Final answer:
Touchstone Medical Imaging was penalized by HHS due to their violations of the HIPAA regulations, which included failing to investigate a breach properly, delay in notifying those affected, and failing to provide complete information in their breach notification.
Step-by-step explanation:
The actions that Touchstone Medical Imaging took or did not take which led the Health and Human Services (HHS) to award a penalty were primarily related to violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Specifically, Touchstone was penalized for failing to:
- Noticeably investigate a security breach
- Notify all individuals affected by the breach in a timely manner
- Notify the media about the breach of unsecured protected health information
- Include all necessary information in their breach notification to the HHS
These actions or inactions led to a significant breach in patient privacy and confidentiality, prompting the HHS to issue a penalty. It is critical for healthcare organizations to comply with HIPAA regulations to protect sensitive patient information.