EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER

Report ID: G1P611, California Department of Public Health

Reported Entity: EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER

Issue:

Based on interview and record review, the facility failed to ensure Patient A's protected health information (PHI), was not sent to another patient. A compact disc (CD) for Patient A was inadvertently sent to Patient B. This resulted in the unauthorized disclosure of Patient A's PHI, which created the potential for unauthorized use.Findings:On June 23, 2011, at 11:20 a.m., an unannounced visit was made to the facility to investigate a breach of PHI.In a concurrent interview with the Compliance Officer, on June 23, 2011, she stated a CD for Patient A was mailed to Patient B. The CD contained PHI on the outside with the patient ' s name, date of birth, the studies and the place that performed the studies. The information on the CD contained the patient ' s name, date of birth, phone number, account number, medical record number, the medical doctor ' s name and address, clinical history, clinical information, and the procedure report.On June 23, 2011, the facility policy and procedure titled, "Access of Individuals to Protected Health Information," was reviewed. The policy stipulated, "Procedure: ...Each Department staff member responsible for preparing health records for their department must verify the documents being sent are for the correct patient before releasing to HIM for distribution to the requestor."

Outcome:

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