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.
Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on August 25, 2014. Also cited in 69 other reports.
Report ID: PSETS0000108349, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: MILWAUKEE WI - 695
Issue:
Several Veterans returned letters postmarked on 08/22/14 that contained a generic letter outlining the new facility procedures regarding opioid treatment. The letters contained the Veterans' correct street address, but were paired with different names of other Veterans. It is unknown at this time how many Veterans received correspondence meant for other named Veterans.
Outcome:
08/26/14: The letter is a form letter that describes the new facility processes that surround a Veteran having an opioid prescription. The letter itself contains no identifiable information. However, each incorrect recipient is getting another Veteran's name on the envelope, paired with the fact that said Veteran is taking an opioid of some sort. The Privacy Officer (PO) spoke with the person responsible. She was working with a spreadsheet of about 2400 Veterans, and it looks like an unknown quantity of them shifted. This occurred because of a mistake made with the mail merge in Word. She is going to try to replicate the results with the names and addresses. Each of the Veterans should have received this form letter, regardless of whose name was on the envelope. 09/01/14: After the investigation was completed, it was determined that a total of 210 Veterans were impacted. They were able to duplicate the error. Each Veteran received a copy of the letter enclosed in an envelope with a label on the form that contained their address, but another Veteran's full name from the list. The Incident Resolution Service Team determined that each of the 210 Veterans will receive a HIPAA letter of notification.