Albany VA Medical Center: Samuel S. Stratton

Issue: VA Physician found paper on ground while walking between hospitals. Contained information on 9 Veterans. Contains inpatient room number, full name, last 4 of SSN, age, meds, diet, hospital course, plan. Paper was printed on 11/21/13…

Outcome: 11/22/13: All nine Veterans will be sent a notification letter.…

Issue: The Privacy Officer (PO) received a call from Veteran who stated that information from a clinic visit was shared with a friend of his outside the VA Hospital. The PO will investigate…

Outcome: 09/30/13: The Veteran had been seen by the Audiologist and was prescribed hearing aides. The Veteran refused to accept the hearing aides and the Audiologist shared this with a friend of the Veteran in hopes that the friend would convince…

Issue: A printed ward list was found on the sidewalk outside of hospital on walkway. It contained the last name, last 4 of SSN, room number, history of present illness, present medical health, medications, day and overnight treatment plan of 8…

Outcome: 09/20/13: Notification letters will be sent to eight Veterans.…

Issue: A VA employee found a paper 4 X 6 index card which contained a Veteran's full name, last 4 of SSN, DOB, protected medical information.…

Outcome: 09/17/13: The Veteran will be sent a HIPAA notification letter due to Protected Health Information (PHI) being exposed.…

Issue: Letter found by supervisor on his desk when he arrived at work this morning. Letter contained health information about one Veteran. It was a "To Whom It May Concern" letter with a physician's name block at the bottom. Stated Veteran…

Outcome: 09/09/13: One employee will be sent a notification letter.…

Issue: A Cardiology Consult Document with full SSN, Full Name, Full Address, Telephone Number, DOB, and diagnosis/appointment reason for two Veterans was found on the sidewalk between the VAMC and Albany Med parking garage on 08/21/13 at approximately 3:00 PM. Two…

Outcome: 08/22/13: Two Veterans will receive a letter offering credit protection services. The third Veteran will receive a HIPAA letter of notification.…

Issue: A VA employee has inappropriately accessed another VA employee's CPRS record.

Outcome: 08/22/13: One employee will receive a letter offering credit protection services.…

Issue: An employee locked an office door when she left on 06/18/13 at 4:10 PM. When she arrived to work on 06/19/13 around 6:10 AM, the door was shut but unlocked. She noticed a reference book and also a handwritten list…

Outcome: 06/19/13: The book was only a reference book for Utilization Management. It didn't contain any information at all about patients. The list however was folded and tacked to a bulletin board over the employee's desk. She apparently writes out information…

Issue: A Physician found a paper on the ground while walking outside. It's a General Surgery Patient List that contains name, last 4 digits of the SSN, room location, medications, diet, hospital course and plan for 12 Veterans. This paper was…

Outcome: 06/13/13: Notification letters will be sent to 12 Veterans.…