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 Health Care Upstate New York (VISN 2)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on January 3, 2012. Also cited in 132 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000070271, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 02 Syracuse, NY
Issue:
The Outpatient Pharmacy had an error where three prescriptions intended for Patient A were delivered to Patient B. Patient B had one prescription but was delivered all four. Both patients were contacted by the Pharmacy and all the prescriptions were returned and re-dispensed. The package did not contain any Social Security info but had the medication info and the address of Patient A. The Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor discussed this with both the Pharmacist and Technician that wrapped the order. This was attributed to human error that both employees were involved in and the employees were reminded of the required protocol to confirm patient identifiers before mailing. This error will also be discussed at the monthly Department Staff Meeting for further education to prevent future errors. Update: 01/03/12:Patient A will be sent a notification letter due to PHI and full name being exposed.
Outcome:
The Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor re-educated the staff about the requirement to confirm patient identifiers before mailing prescription packages at the monthly staff meeting.