3. Medical/Legal Issues & Professional Code of Ethics

What are the 2 things that must be obtained from a patient before any testing is performed?

informed consent from either patient or patient’s legal guardian

written consents collected on admission of the patient

What must be included in the provided document to a patient?

risks & benefits

What is does HIPAA stand for?

Health insurance portability & accountability act

What is the privacy rule regarding HIPAA?

defines how protected health information (PHI) can be used or disclosed while ensuring patient rights

What is the security rule regarding HIPAA?

Established standards for protecting electronic PHI

What are patient’s rights regarding HIPAA?

Granted individual rights regarding their personal health information, including the right to access their medical records, request corrections, and receive an accounting of disclosures of the PHI

What office is responsible for enforcing HIPAA compliance and issuing penalties in case of a violation?

Office of Civil Rights (OCR)

Within how many days do patient’s have the right to direct access of their lab results among a request?

30 days

When is the chain of custody required and what is it?

It is required when there is medicolegal or forensic implications

Lab results require documented sequential steps & must be signed by every person involved with the test

When did the Medical Ethics Committees become prominent and what led up to their prominency?

Late 1960’s to help clinicians determine which patient should receive hemodialysis

Which organization has a defined Code of Ethics for Laboratory Professionals?

The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS)