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 Mid South Healthcare Network (VISN 9)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on April 2, 2012. Also cited in 328 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000073569, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 09 Huntington, WV
Issue:
Twenty lab specimens for 8 patients at a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) that were to be transported to the VA Medical Center cannot be located. A copy of the manifest would contain the patients' names and labs ordered, and the specimen tubes would have the full SSNs on them. This was discovered 03/29/12 but not reported to the Privacy Officer (PO) or Information Security Officer (ISO) until today. Employees conducted a thorough searches of the CBOC lab and the transport vehicles involved but have been unable to find the missing specimens. Update: 04/02/12:Eight Veterans will be sent a letter offering credit protection services due to full name and full SSN being disclosed.04/09/12:After a final count, the total number of Veterans affected is 10. Those ten Veterans will receive a letter offering credit protection services.NOTE: There were a total of 25 Mis-Handling incidents this reporting period. Because of repetition, the other 24 are not included in this report, but are included in the "Mis-Handling Incidents" count at the end of this report. In all incidents, Veterans will receive a notification letter and/or credit monitoring will be offered if appropriate.
Outcome:
The acceptance of specimens will be documented so the transport can be tracked in the future.