Question 1

What is Diagnostic Orders Direct (DOD)?

Accepted Answer

Diagnostic Orders Direct is a virtual provider-review service based in Las Vegas, Nevada. DOD provides $40 virtual consultations for patients who need a provider order for diagnostic imaging or lab testing and do not have a current primary care provider or cannot get a timely appointment. Orders are issued only when a licensed provider determines they are medically appropriate.

Question 2

How does DOD help imaging businesses?

Accepted Answer

When a patient contacts an imaging center without a provider order, the standard outcome is a dead-end conversation — 'Get an order and call us back.' Most patients don't call back. DOD gives your staff a specific, affordable, fast alternative to offer those patients, keeping them in the care pathway and creating a pathway back to your facility.

Question 3

Does DOD charge imaging centers or diagnostic businesses anything?

Accepted Answer

No. DOD is a patient-paid service. The $40 consultation fee is paid entirely by the patient. There are no referral fees, no subscription fees, no affiliate costs, and no required agreements with imaging facilities.

Question 4

Is DOD a referral service?

Accepted Answer

No. DOD does not direct patients to specific facilities, does not receive compensation for sending patients to facilities, and does not require any formal affiliation with facilities. Patients choose their own imaging center and DOD is not responsible for the facility scheduling process.

Question 5

Does DOD guarantee that orders will be issued?

Accepted Answer

No. Provider judgment controls. A licensed provider independently reviews each patient's symptoms, history, and diagnostic request. An order may be issued, modified, declined, or the provider may recommend in-person evaluation. Imaging businesses should communicate this to patients to manage expectations.

Question 6

Can DOD fax or send orders directly to our facility?

Accepted Answer

When a patient chooses your facility and provides your fax number during their DOD consultation, DOD's provider may send the order directly to your facility when medically appropriate and accepted. This is not guaranteed and depends on the patient providing correct facility information.

Question 7

What states does DOD currently serve?

Accepted Answer

DOD currently serves patients in a growing list of supported states. Patients must be physically located in a supported state during their virtual consultation. Check the state availability page at diagnosticordersdirect.com/state-availability for the current list.

Question 8

Do we need a formal agreement with DOD to use the staff script?

Accepted Answer

No formal agreement is required. Facilities that want to direct patients to DOD as an option for obtaining a provider order can do so without any contract, agreement, or registration. The staff script is provided as a public resource.

Question 9

Can DOD handle high-volume patient flow?

Accepted Answer

DOD is designed for individual patient self-serve bookings. There is no formal volume arrangement. Patients book independently at diagnosticordersdirect.com. Your facility's staff does not manage the DOD booking process.

Question 10

What types of diagnostic orders does DOD review?

Accepted Answer

DOD reviews requests for MRI, CT scan, ultrasound (abdominal, pelvic, vascular, thyroid, musculoskeletal), X-ray, laboratory (blood panels, metabolic panels, eGFR, thyroid, HbA1c, lipids, CBC, and others), EKG, mammogram, DEXA, and PET orders when medically appropriate. Orders are not guaranteed for any type.

Question 11

Does DOD replace primary care?

Accepted Answer

No. DOD provides a focused virtual review for a specific diagnostic order request. It is not a primary care service, a chronic disease management platform, or a replacement for an ongoing patient-physician relationship.

Question 12

What if a patient obtains a DOD order but your facility has specific format requirements?

Accepted Answer

Facilities should have patients communicate their specific format requirements — including letterhead format, NPI requirements, ordering language, or fax protocol — during the DOD consultation. DOD cannot guarantee that every order will match every facility's requirements.

Question 13

Is DOD affiliated with any imaging center, laboratory, or hospital?

Accepted Answer

No. DOD is an independent virtual provider-review service. It is not affiliated with any imaging center, laboratory, hospital, teleradiology group, or hospital system. No referral relationships or financial arrangements exist between DOD and any specific facility.

Question 14

Can mobile ultrasound businesses use the DOD workflow?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Mobile sonography operators — including vascular, abdominal, musculoskeletal, and women's health ultrasound providers — frequently encounter missing-order barriers with patients who have self-scheduled. The DOD workflow is particularly well-suited to mobile ultrasound operations where patients often arrive without prior provider engagement.

Question 15

Can preventive imaging businesses (CAC, CCTA, whole-body MRI) use DOD?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Preventive imaging businesses frequently serve patients who are proactively seeking screening without an existing provider referral. These patients are a primary target for DOD's services. See the preventive imaging partner page at /partners/preventive-imaging-business-order-support.

Question 16

Can occupational health clinics use the DOD workflow?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Occupational health clinics that need diagnostic orders for pre-employment physicals, return-to-work evaluations, or DOT-related testing can direct patients to DOD when the ordering physician is not available or when the patient needs an independent review.

Question 17

What if a patient uses DOD but the order is not accepted by our facility?

Accepted Answer

Facility acceptance of provider orders varies. If your facility has specific requirements that are not met by a DOD-issued order, inform the patient clearly and direct them to contact DOD's support team. Facility acceptance is not guaranteed and the patient is responsible for confirming with your facility before or after obtaining the order.

Question 18

How does DOD communicate the missing-order limitation to patients?

Accepted Answer

DOD's website, intake process, and booking confirmation all clearly state that orders are not guaranteed and that provider judgment controls. Patients who book a DOD consultation do so with the understanding that an order may or may not be issued based on the provider's clinical evaluation.

Question 19

Can a Direct Primary Care (DPC) clinic recommend DOD to its own patients?

Accepted Answer

Yes. DPC clinics that have patients needing diagnostic testing outside of the practice's internal lab or imaging capacity can recommend DOD as a fast pathway for the provider-order step, particularly for patients who need imaging at an independent outpatient facility.

Question 20

Does DOD provide marketing materials or co-branding options?

Accepted Answer

DOD does not currently offer co-branded marketing materials. The scheduler script and workflow checklist available on the partner resources pages are provided as standalone materials for facility use. Contact DOD at (702) 588-3455 to discuss specific needs.

Question 21

What happens if a patient cannot get an order from DOD?

Accepted Answer

If a provider determines that an order is not medically appropriate, or if the patient's request does not meet clinical criteria, the order is declined. In this case, the provider may recommend that the patient seek in-person evaluation with a local provider. DOD does not refund the consultation fee in cases where an order is not issued, as the fee covers the provider review itself.

Question 22

Is DOD HIPAA compliant?

Accepted Answer

DOD operates under HIPAA-compliant telehealth standards. Patient health information collected during the intake and consultation process is protected and not shared with imaging facilities or third parties without patient authorization, except as required for the direct order delivery process.

Question 23

How do I set up the DOD workflow at my facility?

Accepted Answer

Start with the scheduler script at /partners/imaging-center-scheduler-script and the workflow checklist at /partners/provider-order-workflow-checklist. Train scheduling staff on the standard handoff language. Confirm your facility's fax number and order acceptance policy. Contact DOD at (702) 588-3455 or through the partner contact form for additional support.

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