patient results
Due to recurrent problems with postal services in different countries The Great Plains Laboratory, LLC (GPL) will start sending test results only via e-mail in a PDF format (Adobe Reader required, click here to download) to physicians and patients outside the United States on September 2nd, 2008. In Canada, the act that governs the release of health information, the Health Information Protection Act, requires that results sent electronically must be encrypted to be in compliance.
Results are sent to your practitioner, unless your practitioner opts for you to receive results. Please note that printed test results and hard copies of invoices will no longer be sent via regular mail. Hard copies of invoices will be sent via regular mail upon request only. Please make sure you write clearly the email address where you want your test results sent on your test requisition form.
At The Great Plains Laboratory we operate in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) guidelines to ensure all test results are kept confidential and secure. Our Privacy Policy applies to every patient in the United States who submits a specimen to the laboratory. Results are sent out according to the parameters established by the authorizing physician.
You may contact customer service by submitting an inquiry or by phone at (800) 288-0383 to find out more about the parameters your physician has established, to inquire about the status of results, or to request a copy of your results. Please include the patient’s first name, last name, date of birth, and specify the test in question.
delivery methods
SECURE FAX
All faxes are submitted electronically through a secure fax. The laboratory uses this Internet Document Delivery Service to improve the handling and control of inbound and outbound documents. These faxes are protected by security techniques used such as firewalls, encryption, intrusion detection and site monitoring. Occasionally, a fax must be sent manually due to compatibility issues. Patients must request a fax copy of results through the customer service department. Only results that are completed and have not been restricted by the physician will be faxed.
SECURE EMAIL
The Great Plains Laboratory encrypts all tests results sent via email to locations in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) and Canada. If the physician has not restricted the results, patients will receive test results in a secure email when results are completed. The secured email will include a security question that, if answered correctly, will allow the patient access to the results (in PDF format). If necessary, patients can also contact customer service to request email copies and results will be sent within 24 hours of the request. Results emailed to international patients (other than Canada and Puerto Rico) are not encrypted unless requested by the patient.
FEDERAL POST
Results will automatically be mailed to the patient, provided the physician has not specified that The Great Plains Laboratory withhold the results. Special requests for hard copies can be made by calling customer service or by submitting a request. We are happy to provide you a mailed copy of results at your request. A signed medical records release form is required to send results to anyone other than the physician on record or patient.