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 Healthcare System (VISN 10)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on March 29, 2011. Also cited in 119 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000060138, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 10 Cincinnati, OH
Issue:
The Associate Director of a local Veterans Service Organization (VSO) discovered a working copy of a discharge summary for deceased Veteran A in Veteran B's medical records. Veteran B came to the Release of Information (ROI) office to get a copy of his Progress Notes. When Veteran B visited the VSO, she noticed that Veteran A's "working copy of discharge summary" was attached to Veteran B's Progress Notes. The VSO removed Veteran A's discharge summary from Veteran B's Progress Notes and provided the information to the Associate Director at the VA Medical Center in Columbus, OH. Veteran B did not notice Veteran A's records until the VSO pointed them out to him. Update: 03/29/11:Veteran A's Next of Kin will be sent a notification letter.
Outcome:
Letter has been sent to next of kin and attached, informing next of kin of the possible breech of information. Training on the proper filing procedures has been performed, to prevent future misfiling of documents.