Ethics & Compliance
The highest of standards for clients and patients
Our commitment
Our ethical standards reflect a commitment to respect clients, patients, staff and the laws and regulations that govern our industry.
Our principles
We stand by a code of conduct and employ best practices that allow us to provide results for our clients that allow them to better serve their patients.
01
We do our utmost to guard the privacy and security of the protected health information clients entrust us with as a means to providing the best possible healthcare to their patients.
02
We maintain the latest in laboratory instrumentation and calibration to ensure the best results for client laboratory tests.
03
We screen prospective employees to provide the best source of client service and provide on-going training to assist our employees in staying proficient.
04
Our compliance office stays abreast of emerging legislation affecting our industry as a means of keeping Ascend compliant with the latest laws and regulations.
Our standards
Read on to learn how we stay up to date with the latest laws and regulations to remain compliant.
Safety & integrity
Our laboratory meets all federal and state safety and health standards required by the Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) and state medical waste requirements. Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements for specimen shipping are met through providing appropriate shipping containers and training to our clients. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance is followed for staff, client, and patient health.
Compliance with federal laws
We are in compliance with the Department of Health Services (DHS), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) guidance for laboratory ethics and standards. This includes requirements for electronic health record privacy and security under HIPAA and HITECH laws, the Deficit Reduction Act requirements regarding conflicts of interest, and OIG guidance regarding annual review of standing orders.
Compliance with state laws
Ascend Clinical is licensed in states requiring state laboratory certification. Please reference our “Accreditation” page for a list of those states and the certification maintained.
Standards of conduct
In addition to the myriad of annual inspections from outside agencies, we monitor our own standards of conduct through periodic internal audits, open-door reporting policies regarding standards, and confidential reporting methods should an employee believe it necessary. Ascend provides on-going employee and client training regarding the standards set by CMS, OIG, DOT, OSHA, and other regulatory agencies.
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