The health care system I'm in posts test results to the patient portal as soon as they're ready. I can go in at any time and pull them up once they're posted. The risk in doing that is if there's bad news on the test results, the patient can see them before they've had a chance to discuss them with the doctor. Depending on the patient, that may not be what you want to happen. Some could go absolutely bonkers trying to absorb what it means all on their own. My daughter was telling me this happened not long ago with one of their patients. The patient's dermatologist is not in the SSM system, however the patient's primary care physician is. A specific test was ordered (I'm not sure by what doctor) and the results were posted to her patient portal. It turned out to be melanoma... one of the deadliest skin cancers there is. Unfortunately the patient saw it before the doctor could discuss it with her and there was quite the hub-bub about it. Apparently the dermatologist was furious but SSM said there was nothing they could do to change it. I got this story like 3rd hand so this is my understanding of what happened but I have no first-hand knowledge about it. .My scan results are always posted about a week before I see the doctor to discuss them. I kinda like it that way, though, because it gives me the chance to really pore over them and write down any questions I may have about what I'm seeing. I can handle that just fine, and my doctors don't seem to mind, but that may not be the right scenario for everybody.
