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Abnormal Test Results Letter Template
An abnormal test results letter tells a patient, in plain words, that a result needs follow-up: what was tested, what it showed, and what to do next, by when. Copy the template, see an HbA1c example and a cervical screening example, and check when to phone first and what the rules say about releasing results.
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- Word and text downloads
- Two filled examples
Blank abnormal test results letter template
FreeABNORMAL TEST RESULTS LETTER [Practice name] [Address] [Phone, hours, and secure messaging, if offered] Date: [Date you write the letter] Sent by: [Mail, secure message, or handed over at a visit, as the patient chose] [Patient's full name] [Mailing address] Date of birth: [Date] Dear [patient's name], [If you spoke first: As we discussed by phone on date, this letter confirms your result and the plan we agreed. Otherwise delete this line.] YOUR TEST Test: [What was tested, in plain words, then its usual name] Done on: [Date the sample was taken or the scan was done] Ordered by: [Clinician's name] WHAT IT SHOWED [The result in plain words, with the number and the usual range if that helps] WHAT THIS MEANS [What the result may mean for you, what it does not mean, and what we don't know yet] WHAT TO DO NEXT Step: [Book a visit, repeat the test, start or change a treatment, or go to a referral] By: [Date] Already arranged: [Requisition enclosed, referral sent on date to clinic, or nothing yet] If you have not heard by: [Date, for a referral or a booking we make for you; then call us] IF YOU FEEL UNWELL BEFORE THEN [Symptoms to watch for. Which ones mean calling us the same day, and which mean going to the nearest emergency department] QUESTIONS Call [name or role] at [phone], [days and hours], or book a visit to talk about this result. A copy of the report: [Enclosed, or available on request] [Your name, credentials] [Signature]
Use it for
- Lab results that need a visit
- Repeat tests
- Screening results and referrals
- Imaging that needs follow-up
- Confirming a phone call in writing
Two filled examples. Every part, filled in.
Each one follows the template. Use them to judge how much detail every part needs.
Abnormal test results letter: HbA1c in the diabetes range
Family practice; mailed, as the patient asked at his visit
Patient and how it was sent
52-year-old man, seen for a check-up on Thursday, October 8, 2026. He asked for his results by mail. Letter mailed on Monday, October 19, 2026.
Your test
A blood test that shows your average blood sugar over about the last 3 months, called HbA1c. Done at the lab on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
What it showed
Your HbA1c was 7.1%. A result of 6.5% or higher is in the range used to diagnose diabetes.
What this means
This result points to diabetes, but 1 result on its own isn’t enough to say you have it. We will repeat the test to be sure. It isn’t an emergency, and if it is diabetes, there is a lot we can do, starting at your visit.
What to do next
Please call to book a visit within 2 weeks, by Monday, November 2, 2026. A lab requisition for the repeat test is enclosed; go any day before your visit. You don’t need to fast for it.
If you feel unwell
If you are very thirsty, passing urine much more often, or losing weight without trying, call us that day. If you are vomiting, very drowsy, or confused, go to the nearest emergency department.
Questions and signature
Call the practice nurse at the number above, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Signed by the family physician, with credentials, on practice letterhead.
Abnormal test results letter: cervical screening, colposcopy referral
Family practice; confirms a phone call, sent by secure message at the patient’s request
Our call
34-year-old woman. As we discussed by phone on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, this letter confirms your cervical screening result and the referral we arranged. You asked for it by secure message, not by mail.
Your test
A cervical screening test, taken at your visit on Thursday, October 8, 2026. It looks for the types of HPV, a common virus, that can cause changes in the cells of the cervix.
What it showed
The test found HPV type 16. The cells in your sample looked normal.
What this means
HPV 16 is one of the types most likely to cause cell changes that, left untreated for years, can turn into cancer. This result is not a cancer diagnosis. Guidelines advise colposcopy, a closer look at the cervix, for this result, and most people sent for one need no treatment.
What to do next
We sent a referral for colposcopy on October 20. The doctor uses a magnifying instrument to look closely at your cervix, and usually takes a small tissue sample. The clinic will call you with a date. If you haven’t heard from them by Friday, November 13, 2026, call us and we will follow it up.
If you notice symptoms
Bleeding after sex or between periods, or new pain in your pelvis: call us, and don’t wait for the appointment.
Questions and signature
Call me or the practice nurse at the number above, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or book a visit to talk it through. Signed by the family physician, with credentials, on practice letterhead.
Rules on telling patients about results. Checked October 2026.
Medical regulators, state and federal law, and medico-legal advice set out how results reach patients and what to document. Other provinces, states, and colleges have their own rules, so check the ones where you practise.
Ontario
When a result is clinically significant, physicians must always tell the patient, in a timely manner. They use their judgment on how, for example by phone or at the next appointment, weighing factors such as the result’s significance and implications, the patient’s preferences, and any anxiety. Every attempt to give a result or book a follow-up visit to discuss it must be documented in the chart.
California
On the patient’s request, the clinician who ordered a test must give them the results in plain language, orally or in writing; results are recorded in the chart and reported within a reasonable time. A positive HIV test, hepatitis antigens, drug abuse results, and tissue or imaging results showing a new or recurrent cancer can’t be released by portal or other electronic means unless the patient asks, the clinician considers it appropriate, and a clinician has first discussed them with the patient in person, by phone, or another oral way.
Canada: CMPA advice
When notifying patients of results, the CMPA advises verifying their contact information, documenting your attempts to reach them, considering other ways to notify them when appropriate, offering a chance to ask questions, and documenting no-shows and arranging follow-up. It suggests a policy on how many documented calls to make, and when to use other methods, such as mailing the result.
