where do i refer patient for pathology report

A patient can request that their reports are uploaded to their My Health Record. However, it is not necessary for you, or the pathology laboratory, to seek consent from patients every time. If you or your patient does not want a pathology report uploaded to a My Health Record the pathology laboratory should be notified.

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Where can I find resources to understand my pathology report?

The College of American Pathologists has developed resources to help you understand your pathology report. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. Videos you watch may be added to the TV's watch history and influence TV recommendations. To avoid this, cancel and sign in to YouTube on your computer.

When does the pathologist send a pathology report to the Doctor?

The pathologist sends a pathology report to the doctor within 10 days after the biopsy or surgery is performed. Pathology reports are written in technical medical language.

What is a pathology report for cancer?

Stages of Cancer A pathology report is a medical document that gives information about a diagnosis, such as cancer. To test for the disease, a sample of your suspicious tissue is sent to a lab. A doctor called a pathologist studies it under a microscope.

Why is it important to keep copies of my pathology report?

Copies of any pathology reports are very important to keep, as your diagnosis and treatment are often based on them. Further, understanding the report will help you and your medical provider (and any future medical providers) better understand your condition.

Who reads pathology reports?

A doctor called a pathologist studies it under a microscope. They may also do tests to get more information. These findings go into your pathology report. It includes your diagnosis, if and how much your cancer has spread, and other details.

Can I request my pathology slides?

How do I obtain these slides? Call the hospital where your biopsy or surgery was performed or where the tissue was sent. In most cases, you will speak to a pathology department. The pathology department may request that you sign a release for the slides.

Who writes pathology reports?

A pathologist is a doctor who does this examination and writes the pathology report. Pathology reports play an important role in cancer diagnosis and staging (describing the extent of cancer within the body, especially whether it has spread), which helps determine treatment options.

What is a pathology tissue request?

The pathologist may have to request additional tissue, perform tests on the tissue, and/or request another pathologist to examine the tissue. The pathologist may also perform tests on your tissue (e.g., estrogen receptor activity on breast cancer tissue) to help determine what further treatment should be used.

What are the 4 types of pathology?

The American Osteopathic Board of Pathology also recognizes four primary specialties: anatomic pathology, dermatopathology, forensic pathology, and laboratory medicine. Pathologists may pursue specialised fellowship training within one or more subspecialties of either anatomical or clinical pathology.

How long does it take a pathology report to come back?

The pathology report may be ready in as soon as two or three days after the biopsy is taken. If additional testing of the tissue is necessary, the report may take longer to complete (between seven and 14 days). Pathology reports are written in technical language using many medical terms.

Why is a pathology report done?

Pathology reports are used by your medical provider to determine a diagnosis or treatment plan for a specific health condition or disease.

How is a pathology test done?

Pathology tests are tests to look at samples of the body's tissues under a microscope. The tests help your doctor find or check on a condition. The tissue may come from a biopsy test, where a small piece of tissue is removed. Or it may come from removing an abnormal area (like a mole).

Is a biopsy a pathology report?

For many health problems, a diagnosis is made by removing a piece of tissue for study in the pathology lab. The piece of tissue may be called the sample or specimen. The biopsy report describes what the pathologist finds out about the specimen.

What is a pathologic diagnosis?

Determination of the cause or causes of an illness by examining fluids and tissues from the patient before or after death. The examination may be performed on blood, plasma, microscopic tissue samples, or gross specimens. See: autopsy; pathology.

What is pathology diagnosis?

Pathology is a branch of medical science that involves the study and diagnosis of disease through the examination of surgically removed organs, tissues (biopsy samples), bodily fluids, and in some cases the whole body (autopsy).

What is a surgical pathology report?

Surgical pathology is the study of tissues removed from living patients during surgery to help diagnose a disease and determine a treatment plan.

What is a pathology report?

A pathology report is a document that contains the diagnosis determined by examining cells and tissues under a microscope. The report may also cont...

How is tissue obtained for examination by the pathologist?

In most cases, a doctor needs to do a biopsy or surgery to remove cells or tissues for examination under a microscope. Some common ways a biopsy ca...

How is tissue processed after a biopsy or surgery? What is a frozen section?

The tissue removed during a biopsy or surgery must be cut into thin sections, placed on slides, and stained with dyes before it can be examined und...

How long after the tissue sample is taken will the pathology report be ready?

The pathologist sends a pathology report to the doctor within 10 days after the biopsy or surgery is performed. Pathology reports are written in te...

What information does a pathology report usually include?

The pathology report may include the following information ( 1 ): Patient information: Name, birth date, biopsy date Gross description: Color, weig...

What might the pathology report say about the physical and chemical characteristics of the tissue?

After identifying the tissue as cancerous, the pathologist may perform additional tests to get more information about the tumor that cannot be dete...

What information about the genetics of the cells might be included in the pathology report?

Cytogenetics uses tissue culture and specialized techniques to provide genetic information about cells, particularly genetic alterations. Some gene...

Can individuals get a second opinion about their pathology results?

Although most cancers can be easily diagnosed, sometimes patients or their doctors may want to get a second opinion about the pathology results ( 1...

What research is being done to improve the diagnosis of cancer?

NCI, a component of the National Institutes of Health, is sponsoring clinical trials that are designed to improve the accuracy and specificity of c...

What is a pathology report?

A pathology report is a document that contains the diagnosis determined by examining cells and tissues under a microscope. The report may also contain information about the size, shape, and appearance of a specimen as it looks to the naked eye. This information is known as the gross description.

How long does it take for a pathologist to send a report?

