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 Healthcare - VISN 4 (VISN 4)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on January 3, 2012. Also cited in 239 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000070282, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 04 Altoona, PA
Issue:
Veteran A was given the surgical discharge instructions that were intended for Veteran B. The discharge instructions contained Veteran B's name, full SSN, date of birth, and protected health information (PHI). Update: 01/04/12:Veteran B will be sent a letter offering credit protection services.01/09/12:The credit protection letter was prepared. The Privacy Officer (PO) will meet with Veteran B in person to deliver the letter and explain the incident and the purpose for the credit protection services.NOTE: There were a total of 113 Mis-Handling incidents this reporting period. Because of repetition, the other 112 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 document was retrieved by the Privacy Officer. The credit protection letter was given to Veteran B. Education was provided to the OR staff by the Privacy Officer.