VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6)

Report ID: PSETS0000084926, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Reported Entity: VISN 06 Hampton, VA

Issue:

Three laboratory specimen labels were found in the staff bathroom. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) was on the label included name, full SSN and the date of the specimen was collected. Update: 01/23/13:The Privacy Officer (PO) spoke with Assistant Chief of Laboratory Services. She is checking to verify the date the labels were printed.01/28/13:The Privacy incident occurred at our CBOC location. The labels are all for the same patient. The labels were left behind in the bathroom. The labels were left in the bathroom the afternoon of 01/17/13 and were not discovered until the afternoon of Tuesday, 01/22/13. It was reported to the PO on Wednesday morning 01/23/13 by phone. The foot traffic in the area is medium. It is around the corner from the main entrance lobby area. The bathroom is a staff restroom and doesn't get much traffic from other patients. The PO requested the labels to be sent to her. She now has the labels found in the bathroom and the label has the Veteran's full SSN on it.Based on the length of time the labels were in the restroom and the possibility that other patients may have used the restroom, the patient will receive a letter offering credit protection services.

Outcome:

Asst. Chief of Path/Laboratory Services informed PO the SOP for Processing Laboratory specimens will be revised and the Phlebotomy Supervisor will conduct training with her staff members to ensure compliance in protecting VA sensitive information.

Related Reports:

1 other violation reported on the same date. Note that other citations may be about the same event: PSETS0000084949