Laboratory testing is an important part of the daily operations of any medical practice. It helps monitor patient health, detect and prevent disease, and allows physicians to obtain results quickly and accurately. Whether you have an onsite lab or work with an offsite testing facility, it’s important that your lab be CLIA Certified.
CLIA, or Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, are a series of government-sanctioned amendments that regulate lab testing in the United States. In order receive payment from Medicare and Medicaid, your testing facility must be CLIA-certified. The first step to becoming CLIA-certified is to fill out form CMS-116, which can be accessed by visiting CMS.gov. This form will ask a variety of questions about your lab, its processes and operations, and will make a determination as to what fees are owed depending on your answers. Your lab or the lab you work with must be certified by your state as well as by the Federal government. Be sure to verify the certification of any lab you plan on working with, and to start the certification process for your own lab at least several months before you open your medical practice.
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