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 Great Lakes Health Care System (VISN 12)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on March 26, 2013. Also cited in 130 other reports.
Report ID: PSETS0000087224, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 12 Madison, WI
Issue:
A VA employee received a confidential voice mail from a Veteran alerting them that they had gone to Rockford CBOC lab to pick up a collection container as instructed and when he was going to start the collection today, he noticed that the labels on his container was that of another Veteran. He was wondering what he should do. The employee contacted the Rockford clinic lab immediately and spoke with another employee who said they knew that this had happened and they were "waiting for Veteran to bring his jugs in and would switch the labels then." The other employee was told the Veteran should be told to come back to Rockford CBOC and give back the wrong container and pick up the correctly labeled container. Update: 03/26/13:Due to full SSN and medical information being disclosed, Veteran A and B will be sent a letter offering credit protection services.
Outcome:
Staff have been notified to verify all PHI before it is handed/mailed to a patient to ensure that the information belongs to that patient. In the event that a breach occurs they have been instructed to notify the Privacy Officer/ISO immediately as well as take steps to correct the problem and retrieve the incorrect information from the patient.