L.A. Care has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle two investigations by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights over potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
L.A. Care is a large publicly operated health plan that provides benefits and coverage through state, federal, and commercial programs.
OCR said its investigation found evidence of potential noncompliance with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules across LA Care’s organization, a serious concern given the size of the covered entity. The health plan serves close to 3 million members, Healthcare Finance reports.
The settlement concludes two OCR investigations initiated from a large breach report and a media article regarding a separate security incident. Read more.
