Critical diagnoses in cytopathology: Experience at a large medical center.

Use of a code for critical cytopathology diagnoses was found to be occurring increasingly at the study health care system. Pathologists at the academic and community hospitals in the study institution used this code somewhat differently, reflecting the need to satisfy communication with clinicians in different practice settings. Nevertheless, the authors' experiences with using a code for critical diagnoses not only ensured timely patient care but also proposed a model that could be used by other medical specialties to enhance communication and improve quality of care. Cancer Cytopathol 2017;125:726-30. © 2017 American Cancer Society.