Department of Health and Human Services strengthens patients right to access lab test reports

The final rule which was announced on February 3, 2014 amends the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments of 1988 to allow the laboratories to give patient or a person designated by the patient, his or her “ personnel representative” access to the patient’s completed test reports on the patient’s or patient’s personal representative’s request. At the same time, the final rule eliminates the exception under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to an individual’s right to access his or her protected health information when it is held by a CLIA-certified or CLIA-exempt laboratory.

While patients can continue to get access to their laboratory test reports from their doctors, these changes give patients a new option to obtain their test reports directly from the laboratory while maintaining strong protections for patients’ privacy. edited here

For more information : http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2014pres/02/20140203a.html