Pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), on December 28, 2000, the Secretary of HHS issued final regulations that promulgated federal standards with respect to the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information by a health plan, healthcare provider or healthcare data clearinghouse. Pursuant to recent expansions of HIPAA by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), the Secretary of HHS issued regulations expanding our obligations regarding breach notification.

These regulations establish a framework for implementation that impacts the privacy and security of Protected Health Information by all health providers, including Bio-Chem Technology Laboratory Inc. ("BTL"). These regulations change how BTL handles electronic transactions and code sets, national identifiers, and notification to patients whose unsecured PHI has been breached.

Bio-Chem has formed a HIPAA Oversight Committee and developed a HIPAA Project Plan as a framework for our HIPAA activities. BTL has also implemented procedures to satisfy the breach notification provisions of HITECH.

As BTL HIPAA compliance activities advance, our focus remains on BTL responsibilities to the patients, doctors and health care organizations we serve to ensure we meet the HIPAA standards, while not negatively impacting our ability to deliver excellent care. In addition, we defer to the more stringent state CLIA laws, where applicable, regarding the circumstances under which we use and disclose Protected Health Information.

If you have any further questions please contact us at: 1-800-343-1127