Electronic access to test results means more tests

Having computer access to your patients' test results means you are likely to order more imaging and lab tests, according to a new study in Health Affairs.

The study found that point-of-care electronic access to imaging results was associated with a 40% to 70% greater likelihood of an imaging test being ordered, and that surgeons and other specialists were more likely to order imaging tests than primary care physicians.

The findings contradict the assumption that computerized access to test results will reduce testing, a major part of the argument for electronic health records.