Omaha, Neb.-based Children's Hospital & Medical Center agreed to pay $80,000 for violating the HIPAA Right of Access rule, which requires healthcare organizations to give patients copies of their medical records timely and at a fair cost, according to a Sept. 10 news release.
In May 2020, the Office for Civil Rights received a complaint from a parent alleging that CHMC failed to provide her with timely access to her daughter's medical records. CHMC gave some records but did not send all of the requested information to the parent's multiple follow-up requests, according to the news release.
OCR launched an investigation into the incident and determined that CHMC potentially violated the HIPAA right of access standard. After the investigation, the parent received all the records she requested.
Along with the financial settlement, CHMC will undergo a corrective action plan that includes one year of monitoring by OCR.