Proposed changes to federal regulations would override existing laws in 20 states and give patients access to laboratory test results without having first to talk with the physicians who ordered the tests.

The Dept. of Health and Human Services said its proposal, announced in September, could enable wider deployment of personal health record systems and give patients more control over their health care information. Yet some physicians say the changes could come at a cost, because life-altering test results delivered without the context of a doctor’s explanation may increase patient anxiety and degrade the physician-patient relationship.

My latest. Read the whole shebang.