Adventist Health Hanford (Calif.) reached a settlement with the state of California to pay $10,000 in civil penalties to resolve violations related to unauthorized protected health information disclosure.
Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a settlement with Adventist Health Hanford for violations of the Unfair Competition Law, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act and HIPAA's Privacy Rule. These violations involved unauthorized disclosures of medical information to law enforcement, leading to the prosecution and incarceration of two patients who experienced stillbirths at Adventist in 2017 and 2019.
The settlement also includes injunctive terms to ensure patient health data protection. Measures Adventist must implement, according to June 19 news release from Mr. Bonta's office, include:
- Revising protected health information training materials, policies and notice of privacy practices to clarify when patient information can be disclosed without consent.
- Reporting unauthorized disclosures to the attorney general's office within 10 days.
- Maintaining a hotline for anonymous reporting of unlawful disclosures or mishandling of patient information.
- Requiring annual mandatory training for all personnel handling patient information.
"After a two-year investigation by the Attorney General's Office, no employee was found to have made any illegal disclosure of medical information and Adventist Health policies and procedures for safeguarding patient information were found to be sufficient. Adventist Health Hanford is required by law to report specific information to law enforcement," the health system told Becker's in an emailed statement. "Our settlement for a nominal amount with the Attorney General's Office was made in our desire to move beyond this ongoing litigation. We will continue to follow all reporting laws as required by state and federal agencies, and we appreciate the partnership and resolution of this issue with Mr. Bonta and the Attorney General's Office."