VA Long Beach Healthcare System

Issue: On Thursday, 05/03/15, at approximately 12:05 AM, an Environmental Management Services (EMS) employee observed two red folders with patient names on the outside located on the administrative desk. The folders were in a closed position with the patient names on…

Outcome: 05/26/15: The Incident Resolution Service Team has determined that there was a policy violation. While there was an unauthorized access/disclosure of data, it has been determined that the incident has a low probability of a risk of compromise. Only names…

Issue: While disposing of trash, a Veteran noticed files in a dumpster on campus. The Veteran retrieved the files and discovered they contained personally identifiable information (PII), including name, SSN, date of birth, home address and protected health information (PHI). The…

Outcome: 04/20/18: It is estimated that the documents contained information on approximately 300 Veterans. VA Police were notified by the Veteran and subsequently took control of the files to log-in as evidence. The Privacy Officer was notified about the incident. The…

Issue: During the processing of a search warrant by officers, a log book containing more than 1000 Veterans' information was discovered. The information contained in the log included Veterans' full name, full SSN and date of birth.…

Outcome: 05/08/14: The search warrant was served on a VA employee at his residence for an unrelated issue. The Privacy Officer (PO) said that, according to the employee, he saw someone at the facility throwing away a file cabinet and asked…

Issue: On 02/21/14 a Veteran contacted the Privacy Officer (PO) inquiring about lost CDs. The PO spoke to the Veteran and was informed he never received his lost CDs. PO misunderstood when Veteran informed him he received his records in December…

Outcome: 02/27/14: The Veteran stated he gave his Primary Care Team 2 CDs along with paper records from an outside provider. VHA Long Beach Primary Care Team never denied the CDs were in the envelope with the paper records, however they…

Issue: An inpatient chart was initially reported as missing. At this time, a portion of the inpatient chart has been recovered. The patient's name, full SSN and protected health information was compromised.…

Outcome: 01/29/14: The patient will receive a letter offering credit protection services.…

Issue: On 07/05/13, Veteran A brought in a CD with a file of medical record that belongs to Veteran B. The records include Veteran B's full name, address, full SSN, and medical information. The records were sent to Veteran A.

Outcome: 07/08/13: Veteran B will be sent a letter offering credit protection services.…

Issue: A VA unencrypted laptop has been reported missing. All evidence points to the fact that this laptop may have been removed by an unauthorized individual. The VA Police report is forthcoming.…

Outcome: 06/17/13: The laptop was included as part of a Super Dimension I-Logic CT Guided Biopsy Navigational System package and was only used in conjunction with this medical device. According to reporting Respiratory Therapy staff, personally identifiable information (PII) and protected…