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: W3U211.01, 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 9:30 a.m. The PO stated a prescription intended for a retail pharmacy was faxed to an unintended recipient. The PO stated the recipient of the fax transmission, called the facility 10 minutes after the document was sent. According to the PO, the document contained the following PHI: patient's name, date of birth, medical record number, and the medication. The PO stated the staff member faxing the document to the pharmacy misdialed the last number. On December 5, 2012, a copy of the misdirected fax was reviewed. The document, titled "Clinic Outpatient Prescription Order," contained Patient A's name, his date of birth, and medical record number, as well as the prescription medication the patient was taking. 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. The policy indicated in the section for "Safeguarding Outbound Transmissions of PHI," the number should be visually checked prior to starting the transmission.
Outcome:
Deficiency cited by the California Department of Public Health: Health & Safety Code 1280