UPMC hospital laboratories have created regulatory compliance programs to provide guidance on policies and procedures that prevent and detect noncompliant activity. These programs are based on guidance issued by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The OIG
compliance guidelines require that a variety of annual notices be made to physicians. The publication of this notice satisfies that requirement.
The OIG compliance guidelines require that physicians be notified of the name and telephone number of the laboratory’s clinical consultant(s). The clinical consultant is a position required under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988. The purpose of this position is to provide test-ordering physicians with a resource person to answer questions about the appropriate use and interpretations of clinical laboratory testing. A listing of all clinical consultants for all UPMC hospital laboratories follows. Questions can be directed to the appropriate resource person based on the lab used for testing.
The OIG requires that a copy of the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule Files be made available to physicians and that the physicians are advised that the Medicaid reimbursement amount will be equal to or less than the Medicare reimbursement amount.