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.
South Texas Veterans Health Care System
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on January 6, 2015. Also cited in 50 other reports.
Report ID: PSETS0000113528, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: SOUTH TEXAS VETERANS - 671
Issue:
A Provider called a patient to discuss her biopsy results with her, however, when she called the number provided by the patient, the Provider asked to speak to the patient and the lady that answered the phone identified herself as the patient. After 20 minutes of discussing the results, appointments and radiation information, the lady said, "You are not actually speaking to XXXXX. This is her partner. But it is ok. I have her permission to discuss all of this with you. At that point, the Provider informed the lady on the phone that her misrepresentation had caused her to violate the VA policy on discussing test results with someone other than the Veteran, she had only done that because of her repeated assertions that she was in fact the patient and that she would have to report this violation to the Privacy Officer (PO). The Provider left her cell phone number for the patient to contact her. The PO could not locate anything in the patients medical record giving us permission to speak to the other individual. She is listed as the next of kin and the Emergency contact.
Outcome:
01/06/15: The Incident Resolution Service Team has determined that Patient A will be sent a HIPAA notification letter due to Protected Health Information (PHI) being disclosed.