed to call you with test results or are you supposed to make an appt?
In my experince (10 years medical professional) no news in typically good news. But don't ever hesitate to call your doctor, hell that's what you pay them for, he'll call you back with your results. But do not call the imaging center that did your scan, they are not allowed to give you results.
They usually call you but doctor's can take a while with things. Check your answering machine to make sure they didn't call and leave a message. If they missed you, you'll have to call them back because it's illegal for them to leave the results on an answering machine or in voice mail.
If your referring doctor didn't give you instructions when he gave you the order form for the CT scan, you are going to need to call his office to find out. Some offices will call you with results, some want you to come in for a follow up visit, some will even send you a generic form letter in the mail. So, call your doctor's office, tell them when you had your scan, and find out what they require. Most radiologist imaging reports are sent to the referring doctor's office within 48 hours.
EDIT: The person ahead of me says generally "no news is good news." NOT TRUE! No news could mean that your referrring doctor never say the imaging report. Always make sure you get the results of any testing. Imaging and blood lab reports get lost in transit or misfiled.....it would be awful, if something was really wrong, and you assumed no news is good news......
You usually have to call the doctor to get the results. They have so many patients they don't have time to call patients. Don't be afraid of the results, if anything is wrong you can catch it in time usually. I would call but they may tell you to make an appointment depending on the test results.