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.
Rocky Mountain Network (VISN 19)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on April 25, 2011. Also cited in 133 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000061529, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 19 Cheyenne, WY
Issue:
A VA provider cleared out her office. She boxed up all of the documents in her office and placed them in a public hallway. She told a VA employee to take them from the hallway and throw everything away. A mail room clerk saw these boxes in the temporary construction dumpster located in a hallway outside of the pharmacy. One box was open. He looked inside the box and saw a patient's Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI). He contacted the Privacy Officer (PO). The PO and another employee went through every box. There were complete medical records, progress notes, and notebooks full of patient information contained within the boxes. It is unclear as to how many patients' PII and PHI was in the boxes. The facility has not yet started to go through and log the individual Veteran's information found in the box. Update: 04/25/11: The temporary construction dumpster was in a hallway outside of the pharmacy and near the loading dock. It is accessible to the public. The PO is waiting for the reports of contact from the staff involved to determine how long the documents were in the dumpster. There is no security video in the area where the dumpster was sitting. 04/26/11: The audiologist reports they were in the hallway for approximately one week before being taken to the dumpster. There were 127 patients' names and SSNs left unattended. All of the patients involved will be offered credit protection services. 05/02/11: There were 134 individual patients' PII and PHI in the dumpster. Out of the 134 patients, 55 of the patients are deceased. There were many different documents on the same patients. The 79 patients will receive a letter offering credit protection services and the 55 deceased patients' next of kin (NOK) will receive NOK letters.
Outcome:
I was informed by the Director the provider received a suspension. Letters have been sent to all Veterans involved. I have attached a copy of one letter.