FAQ 2048 Does an individual have a right to access genomic information generated by a clinical laboratory?
This FAQ answers if an individual have a right under HIPAA to access from a clinical laboratory the genomic information the laboratory has generated about the individual.
Final
Issued by: Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
Does an individual have a right under HIPAA to access from a clinical laboratory the genomic information the laboratory has generated about the individual?
Yes. An individual has a right under the HIPAA Privacy Rule to access, upon request, PHI about the individual in a designated record set maintained by or for a clinical laboratory that is a covered entity. The designated record set includes not only the laboratory test reports but also the underlying information generated as part of the test, as well as other information concerning tests a laboratory runs on an individual. For example, a clinical laboratory that is a HIPAA covered entity and that conducts next generation sequencing (NGS) of DNA on an individual must provide the individual, upon the individual’s request for PHI concerning the NGS, with a copy of the completed test report, the full gene variant information generated by the test, as well as any other information in the designated record set concerning the test.
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