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.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY 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 December 5, 2012. Also cited in 123 other reports.
Report ID: KGN811.01, California Department of Public Health
Reported Entity: RIVERSIDE COUNTY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
Issue:
Based on interview and record review, the facility failed to ensure a FAX (facsimile) was sent to the correct recipient. This failure resulted in the disclosure of Patient A's PHI (protected health information), to an unauthorized individual and the potential misuse of the information. Findings:An interview was conducted with the facility's Privacy Officer (PO), on December 5, 2012, at 10:30 a.m. The PO stated Patient A's imaging results were faxed to an incorrect number. The PO stated department personnel had called the intended recipient (a family practice provider) to obtain the fax number. Thirty one pages of imaging results were faxed to the number provided, but the number belonged to a publishing company. The PO stated employees at the family practice office were volunteers and did not give facility personnel the correct fax number. The PO stated the documents contained Patient A's full name, date of birth, medical record number, diagnosis, and other treatment information. On December 5, 2012, a copy of the misdirected fax was reviewed. Thirty one pages of imaging results, each containing the patient's full name, date of birth, age, date of service, medical record number and ordering and attending physician's name. A letter submitted to Patient A on November 13, 2012, indicated "on November 8, 2012, we were notified that information regarding your imaging results was inadvertently faxed to an incorrect fax number." According to the letter, the information inadvertently faxed to a publishing company included documents with the patient's name, date of birth, medical record number, diagnosis and other treatment information.A review of the facility policy, "Facsimile transmissions," with a release date of October 25, 2012, was conducted on December 5, 2012. The policy indicated, PHI was any individually identifiable health information that included the patient's name combined with any of the following elements:All elements of dates, except year, directly related to an individual including birth, admission or discharge date, or date of death.Medical Record number.
Outcome:
Deficiency cited by the California Department of Public Health: Health & Safety Code 1280