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 New England Healthcare System (VISN 1)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on October 15, 2012. Also cited in 204 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000081178, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 01 Bedford, MA
Issue:
Veteran A, who is also a reporter for a local newspaper, recieved an envelope addressed to him that had Veteran B's appointment information. Update: 10/15/12:Veteran B will be sent a HIPAA notification letter.10/29/12:The letter meant for Veteran A was mismailed as well, so notification for Veteran A also needs to be sent.
Outcome:
The mis-mailed letter came from the Mental Health clinic. It appears that a clinic employee accidentally put the wrong letter into the wrong envelope. The employees supervisor was notified about this incident and the employee was given additional guidance about verifying documents before they are sent out to ensure that envelopes only include information for the intended Veteran.