Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Winter 2019 - 6

President's Message
continued from page 5

Without question, patients need to
know the results of their medical testing,
particularly if the findings identify an issue
that may negatively impact their health.
It is the duty of healthcare providers to
follow-up on ordered tests and review the
findings with patients. Many providers
and health care systems already do this
reliably and appropriately. More than ever,
resources like electronic medical records
and patient care navigators assist in keeping
patients informed of their care. However,

as is the genesis of this new law, this
process of patient notification has not
been faultless. Although this new
enactment aims to improve patient
notification, I believe that in its current
form it introduces new challenges to
this process. The Pennsylvania Medical
Society is working with state legislators
to further clarify the requirements of this
new law. In addition, several national
societies, such as the American Society
of Echocardiography, are working

PAMED Advocacy Leads to Delay of Act 112 Sanctions
Good News for Physicians - The Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) has
received confirmation from the Pa. Department of Health that it will be accepting
our recommendations to delay issuing sanctions for noncompliance with
the Patient Test Result Information Act (Act 112 of 2018), and implement an
educational campaign aimed at preparing physicians to comply with this new law.
An official notice from DOH is expected soon.
PAMED Advocated for You - On Dec. 5, 2018, PAMED and the Hospital and
Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) sent a joint letter to Secretary
of Health Rachel Levine, MD, calling on DOH to delay issuing sanctions under the
law to allow time for the state to provide education about the law's requirements.
A copy of the letter was also sent to Gov. Tom Wolf and to Pa. House and Senate
leadership. PAMED and HAP then met with Secretary Levine on Dec. 10, 2018, to
continue to advocate for a resolution before the law's Dec. 23, 2018, effective date.
PAMED Next Steps - PAMED will continue to work with DOH on education for
physicians, and will provide timely updates to members.
PAMED Member Resources - In this Quick Consult fact sheet, PAMED answers
physicians' frequently asked questions about the law. You'll find information such
as what is required to be in the notice, exceptions under the law, and acceptable
methods of communication to the patient.
Questions? Please contact our Knowledge Center at
855-PAMED4U (855-726-3348) or knowledgecenter@pamedsoc.org.
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with physicians to refine and standardize
ambiguities such as "significant abnormality"
beyond the broad definition provided in the
new law. Until further guidance is available,
physicians should exercise best judgement and
work with their respective health systems to
become compliant with this enactment.
UPDATE: Fortunately, due to physician
advocacy by the Pennsylvania Medical Society
and several physician groups in our state, it
was recently announced that full enactment
of Act 112 will be delayed for 1 year. This
delay will allow physicians and health systems
more time to become compliant with the law
and, hopefully, allow legislators more time
to clarify key terms in the act. Although
penalties for non-adherence to the law will not
be enforced for 12 months, in the meantime it
is expected that healthcare providers will work
in good faith to follow the recommendations
of the Act 112. Achieving this delay in the
implementation of Act 112 serves as another
clear example of the importance of ongoing
physician activism and relevance of the local
and state medical societies to everyday medical
practice. I know I speak for many hospital
administrators and healthcare providers in
our county who appreciate the efforts of our
invested colleagues who oppose the current
form of this law. Attached is a bulletin
from the Pennsylvania State Medical Society
regarding this latest development. I would
encourage our readership to continue to
follow updates through PAMED.
http://www.berkscms.org
Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Winter 2019
