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.
Northwest Network (VISN 20)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on May 30, 2012. Also cited in 208 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000076176, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 20 Portland, OR
Issue:
A VA provider requesting a Veterans record from a non-VA hospital transposed 2 digits of the hospitals fax number when the release form was faxed out on 05/25/12. The fax was received at a residence. The recipient saw the name of the intended hospital and carried it to their facility to complain on 05/30/12. He told the hospital not to allow anyone to use his fax number unless the documents are for him. The fax was handed off to the provider who was expecting the request and he contacted the Portland VA Medical Centers Privacy Officer (PO) to notify the facility of the error. The name of the private recipient is not known. The release contained the Veteran's name, date of birth and last four digits of the SSN. Update: 05/31/12:Veteran A will be sent a letter offering credit protection services.
Outcome:
The employee who recorded the fax number incorrectly is aware of the error and the consequences of seemingly simple mistakes. They will be making an earnest effort to verify fax numbers before use in the future.