HILO, Hawaiʻi – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA) has issued a substantial penalty totaling $2,190,000 against Hilo Urgent Care Center, LLC and Hilo Urgent Care Center, LLC, doing business as Keaʻau Urgent Care Center. Both centers have received an Order to Cease and Desist Clinical Laboratory Operations for violating state and federal laws by operating clinical laboratories without proper permits and certifications.
The DOH states that both urgent care centers are in violation of Hawaiʻi state law for operating clinical laboratories on Hawaiʻi Island without a required state clinical laboratory permit. Additionally, Keaʻau Urgent Care Center is also in violation of federal law for operating without a federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) certificate.
A DOH inspector confirmed on March 25, 2025, that Hilo Urgent Care Center, LLC, had been illegally operating a clinical laboratory without a state permit since its opening in June 2003. Similarly, Keaʻau Urgent Care Center was found to have been illegally operating a clinical laboratory without both a CLIA certificate and a state permit since it commenced operations in July 2008.
Penalty Breakdown:
- Hilo Urgent Care Center, LLC has been assessed a $730,000 penalty for failing to obtain a state of Hawaiʻi clinical laboratory permit prior to opening in June 2003.
- Hilo Urgent Care Center, LLC dba Keaʻau Urgent Care Center has been assessed a $1,460,000 penalty for two violations:
- Failure to obtain a state of Hawaiʻi clinical laboratory permit prior to opening in July 2008.
- Failure to obtain a CLIA certificate prior to opening in July 2008.
The DOH CLIA section is responsible for regulating and licensing clinical laboratories in Hawaiʻi that perform testing for diagnosing, preventing, or treating diseases, assessing health, or impairment in human beings.