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.
VA Southwest Health Care Network (VISN 18)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on August 29, 2011. Also cited in 228 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000066182, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 18 Tucson, AZ
Issue:
An electrocardiogram (EKG) printout was found still connected to an open EKG machine in a busy hallway on an inpatient ward. This affected one (1) patient. Update: 08/29/11:The document was left unattended for over 30 minutes and contained the patient's full name, SSN, date of birth, and medical information. The patient will be offered credit protection services.NOTE: There were a total of 93 Mis-Handling incidents this reporting period. Because of repetition, the other 92 are not included in this report, but are included in the "Mis-Handling Incidents" count at the end of this report. In all incidents, Veterans will receive a notification letter and/or credit monitoring will be offered if appropriate.
Outcome:
The patient was notified and the Privacy Officer provided staff with additional training to ensure that this type of incident does not occur again.