The pathologist sends a pathology report to the doctor within 10 days after the biopsy or surgery is performed. Pathology reports are written in technical medical language. Patients may want to ask their doctors to give them a copy of the pathology report and to explain the report to them. Patients also may wish to keep a copy ...

How to tell if a biopsy is cancerous?

This is known as histologic (tissue) examination and is usually the best way to tell if cancer is present. The pathologist may also examine cytologic (cell) material.

What is an IHC report?

For example, the pathology report may include information obtained from immunochemical stains (IHC). IHC uses antibodies to identify specific antigens on the surface of cancer cells. IHC can often be used to: Determine where the cancer started.

How are tissue samples prepared?

All tissue samples are prepared as permanent sections, but sometimes frozen sections are also prepared. Permanent sections are prepared by placing the tissue in fixative (usually formalin) to preserve the tissue, processing it through additional solutions, and then placing it in paraffin wax.

What is the role of a pathologist in cancer diagnosis?

A pathologist is a doctor who does this examination and writes the pathology report. Pathology reports play an important role in cancer diagnosis and staging (describing the extent of cancer within the body, especially whether it has spread), which helps determine treatment options.

What does a positive margin mean on a biopsy?

Tumor margins: There are three possible findings when the biopsy sample is the entire tumor: Positive margins mean that cancer cells are found at the edge of the material removed. Negative, not involved, clear, or free margins mean that no cancer cells are found at the outer edge.

What should a physician note in a medical test?

Instead, the physician must note the type of test, the methodology used, the normal range for the test, and then comment on whether the finding is abnormal or normal in relation to that range.

Do outpatient labs have to be reimbursed by Medicare?

Outpatient hospital laboratories are reimbursed based on a fee schedule for Medicare.

Can you copy a number value from a computer to a patient's chart?

Because most tests are computerized, the results usually are reported by a number value on a computer printout. It is not sufficient to copy that number value into the patient’s chart or attach the computer printout to the patient record.

What is the name of the doctor who examines tissue to determine if cancer is present?

To diagnose diseases such as cancer, a sample of tissue called a biopsy is taken from a patient and examined by a pathologist to determine if cancer is present. A pathologist is a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and classification of diseases by looking at tissue or cells under a microscope and by interpreting medical laboratory ...

What is the doctor who examines specimens removed during surgery?

The pathologist is also the doctor who examines specimens removed during surgery (resections) for conditions such as cancer, to determine whether a tumor is benign or cancerous, and if cancerous, the exact cell type, grade, and stage of the tumor. In some cases, the pathologist also performs molecular biomarker analysis ...

What is a pathology report?

Your pathology report is a medical document prepared for you by your pathologist, a specialist medical doctor who works closely with the other doctors in your health care team. If you received a pathology report it means that a tissue sample from your body was sent to the laboratory for examination by a pathologist.

What is the most important section of a pathology report?

The diagnosis is the most important section of your pathology report. This section provides a summary or explanation for the changes seen in your tissue. Often, the explanation includes a name for the disease or condition that best explains your symptoms.

What is gross description in pathology?

All pathology reports include a gross description. In pathology ‘gross’ refers to the way a tissue sample looks without using a microscope. The gross description is very important in the examination process. In some cases, your pathologist can make a diagnosis by looking at the tissue or reading the gross description.

What does a pathologist do?

This means that they describe what they see in the tissue sample without giving the name for a specific disease. This often includes words that are unfamiliar to people who are not medical doctors. To learn more about these words, visit our pathology dictionary.

Why is a complete and accurate clinical history important?

A complete and accurate clinical history is very important because it helps your pathologist understand why the tissue sample was sent for examination.

What does it mean when a tissue sample is negative?

“Negative” is a word pathologists use to say that something was not seen . For example, if no cancer was seen in the tissue sample, the diagnosis section may say “ negative for malignancy ”.

How does a pathologist examine tissue?

Your pathologist will examine your tissue by eye and under a microscope. They will then provide you with a report describing what they see. Tissue sent for examination can range in size from a very small biopsy to an entire organ. In pathology, every piece of tissue, regardless of its size, is called a specimen.

What is a pathology report?

Stages of Cancer . A pathology report is a medical document that gives information about a diagnosis, such as cancer. To test for the disease, a sample of your suspicious tissue is sent to a lab. A doctor called a pathologist studies it under a microscope. They may also do tests to get more information.

What is the identifying information on a blood test?

Identifying information: This has your name, birth date, and medical record number. It also lists contact information for your doctor, the pathologist and lab where the sample was tested.

What is the role of a pathologist in cancer?

The pathologist is a medical doctor specializing in diagnosing disease by examining organs, tissues, cells and bodily fluids.

What are the observations of a gross examination?

Observations noted in the gross examination include the sample’s appearance and characteristics, such as size (typically documented in centimeters), texture (whether it is hard or soft, smooth or lumpy) and color. Gross examinations help determine accurate diagnoses because certain tumors have specific characteristics.

What is the procedure called when a patient's tissue is removed?

Many standardized procedures are performed before a diagnosis can be rendered. After the patient’s tissue sample is collected during either a biopsy or excision (the surgical removal of tissue), the pathologist conducts what’s known as a gross examination, performed with the naked eye, rather than under a microscope.

Why are sectioned samples preserved?

The sectioned samples are preserved for future testing, which may be necessary if medical advancements lead to the discovery of a new tumor marker or a new treatment, for example, or if a duplicate slide is needed for the patient to use in seeking a second opinion.

Should I get a second opinion on a cancer diagnosis?

When reading a pathology report, Dr. Tan suggests paying close attention to the tumor type, grade and stage, and he recommends getting a second opinion if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. “It’s always better to have a second pathologist review the diagnosis,” he says.