EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER

Report ID: 6OHG11.01, California Department of Public Health

Reported Entity: EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER

Issue:

Based on interview and record review, the facility failed to ensure Patient A's Protected Health Information (name, date of birth and address) was not given to an unauthorized recipient. This had the potential to result in misuse of private information.Findings:On October 30, 2012, the facility notified the California Department of Public Health that a one page lab order containing Patient A's name, date of birth, and address was inadvertently given to an unintended recipient.On November 8, 2012, at 10:15 a.m., an unannounced visit was made to the facility to investigate a reported PHI breach.In an interview with the Compliance Specialist on November 8, 2012, at 11:10 a.m., the Compliance Specialist stated a lab order form containing Patient A's information was brought to the lab by the unintended recipient. The order form was dated December 12, 2011, but was not brought to the lab until October 23, 2012. The Compliance Specialist stated the investigation revealed that two patients saw physicians in different offices on the same day. According to the Compliance Specialist, both offices are linked to the same printer and Patient B was given Patient A's order form. On November 8, 2012, the document presented to the lab by Patient B was reviewed. The document indicated it was "Lab Orders," and should be brought to the lab. The document contained Patient A's name, mailing address, and date of birth. On November 8, 2012, the facility's policy and procedure titled "HIPAA-Use and Disclosure of Protected Health Information," with a last reviewed/revised date of November 18, 2011, was reviewed. The policy indicated:"To protect the patient's right to privacy and confidentiality; at no time will names or information be shared with any person who does not have a need to know in order to provide care." The policy defined PHI as "individually identifiable health information relates to an individual's health status or condition ... Information is considered PHI where there is a reasonable basis to believe the information can be used to identify an individual." A second policy titled "Patient Identification Policy and Procedure," with a last reviewed/revised date of January 3, 2011, was reviewed on November 8, 2012. The policy indicated it was an organization-wide policy and it applied to all services and care settings. The policy indicated in locations such as medical offices, all patients in the office will be identified using patient name and date of birth, prior to receiving examination or treatment.The facility failed to ensure Patient A's Protected Health Information was not disclosed to any entity not authorized to receive the information.

Outcome:

Deficiency cited by the California Department of Public Health: Health & Safety Code 1280

Related Reports:

8 other violations reported on the same date. Note that other citations may be about the same event: 344D11.01, FN0S11.01, QB3N11.01, R16P11.01, RLV511.01, SF0R11.01, SPOW11.01, WKG111.01