Quorum accepts HIPAA Waiver/Alteration Requests via the OnQ Portal, email to our Initial Study Support team, fax, or mail.

Quorum Review
Initial Study Support Team
1601 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1000
Seattle, WA 98101
Fax: 206-448-4193
InitialStudySupport@quorumreview.com

A complete HIPAA waiver allows an investigator to use and disclose PHI for a particular research trial or activity without obtaining either a verbal or written authorization from the participants. A partial HIPAA waiver allows an investigator to obtain, use, and/or disclose PHI for one specified portion of a research trial or activity (e.g., in the course of recruitment) without first obtaining a verbal or written authorization.

An alteration allows an investigator to have any of the 6 specific core elements or 3 required statements removed from the requirement of HIPAA authorization. For example, a study has been approved with a waiver of documentation of consent. In order for participants to not have to sign an authorization, the investigator or sponsor will need to request an alteration in order to remove the HIPAA requirement to obtain the signature of the individual and date.

A request for a complete waiver, a partial waiver, or an alteration is completed on all one form: the Request for Waiver or Alteration of HIPAA Authorization Requirement.

IRBs and Privacy Boards coexist. Therefore, the HIPAA Privacy Rule allows a covered entity to use or disclose PHI based on an authorization or alteration approved by any IRB or Privacy Board, without regard to the location or affiliation of the IRB or Privacy Board. An investigator that is a covered entity has the right to rely on any IRB’s or Privacy Board’s documentation granting a waiver or alteration of the Authorization requirement so long as the documentation is proper. However, please note that if you are an investigation that is affiliated with an institution or hospital, they may require review and approval of any waiver/alteration before allowing the use or disclosure of PHI held by that institution or hospital.

Our Initial Study Support team should be contacted with any questions regarding a HIPAA waiver requests. They can be reached by phone at (206) 448-4082 or by email at InitialStudySupport@quorumreview.com.

An investigator may need to obtain, use, or disclose PHI in the course of recruitment activities without first obtaining a written authorization. For example: an investigator wants to conduct telephone screens of potential study participants who are responding to an advertising campaign; an investigator (who is not a member of the workforce of the covered entity) wishes to record PHI obtained from patient charts and then contact those patients to determine if they may be interested in enrolling in the research. Quorum Review IRB encourages investigators to seek partial waivers in conjunction with such recruitment activities.

Quorum Review IRB discourages investigators from recruiting participants with “cold calls” based on information derived from the medical records of another practitioner when the investigator has no prior relationship with the recruits. Instead, Quorum Review IRB recognizes the ability of a practitioner to discuss with his or her own patient the possibility of participating in clinical research studies. When an investigator seeks a HIPAA waiver/partial waiver for recruitment activities that include “cold calls” to potential recruits, Quorum Review IRB prefers that potential recruits be contacted only by individuals who have been actively involved in providing health care to the potential recruits.

An investigator must proceed with recruiting carefully in light of the HIPAA Privacy Rule as well as state laws that may prohibit the release of PHI without written authorization. Some states may not allow an exception to confidentiality laws for purposes of recruitment into a research study. This is true even though the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule technically allows partial waivers for recruitment purposes.

No. Aside from HIPAA Authorizations incorporated into consent forms (i.e. “blended consent”) and HIPAA waiver/alteration requests, Quorum Review IRB will not review HIPAA compliance documents developed by the investigator. This includes stand-alone HIPAA authorizations.

If the model consent does not contain a HIPAA section, your site needs to present a HIPAA authorization according to your site’s requirements. The Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires investigators who are “covered entities” to obtain a HIPAA Authorization from each participant in a research trial. Obtaining a HIPAA Authorization from a research participant allows the investigator to use and disclose the participant’s protected health information (PHI) for research purposes.

If you have determined that you (as a researcher) and/or your site is not a covered entity and documented this analysis, you are not subject to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. However, state laws concerning confidentiality and disclosure of PHI, medical information, medical records, and/or genetic information will still apply. You are responsible for complying with any applicable state laws. Investigators are encouraged to seek legal counsel in order to ensure that he/she is in compliance with applicable state laws.