Search Privacy Violations, Breaches and Complaints
This database was last updated in December 2015 ago and should only be used as a historical snapshot. More recent data on breaches affecting 500 or more people is available at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Breach Portal.
COMMUNITY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
Cited by the California Department of Public Health for a violation of California’s Health and Safety Code relating to medical privacy during an inspection that began on April 17, 2014. Also cited in 62 other reports.
Report ID: DSH711, California Department of Public Health
Reported Entity: COMMUNITY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
Issue:
Based on staff interview, clinical and administrative document review, the facility failed to keep Protected Health Information (PHI) confidential when on 3/17/14 Medical Doctor 1 (MD 1) accessed Patient 1's (P 1) electronic medical records (EMR) without a business need to know.This failure resulted in unauthorized access to P1's PHI and the potential for abuse of the PHI.Findings:On 4/17/14 during an interview at 10:23 a.m., the Privacy Officer (PO) stated MD 1 accessed P1's EMR even though he was no longer treating P1. The PO stated MD 1 was preparing for a medical board hearing and should have had an attorney subpoena those records.The PHI breached included: name, date of birth, home address, gender, medical record number, account number, and clinical findings.The (Hospital) Policy and Procedure titled, "HIPAA General Rules for the Use and Disclosure of PHI" dated 4/18/12 indicated, "The paper and electronic records...which contain PHI, are created and maintained for the purpose of providing patient care..."
Outcome:
Deficiency cited by the California Department of Public Health: Patients' Rights