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 Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on March 1, 2013. Also cited in 369 other reports.
Report ID: PSETS0000086292, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 08 Bay Pines, FL
Issue:
A clerk at the Lakeside Clinic, received a call that was transferred from the call center. The spouse of a Veteran called to report that she received another Veteran's letter stuck to her husbands letter. The spouse identified herself . The call center personnel told her to "just send the letter to the Veteran!" The Veteran's wife didn't think that was proper and the call center forwarded the call to the clinic. The Veteran's letter sent in error was identified. The Veteran's wife identified the content of the letter. The clerk tried to contact their supervisor during the incident around 9:15 AM, but was unavailable. The clerk then asked Veteran's wife to destroy and shred the letter. The clerk did not get any other information about her husband's information. The supervisor of the clerk was able to identify the possible Veteran whose information was mis-mailed. The letter went out around the same day and had a spouse with the same first name as the receiving Veteran's wife. Update: 03/01/13:The Veteran whose information was disclosed will be sent a HIPAA notification letter.
Outcome:
The letter was retrieved from the Veteran that received it in error. Training was conducted for staff members on the importance of adhering to Privacy rules for safeguarding and validating information before it is dispersed. No malicious attempt was discovered; staff was mailing daily letters provided by clinicians. The employee was reminded to confirm the patients identity before releasing VA documents.