CONSULTATION

REASSURANCE FOR YOU AND YOUR PATIENTS

Sharing cases amongst pathologists, like clinicians consulting on treatment strategies, is one means of providing high quality care and ensuring correct diagnoses.  It’s like receiving two consults in one.  Among the different types of consults are:

• PETROGLYPH consults:  Occasionally we at PETROGLYPH are asked to provide a second opinion on a patient’s pathology.  Doing so enhances diagnostic accuracy and minimizes patient anxiety through confirmation of the initial diagnosis.  Since treatment is based on pathology, in the rare event that pathology changes, so does treatment. 
  Literature (1-3) suggests that diagnoses are changed up to 6.2% of the time and can result in a reduction in unnecessary surgeries by 19% (2). 
  To request a PETROGLYPH consult, download and complete the Consult Request Form.

 

• Intradepartmental consults:  PETROGLYPH diagnoses reviewed by a second PETROGLYPH Pathologist are indicated by the appearance of the reviewing pathologist’s initials or a comment on the final report.  Some cases (all prostate cores, malignant breast cores) are automatically reviewed (over read).

 

• Extradepartmental consults:  Challenging, unusual cases are sent to a reputable, CLIA certified outside institution for confirmation, the results of which are included in the final pathology report.

REFERENCES

1. Azam NR M: Surgical Pathology Extradepartmental Consultation Practices: A CAP Q-Probes Study of 2746 Consultations From 180 Laboratories. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2002;126:405-412

2. Kronz WW JD, Epstein JI: Mandatory Second Opinion Surgical Pathology at a Large Referral Hospital. Cancer 1999;86:2426-2435

3. Epstein PW JI, Sanfilippo FM: Clinical and Cost Impact of Second-opinion Pathology. The Am J of Surg Path 1996;20:851-857