HIPAAmart

Industry guide

HIPAA for Laboratories

Guidance for specimen, result, interface, referral, and vendor data flows in laboratory environments.

Reviewed August 2026

Key considerations

  • Interfaces and result delivery can create ePHI outside the primary laboratory system.
  • Instrument, middleware, support, and cloud dependencies belong in risk analysis.
  • Access and integrity controls are important where results affect care decisions.

Starting points

  • Inventory interfaces, result destinations, instruments, and support access.
  • Review integrity, audit, authentication, and downtime procedures.
  • Coordinate vendor incident reporting with covered-entity responsibilities.

References