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settlement

Cottage Health Settles Potential Violations of HIPAA Rules for $3 Million: $3,000,000

Resolution Feb 2019

Penalty

$3,000,000

Action type

Settlement

Entity profile

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Case number

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What went wrong

Cottage Health Settles Potential Violations of HIPAA Rules for $3 Million - February 7, 2019

  • Navigate to: HIPAA for Professionals Regulatory Initiatives Privacy Summary of the Privacy Rule Guidance Combined Text of All Rules HIPAA Related Links Security Security Rule NPRM Summary of the Security Rule Security Guidance Cyber Security Guidance Breach Notification Breach Reporting Guidance Reports to Congress Regulation History Compliance & Enforcement Enforcement Rule Enforcement Process En

Full description

Navigate to: HIPAA for Professionals Regulatory Initiatives Privacy Summary of the Privacy Rule Guidance Combined Text of All Rules HIPAA Related Links Security Security Rule NPRM Summary of the Security Rule Security Guidance Cyber Security Guidance Breach Notification Breach Reporting Guidance Reports to Congress Regulation History Compliance & Enforcement Enforcement Rule Enforcement Process Enforcement Data Resolution Agreements Case Examples Audit Reports to Congress State Attorneys General Special Topics Parental Access Mental and Behavioral Health Change Healthcare Cybersecurity Incident FAQs HIPAA and COVID-19 HIPAA and Reproductive Health HIPAA and Final Rule Notice HIPAA and Telehealth HIPAA and FERPA Research Public Health Emergency Response Health Information Technology Health Apps Patient Safety Covered Entities & Business Associates Business Associate Contracts Business Associates Training & Resources FAQs for Professionals Other Administrative Simplification Rules Substance Use Disorder Confidentiality Cottage Health Settles Potential Violations of HIPAA Rules for $3 Million Cottage Health Settles Potential Violations of HIPAA Rules for $3 Million – February 7, 2019 Cottage Health agreed to pay $3 million to OCR and to adopt a substantial corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Rules. Cottage Health operates Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Santa Ynez Cottage Hospital, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital and Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital, in California. Read the HHS Press Release Read the Resolution Agreement Content last reviewed February 7, 2019

Timeline

  • ResolutionFeb 2019
  • Incident and investigation milestones are not consistently published by OCR in machine-readable form.

Key takeaways for your organization

  • Treat internet-facing systems and vendor-hosted environments as in-scope for HIPAA risk analysis and technical safeguards testing.
  • Maintain an actionable risk analysis tied to remediation milestones; evidence should map to Security Rule implementation specifications.
  • Align policies, procedures, and evidence with the specific CFR provisions cited in OCR resolutions affecting your entity type.
  • Run tabletop exercises for breach response, OCR inquiry handling, and privilege-preserving communications with counsel.

Related actions

Health Care Provider Pays $100,000 Settlement to OCR for Failing to Implement HIPAA Security Rule Requirements

—

$100,000

Lab Pays $16,500 Settlement to HHS, Resolving Potential HIPAA Violation over Medical Records Request

GA

$16,500

HHS Civil Rights Office Resolves HIPAA Right of Access Investigation with $20,000 Settlement

FL

$20,000

Source

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services release

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. medcomply.ai aggregates public materials for educational use, not legal advice.