Providing Informed Consent
A growing number of states regulate genetic testing. In these states, whenever you order a test of germline genetic material (DNA that can be passed on to offspring), you are required to counsel patients about the test, and based on state law the patient may be required to sign a written consent form stating that you have reviewed important information (such as the purpose of the test) with them, and that they have agreed to the test. Under these same laws, Quest Diagnostics must be able to show that medical professionals who order these tests are in compliance—before we can perform the test and deliver your results.
To facilitate this process, you can access a simple form to acknowledge that you are in compliance with these informed consent laws. This is known as a Physician Attestation of Informed Consent (PAIC). By completing a PAIC, you will not be prompted to obtain the patient’s consent each time that you order a germline test.
|
Notes: • Each PAIC is tied to a particular telephone number. If your practice is associated with multiple clients (for example, if there is one client for your east office and one for your west office), and each has its own phone number, you must complete a separate PAIC for each. Conversely, if multiple clients are associated with the same phone number, a single PAIC applies to all of them. • You can sign the PAIC as an individual physician or, if authorized, for all physicians in a practice. If you sign as an individual, the informed consent prompt will not appear for any orders placed with you as the ordering provider, assuming that the National Provider Identifier (NPI) in the PAIC matches the NPI in the order. However, the prompt will appear if the order is placed by any other physician who has not signed the PAIC as an individual, if the NPI in the PAIC does not match the NPI in the order, or if there is no NPI in the order. If you sign for the practice, the prompt will not appear for any orders placed for the client, no matter who the ordering provider is. • Your acknowledgement can be updated when there is a change and will cover all future tests. |
Related Topics