The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the US Department of Health and Human Services announces its sixteenth settlement of an enforcement action in its HIPAA Right of Access Initiative. OCR announced this initiative to support individuals’ right to timely access their health records at a reasonable cost under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Sharp HealthCare, doing business as Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Centers (“SRMC”), has agreed to take corrective actions and pay $70,000 to settle a potential violation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule’s right of access standard. SRMC is located in California and provides healthcare through four acute-care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, three affiliated medical groups, and a health plan.
