Hawaii Island Urgent Care centers fined $2.19 million

The state Department of Health has issued an order to cease and desist clinical laboratory operations against Hilo Urgent Care Center LLC and its Keaau Urgent Care Center.

According to the DOH, both centers are in violation of state law for operating clinical laboratories on Hawaii Island without a state clinical laboratory permit.

Keaau Urgent Care Center also is in violation of federal law for operating without a federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment certificate.

A DOH inspector on March 25 confirmed that Hilo Urgent Care Center was illegally operating a clinical laboratory without a state clinical laboratory permit since it opened in June 2003. It also was confirmed that Keaau Urgent Care Center was illegally operating a clinical laboratory without a CLIA certificate and without a state clinical laboratory permit since it opened in July 2008.

Hilo Urgent Care Center has been assessed a $730,000 penalty for failing to obtain a state clinical laboratory permit prior to opening in 2003.

Hilo Urgent Care Center, doing business as Keaau Urgent Care Center, also has been assessed a $1.46 million penalty for failing to obtain a state clinical laboratory permit and CLIA certificate prior to opening in 2008.

The DOH CLIA section regulates and licenses clinical laboratories in Hawaii “that perform testing for the purposes of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any disease or impairment of, or the assessment of, the health of human beings,” according to the DOH.