United States, federal: lab reports
Under CLIA, a lab must immediately alert whoever ordered a test when a result shows an imminently life-threatening condition, or a panic or alert value. On a patient’s request, a lab may give the patient, or their personal representative, access to completed test reports.
Ontario: referrals
Physicians who refer a patient where urgent care is needed must track the referral to see that it is received and acknowledged, and engage the patient, for example by telling them they may contact the office if they haven’t heard anything within a set time.
United States, federal: right of access
Under HIPAA, patients have a right, with some exceptions, to inspect and get a copy of the health information a covered provider keeps about them in its records. The provider must act on a request within 30 days, and may extend that once, by up to 30 days, with a written reason and the date it will act.
What goes in each part.
Practice and patient
Who the letter is from, who it is for, and how it reached them. Check every identifier against the result before it goes out.
- Your practice’s name, address, phone, and hours
- The patient’s full name, mailing address, and date of birth
- The date you write the letter
- How it was sent: mail, secure message, or by hand, as the patient chose
Avoid: An old address, or one the patient asked you not to use. Confirm contact details before you send.
The call it confirms
A result that needs prompt action is phoned first. The letter then documents the call and backs it up, so the patient has the plan in writing.
- The date you spoke and who spoke with the patient
- That this letter confirms the result and the plan you agreed
- For a serious or new diagnosis, such as a suspected cancer: the conversation in person or by phone comes first, and the letter follows
Avoid: A letter, or a portal message, as the first news of a suspected cancer or another serious diagnosis.
The test and the result
What was tested, when, and what it showed, in words the patient can follow without the lab report beside them.
- What the test measures, in plain words, then its usual name
- The date the sample was taken or the scan was done
- The result, with the number and the usual range when that helps
- A copy of the report, if the patient wants one
Avoid: Lab shorthand alone, such as “A1C 7.1 H.” Say what the test measures and what the number means.
What it means
What the result may mean, and what it doesn’t. A sentence or two on each is usually enough, and the rest belongs in the visit.
- The likely meaning, without a diagnosis the result can’t yet support
- What it doesn’t mean, such as “1 result isn’t a diagnosis” or “this is not a cancer diagnosis”
- What isn’t known yet, and how the next step will answer it
Avoid: False reassurance, or medical terms that make the result sound worse than it is.
Next step and deadline
The one thing the patient has to do, and the date to do it by. A date works better than “soon.”
- The step: a visit, a repeat test, a treatment, or a referral
- A date, or a number of days or weeks with the date written out
- What you have already arranged, such as a requisition or a referral
- A date by which to call you if a referral or booking hasn’t reached them
Avoid: “Please follow up.” Name the step and the date, and say who books it.
Symptoms and contacts
What to do if they feel worse before the next step, and how to reach someone who can answer questions.
- The symptoms to watch for, in everyday words
- Which mean a same-day call, and which mean going to the emergency department
- A name or role, a phone number, and the hours
- That they can book a visit to talk about the result
Avoid: Only a main switchboard number. Say who to ask for, and when they can be reached.
Common mistakes, and how to avoid them.
Mailing a result that needs a call
If the patient has to act within days, phone them. Write the letter afterward, so the plan is in their hands and in the chart.
A serious diagnosis in the mail
A suspected cancer or another serious new diagnosis is discussed in person or by phone, where the patient can ask questions. The letter or portal message comes after.
No date to act by
“Book a follow-up” leaves the timing to the patient. Give a date, and say what to do if a referral clinic doesn’t call.
More than the patient needs
Others at home may open the letter. Give the patient enough to understand and act, and keep the rest for the call or the visit.
The wrong patient’s result
Check the name, date of birth, and address against the report before you send it. Another patient’s result in the letter is a privacy breach.
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Frequently asked questions.
What should an abnormal test results letter include?
The test and its date, the result in plain words, what it may mean and what it doesn’t, the next step and the date to do it by, the symptoms that need a call or emergency care, and who to call with questions. If you phoned first, say so, and confirm what you agreed.
Should abnormal results be given by letter or by phone?
It depends on the result. One that needs prompt action is phoned first, and the letter documents and backs up the call. A non-urgent result that needs a visit or a repeat test can go by letter, if that is how the patient asked to hear from you.
Can I tell a patient about a cancer result in a letter?
Not as the first news. A suspected cancer or another serious new diagnosis is discussed in person or by phone, so the patient can ask questions and you can check what they understood. Some places also limit releasing certain results electronically before that conversation.
What if the patient sees the result online before I contact them?
In many places, results appear in a patient portal soon after they are released, sometimes before you have reviewed them. When you order a test, tell the patient how you will contact them, and reach them promptly about an abnormal result so the number doesn’t arrive without an explanation.
How much detail should the letter include?
Enough for the patient to understand the result and act on it. Others at home may read the mail, so leave sensitive detail for the call or visit, and send the letter the way the patient chose.
Can office staff send abnormal result letters?
Often, under your direction. Weigh the test, how significant the result is, whether the patient is anxious, and whether the letter would tell them a diagnosis, and make sure someone who can answer their questions is available.
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What if the patient doesn’t book the follow-up?
Record the letter and every attempt to reach them in the chart, and try again by phone. If you still can’t reach them, send an unable-to-reach-patient letter with a date to call by.
Is this abnormal test results letter template free?
Yes. Copy it, or download it as a Word or text file. No account needed.
Can Vero write an abnormal test results letter?
Yes. Paste this template into Vero, and it drafts the letter from your call or visit, with the result, the next step, and the dates you gave. Review and edit it, then export it to PDF or Word, print it, or send it.
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When calls about a result or follow-up haven’t reached the patient.
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Your template. Filled in from the visit.
Vero writes your notes and letters in the templates you choose, so you review instead of type.
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