Written Standards & Procedures for a Medical Practice

Medical offices must have written procedures in place to maintain a safe and confidential environment for staff and patients. Standards and procedures are used to control, minimize and eliminate risks that pervade health care facilities. As such, medical offices need to consider the standards that are set by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as well as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), to maintain a compliant business.

Sharps Disposal

• Staff and patients are exposed to accidental needlestick injuries when precaution is not taken. Medical offices must have a procedure in place for disposing sharps and needles in a way that adheres to OSHA's regulation. OSHA says that sharps must be thrown away in special sharps containers, and not in the regular garbage. Sharps containers are puncture proof, so needles thrown in there cannot accidentally stick the person handling the container. Medical offices, and all health care facilities that have needles and sharps on the premises, must comply with this standard.

  Personnel who work at a medical office must be familiar with the procedure of throwing sharps into the sharps container. Needles left out in the open or in the garbage can accidentally stick another staff member or patient, causing a significant medical concern. For instance, the transmittal of bloodborne pathogens can be deadly if someone is stuck by a needle contaminated with Hepatitis C.

Confidentiality

• HIPAA is a federal ruling instituted by the U.S. government that protects patient privacy. All health care facilities are required to adopt HIPAA standards into their practices. Medical office procedures for confidentiality include processes for releasing medical information on a patient and gaining written consent by patients for others to access their information. According to HIPAA's privacy rule, patient information may not be released without the patient's authority. Authority is obtained when the patient signs a release form, allowing disclosure of their information to certain individuals. Outside of the individuals listed on the form, medical offices cannot disclose patient information or this is considered a breach of confidentiality.

Housekeeping

• Medical offices must be kept clean and in good condition. As such, procedures for disinfecting patient waiting areas, examination rooms and other parts of the medical office are common policies for health care facilities. OSHA also emphasizes the importance of keeping floors dry and clean to avoid slip-and-fall injuries. Garbage receptacles must be thrown out regularly, and chemicals used for cleaning or medical treatment must be kept locked away from patient areas. Accidental exposure to harmful chemicals can become a biohazard.