Test Results & Referrals

Tests

Your doctor may send you to a pathology or imaging provider to undertake tests. At other times they may send tissue samples to a lab after a procedure has been performed e.g. excisions and biopsies. These tests are designed to assist with the ongoing management and diagnosis of your health issue. 

Once you’ve had the tests, scans, x-rays or procedure the providers will send the results/reports through to the practice. Your doctor checks for results each day they are in the practice (please note some doctors work part time). We have a system to ensure results are always checked by your doctor (or by another doctor if your usual GP is away for an extended period of time). 

Time frames on test results vary depending on the type of test. As a general rule of thumb, most results are back at the practice within 2-5 days, however some tests do take longer to process. Please always follow up with the surgery regarding your results.

How we manage your test results and imaging reports depends on your result.

Urgent results – we WILL contact you. In most cases, if your results are urgent you will be contacted by us to arrange a follow up appointment to discuss with your doctor. In very limited cases you may be called directly by your doctor or our nurse to be advised of your result.

Non-urgent or normal results – we WILL NOT contact you. You will not hear from us if your results are non-urgent or normal. Your doctor will check your results in our system as either “discuss” or “no action”. All our patients need to call us to check on their results.

For privacy and safety reasons your results will not be communicated to you over the phone by our reception staff. Our reception staff are brilliant administrators but they are not clinically trained to understand your results or to provide medical advice. 

PLEASE NOTE – Even though your result may have been received, it may not have been checked yet by your doctor. Your doctor will usually check results during breaks or at the end of each day.

Referrals

So that we can properly monitor your health and meet our ethical and legal responsibilities a consultation is required for all new referrals. Writing a comprehensive referral takes time which is why a consultation is required. The consultation enables your GP to compile an up-to-date medical history and other information about your condition which will help your specialist appointment.

It is important for you to ensure you have your referral organised well before your specialist appointment as we are generally fully booked each day so it is difficult to facilitate last minute requests. In some cases the Doctors will write a repeat or renewal of a referral for a patient without a consultation. There is a fee of $15 for these referrals.