Glossary
Patient portal
A secure website or app where patients can view their health information, such as lab results.
What is a patient portal for lab results?
A patient portal is a secure website or app where patients can see their own health information. For labs, that usually means test results and reports, and sometimes bills and appointment details.
Most portals ask patients to create an account with a username and password before they can see anything. That works well for people who visit often, but many patients of a small lab only need to see one result, and account setup can get in the way.
Common ways labs share results
- A full patient portal with an account and login.
- A secure, private link to a single result, sent by email or message, often with an identity check.
- A printed or posted report.
- Through the ordering clinician.
In the US, patients have the right to get their completed test reports directly from the lab, so labs need a safe, reliable way to share them.
How Lab Desk handles it
Lab Desk sends patients a secure, private link to their results and plain-language summary, with no account needed. Each link is unique, can expire and can require a check such as date of birth. Patients can pay by card through Stripe if there is a fee.
Related terms
- Turnaround time: The time it takes a lab to deliver a result, measured between two agreed points such as collection and report.
- PHI (protected health information): Health information that can identify a person and is held or shared by a HIPAA covered entity or its business associate.
- HIPAA: The US law that sets national rules for protecting the privacy and security of health information.
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