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 September 26, 2012. Also cited in 130 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000080541, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 12 Milwaukee, WI
Issue:
The spouse of Veteran A stated that she found some papers on the Veteran's bedside table and brought them home with her. The papers are the Nutrition Supplement Listing for 16 Veterans on one of the wings of the VA Medical Center. The listing contains the full name, the last four digits of the Veteran's social security number, the room number of the Veteran, and the type of nutritional snack supplement each Veteran is having. Update: 09/26/12:Sixteen (16) Veterans will be sent a notification letter.
Outcome:
The supervisor of the responsible employee was made aware of this incident and will take appropriate supervisory action. In addition, the supervisor is working on a new process to minimize the use of paper lists to prevent this sort of inappropriate disclosure from happening again. Finally, the employees in the responsible division will all receive additional training and awareness on the need to safeguard documents containing patient information.