Department of Medicine

Policy and Practice Impacts

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Policy and Practice Impacts

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The innovations generated by the Safer Dx team have impacted policy and practices at both the VA and other healthcare organizations.

VHA Directive 1088: Communicating Test Results to Providers and Patients

Dr. Singh co-led and worked with the Office of Primary Care on revising VHA Directive 1088 on communication of test results which requires VA providers to communicate normal test results to patients within 14 days after the result becomes available or within 7 days when results require follow-up action. This national policy released in July 2023 sets standards related to the timeliness of test results communication and informs a performance measurement and quality improvement program implemented across the entire VA healthcare system. This directive was informed by the Safer Dx team’s work on missed test results.

Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) View Alert Notification Checklist

The Safer Dx team created this checklist for the VA to help clinicians and staff manage alerts in the EHR system. It was disseminated to all VISN directors and Chief Medical Officers in 2017. 

10 Strategies for Managing Notifications

This training document was created by the Safer Dx team and distributed to all VA facilities for CPRS training.

National and International Reports

The Safer Dx team’s work has informed: