In a May 25 news release, HHS said it settled the violation review after more than three years of investigating the laboratory for several failures to comply with HIPAA regulations.
Three details:
- In December 2017, the OCR launched a compliance review of Peachstate to determine its compliance with HIPAA regulations. The investigation found several compliance failures, including failure to conduct a companywide risk analysis, maintain documentation of HIPAA policies and procedures, and implement risk management and audit controls.
- In addition to paying a $25,000 fine, Peachstate has agreed to participate in a corrective action plan and three years of monitoring.
- “Clinical laboratories, like other covered health care providers, must comply with the HIPAA security rule,” said Robinsue Frohboese, acting OCR director. “The failure to implement basic security rule requirements makes HIPAA regulated entities attractive targets for malicious activity, and needlessly risks patients’ electronic health information.”
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