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.
Birmingham VA Medical Center
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on January 27, 2015. Also cited in 26 other reports.
Report ID: PSETS0000114428, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: BIRMINGHAM AL - 521
Issue:
The Birmingham VA Medical Center (BVAMC) Privacy Officer (PO) received notification today from BVAMC Pharmacy Service that medication was processed, filled, and prepared for packaging correctly for Patient A on 01/16/15. However, when the UPS label was generated, the wrong Veteran (Patient B) was selected and the medication prescribed for Patient A was shipped to Patient B. Patient B was not expecting a shipment and has not been prescribed this medication and, therefore, immediately informed the BVAMC Pharmacy Service of the error and returned the medication to the BVAMC Pharmacy Service. The medication was then shipped to Patient A at the correct address on 01/22/15. The error did not result in patient harm as Patient A did not take any of the medication and Patient B was not out of medication. The employee responsible has been notified and will be counseled by her immediate supervisor. The event has been reported by the BVAMC Pharmacy Service.
Outcome:
01/27/15: The Incident Resolution Service Team has determined that Patient A will be sent a HIPAA notification letter due to Protected Health Information (PHI) being disclosed.