In the described workflow, at which point could more than one path be taken?

• A. When the patient is contacted
• B. When the lab results are reviewed
• C. When the medical assistant logs into the lab website
• D. When the lab results are printed

Answer: (B)

Decision points in a workflow occur when the interpretation of data determines which path to take next. The moment lab results are reviewed is such a point because the results can lead to different subsequent actions: normal results might close the case or notify the patient, abnormal results could trigger clinician review or follow-up testing, and critical results may require immediate escalation. This variability creates multiple possible paths stemming from that point. The other steps—contacting the patient, logging into the lab site, and printing results—are typically routine actions with a single, predefined next step and do not depend on varying outcomes, so they don’t create branching in the workflow.