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.
EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER
Cited by the California Department of Public Health for a violation of California’s Health and Safety Code relating to medical privacy during an inspection that began on August 13, 2015. Also cited in 279 other reports.
Report ID: XY2X11.01, California Department of Public Health
Reported Entity: EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER
Issue:
Based on interview and record review, the facility failed to ensure Protected Health Information (PHI) for one patient (Patient 1) was protected from unauthorization disclosure when his radiology report was faxed to the wrong insurance carrier. This failure resulted in the unauthorized disclosure and the potential for misuse of Patient 1's PHI. Findings:An interview was conducted with the Information Privacy Officer on August 14, 2015, at 11:15 a.m. He stated, "A radiology report, containing Patient 1's name, address, date of birth, and hospital identification number, was faxed to the incorrect insurance carrier by the Emergency Case Manager on August 5, 2015 . She selected the wrong insurance carrier when printing the documents. The unintended recipient notified us of the error and the unintended recipient agreed to destroy the document."Patient 1 was notified of the information privacy breach of his protected health information (PHI) via a letter dated and mailed on August 10, 2015, to his last known address.The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) was notified both by fax and a letter dated and mailed on August 10, 2015, of the unauthorized disclosure of Patient 1's medical information.A review of the facility's policy titled, "Faxing Protected Health Information," was conducted on August 14, 2015. The procedure indicated, "...Whenever possible, staff faxing Protected health Information shall: 1. Telephone the receiving facility to inform them that Protected health Information is being faxed, confirm the fax number...2. Reconfirm the destination fax number prior to transmission by checking the telephone number displayed on the fax machine screen before transmitting it. 3. Confirm the success of the transmission by calling the intended recipient or by checking the the fax transmittal report, if available."
Outcome:
Deficiency cited by the California Department of Public Health: Health & Safety Code 1280