Veterans In Partnership (VISN 11)

Report ID: SPE000000078087, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Reported Entity: VISN 11 Ann Arbor, MI

Issue:

Patient A received a letter from his physician of an update on his condition. In the same mailing envelope Patient A also received a letter regarding Patient B. That letter included Patient B's full name and address. No medical diagnosis or other sensitive or patient identifying information was on the letter, however the fact that the letter came from the physician implies that Patient B is receiving medical care from the physician. Update: 07/20/12:Patient B will receive a HIPAA notification letter due to the lett coming from the physician.

Outcome:

Patient B's physician letter was retrieved from Patient A. A notification letter was mailed to Patient B along with the physician letter. The clerks that mail out the physician letters were given email awareness training of the importance to take extra precautions to make sure that only the correct patient's information is placed into envelopes that are mailed to the patients.

Related Reports:

1 other violation reported on the same date. Note that other citations may be about the same event: SPE000000078080