SUTTER COAST HOSPITAL

Report ID: 00CR11.01, California Department of Public Health

Reported Entity: SUTTER COAST HOSPITAL

Issue:

Based on interview and document review, the facility failed to prevent unauthorized access and disclosure of Patient 46's confidential health information, when the patient's laboratory results were faxed to a person, who was not involved with the patient's care and not authorized to have the information. This failure allowed for potential unlawful or unauthorized access to protected health information and a violation of the patient's right to privacy.Findings:During an interview on 8/28/14 at 10 a.m., the Privacy Officer stated that the incident occurred when the employee selected the wrong fax number, from the department's "Quick Reference List", when attempting to fax the results of the laboratory tests to the patient's physician. The list had not been updated and thus the incorrect number was selected. The Privacy Officer confirmed the information which was transmitted. Review of documents, provided by the facility, revealed the information which was misdirected included the patient's name, date of birth, medical record number and the results of the specific test which was done. This incident occurred due to the failure of the employee to follow protocol to ensure that the name of the person to receive a fax is clearly identified and that the fax number corresponds to that name, prior to transmitting a fax. Failure to maintain an updated list contributed to this error.

Outcome:

Deficiency cited by the California Department of Public Health: Health & Safety Code 1280

Related Reports:

13 other violations reported on the same date. Note that other citations may be about the same event: 0V7U11.01, 8AEN11.01, 8U9Y11.01, AQZO11.01, CF1F11.01, H22J11.01, OFPZ11.01, PZN511.01, QSIM11.01, T7EG11.01, XI1S11.01, Y7TP11.01, ZMVG11.01