State health officials fine Maui businesses $15,000 each for alleged illegal lab testing

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health issued a notice of violation and order against a Scottsdale, Arizona, company and three Hawaiʻi-based entities for allegedly providing illegal direct-to-consumer laboratory testing.

The state agency issued the order against John Roehm, chief executive officer of Ulta Lab Tests LLC for violating state law by providing testing to Hawaiʻi consumers since May 2022. According to the Department of Health, the company is not a federally certified clinical laboratory and did not receive written approval to establish collecting depots in the state.

Under Hawaiʻi administrative rules, specimens must be requested by an authorized person rather than collected directly from an individual.

Cease and desist orders

The Department of Health ordered Ulta Lab Tests LLC to end its affiliations with three entities acting as collecting depots. Those entities were also individually issued violation notices and fined $15,000 each after an inspector confirmed they were operating without approval from the Office of Health Care Assurance.

The entities include:

• Maui Midwifery LLC, owned and operated by Whitney A. Herrelson and Alexandria Amey, located in Wailuku.
• Malama Regen Med Group LLC, doing business as Maui Longevity Rx, owned and operated by Emily Loren, N.D., located in Pāʻia.
• Lab Exodus LLC, a mobile phlebotomy service owned and operated by Rachel Moke, located in ʻEleʻele, Kauaʻi.

Ulta Lab Tests could not be immediately reached for comment. Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, Herrelson said she had no comment on behalf of Maui Midwifery.

However, Maui Longevity owner Loren said via email that her business began using Ulta Lab Tests in November 2025 to access clinical tests unavailable through local providers. Loren said she believed the company was compliant with state regulations after representatives claimed they were already operating in Hawaiʻi through an affiliation with Quest Diagnostics.

Loren said she independently decided to discontinue the service due to workflow concerns and deactivated her account on Dec. 22, before learning of the state investigation. She received formal notification of the violation on Jan. 2 and said she intends to fully cooperate with the Department of Health.

Loren emphasized that her goal was to provide physician-directed care within the scope of her license and in compliance with state law.

When asked if she would contest the state fine, she said she had not decided whether to do so yet. “I do feel that the fine rather harsh considering the limited time I utilized Ulta, but at this point I need more time and information before I make any decisions,” she said.

Maui Now also reached out to Maui Midwifery for comment on Tuesday afternoon, but there was no response as of Wednesday afternoon.

Consumer testing laws

State law prohibits direct-to-consumer laboratory testing. Only an authorized person or a qualified designee may order, receive and interpret laboratory results.

A collecting depot is defined by the state as a location separate from patient care facilities where specimens are taken from the body for examination elsewhere.

The Department of Health Clinical Laboratories in Hawaii section regulates clinical laboratories that perform testing for medical diagnosis, prevention or treatment.

Ulta Lab Tests LLC, Lab Exodus LLC, Maui Midwifery LLC and Maui Longevity Rx have 20 days from the receipt of the notice to request a written hearing. If no request is made, the order becomes final and enforceable.