VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8)

Issue: Veteran A was mailed Veteran B's Informed Consent for Surgery. The Informed Consent contained Veteran B's name, full SSN and diagnosis. Update: 06/15/12:Veteran B will receive a letter offering credit protection services.…

Outcome: Education provided to staff.

Issue: Veteran A received Veteran B's medication list and full SSN. Update: 06/12/12:Veteran B will be sent a letter offering credit protection services due to full name and full SSN being disclosed.…

Outcome: Employee has retaken Privacy and HIPAA training. HAS supervisor reviewing checkout processes for improvement.

Issue: Veteran A's spouse contacted the Nurse Manager to report that she was given Veteran's B discharge summary. The Nurse instructed the spouse to return document to hospital and not make copies of it. The discharge summary contained Veteran B's name,…

Outcome: The document was recovered from Patient B. A credit monitoring letter was sent to Veteran to protect him for the privacy violation of his full name and full SSN and other HIPAA identifiers. Appropriate corrective actions were recommended to Nurse…

Issue: Veteran A received a copy of his/her medical records from Release of Information in-person. After review of records, Veteran A discovered that one progress note had Veteran B's full name, full SSN, home address and date of birth within the…

Outcome: Additional education has been provided by the Privacy Office to the employee who copy and pasted the incorrect information into the Veteran's record. Supervisors were involved and information was related to HR for disciplinary action. A credit protection letter was…

Issue: A VA employee accessed another VA Employee/Veteran's record without outside of their duties Update: 06/07/12:One employee will be sent a letter offering credit protection services.…

Outcome: Additional education has been provided by the Privacy Office to the employee who inappropriately accessed the record. Supervisors were involved and information was related to HR for disciplinary action. A credit protection letter was mailed to the Employee/Veteran whose information…

Issue: Veteran A was given Veteran B's discharge instructions upon discharge from Urgent Care. The documents contained Veteran B's name, full SSN and discharge instructions. Update: 06/04/12:Veteran B will be sent a letter offering credit protection services.NOTE: There were a total…

Outcome: The responsible employee was required to re-take the appropriate training modules. The employee's Supervisor was instructed to consult with Human Resources (HR) to determine if any disciplinary action is deemed necessary.

Issue: A Physician gave Veteran A the lab results belonging to Veteran B. Update: 05/31/12:Veteran B will be sent a letter offering credit protection services due to full name and SSN being disclosed.…

Outcome: Clinic supervisor, Administrative Officer and Chief Medical Officer were notified and instructed to contact HRMS for appropriate actions. Employee will retake VA Informaiton Security and Privacy Trng and HIPAA Trng. Privacy Officers to provide clinic level education in August all…

Issue: VA clerk mis-mailed Veteran A's appointment letter to Veteran B. The appointment letter contained Veteran A's name, partial SSN and diagnosis. The Privacy Officer (PO) will investigate. Update: 05/30/12:Patient A will be sent a notification letter.…

Outcome: Privacy Officer confirmed the mis-mailed appointment letter was destroyed. Employee involved is aware that proper scheduling is essential in providing accurate depiction of care to Veterans. Employee involved completed re-training on Privacy and Information Security. HIPAA Notification Letter mailed to…

Issue: Veteran A was mailed Veteran B's VA Identification Card with Veteran B's Name and Photo visible on card. Update: 05/29/12:Veteran B will be sent a notification letter.…

Outcome: Clinic supervisor, Admin Officer and Chief Medical Officer notified and instructed to contact HRMS for appropriate actions. Employee will retake VA Informaiton Security and Privacy Trng and HIPAA Trng. Privacy Officers to provide clinci level education at August all clinic…

Issue: Veteran called and indicated Sheriff had contacted him and said a contractor from the VA sold the information. Update: 05/29/12:The Veteran will be sent a letter offering credit protection services due to full SSN being disclosed.07/06/12:Credit protection services have been…

Outcome: Ongoing investigation by OIG