Laboratories are classified as covered entities as per the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). As the protected information of patients is transmitted electronically in laboratories they would be required to follow all the rules and regulations of HIPAA.

All staff who work in laboratories and who will be transmitting the medical records of patients electronically will need to be properly trained in following all the compliance requirements of HIPAA. It is important that the patients are notified of their rights when they visit the laboratory.

Top 5 Steps Of HIPAA Regulations For Laboratories

1. There should be training sessions provided to all the staff working in laboratories. The training should deal with documentation and other related provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. If the training is conducted in different sessions, you would be required to take attendance of all staff who is attending the training. This will ensure that everyone who has attended the training is aware of the various provisions of HIPAA.

2. If a patient requires their medical records to be disclosed to them, it must be done within thirty days of receiving the request. Apart from this the laboratory can also release this information to others if the concerned patient had given their consent.

3. The consent of the patient would not be required if the information is released to recover payments that are due. Even in cases of insurance billing consent of the patient would not be required. Apart from this disclosures without consent can also be made to federal agencies.

4. When a patient visits a laboratory they should be made aware of their HIPAA rights. The patient would be required to sign some forms that will inform them about the confidentiality requirements of HIPAA. A copy of this form should be given to the patient.

5. The patient would also be required to sign a consent form that will enable the laboratory to get access to all the lab reports of patients. The lab results can be shared to complete the process of treatment. The laboratories can also transmit the lab results electronically to other health care providers (hospitals, clinics) to facilitate the treatment process.

The labs should ensure that all safety norms are followed when the results are transmitted electronically. The files should be encrypted and they should be sent from a secure platform. This will ensure that the reports are not accessed by unauthorized individuals. There should be a log of all disclosures that have been made.

It is advisable that labs do an audit to show how the protected information of patients has been accessed and used. All physical records of patients are to be kept in a secure place. Access to these records should be restricted. This will help prevent any misuse and abuse of this confidential information of patients.

There are very stringent penalties that are imposed for noncompliance of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The penalties can include fines and imprisonment. If there are instances of repeated offense the laboratories may also have the risk of losing business.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certification website.

For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certification website http://www.hipaaexams.com/hipaa-certification.html

Author Bio: For more information, please visit our HIPAA Certification website.

Category: Advice
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