Medical referrals delayed by ‘process issue’

An estimated 250 Saskatchewan medical patients are affected by a problem that resulted in a delay in referral and followup letters.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and 3sHealth recently became aware of a “process issue” in dictation and transcription, a news release issued Friday said.

It resulted in some letters that included referrals and follow-ups to specialists and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency being delayed from distribution.

All letters that had not been sent were immediately sent upon discovery of the issue.

An investigation is underway to determine the scope of the problem. To date, it appears some 250 patients around the province may have been affected, and the patients and their dictating physicians are being contacted directly.

3sHealth is completing additional auditing to determine if there are any further cases.

Physicians who may be affected are working with health authorities to ensure proper investigation and assessment into any potential for harm to the patients affected by the delay.

The SHA will contact affected patients and advise them on next steps and who they can contact if they have additional questions.

“The priority is on ensuring that immediate steps are taken to contact affected patients and their physicians to help rectify this issue,” the release said.

They’re also working to ensure the problem doesn’t occur again.