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 Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on April 17, 2012. Also cited in 187 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000074279, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 06 Fayetteville, NC
Issue:
The Privacy Officer (PO) received a call from Veteran A on 04/17/12, stating that his medical reports had been mailed to Veteran B. Veteran A stated that he had an appointment on 04/03/12. On about 04/12/12, Veteran A received a call from Veteran B who had received the information in the mail by mistake and wanted to make Veteran A aware of the error. Veteran B stated that he would destroy the documents. The documents contained Veteran A's name, address, full SSN, date of birth and diagnosis. Update: 04/18/12:Veteran A will be sent a letter offering credit protection services due to full name and full SSN being disclosed.
Outcome:
Reiterated to staff that importance of protecting privacy of Veterans. Section supervisor will implement process to QA documents prior to being mailed to ensure envelope contains correct patient information.