The 2009 HITECH Act mandated that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights conduct periodic audits of covered entities and business associates for compliance with HIPAA privacy and security requirements. In 2012, OCR conducted a pilot audit program involving 115 covered entities. In February 2014, the agency issued a notice in the Federal Register announcing its plan to survey up to 1,200 covered entities and business associates to select organizations for the next round of HIPAA audits.