MENIFEE VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER

Report ID: 5SN111, California Department of Public Health

Reported Entity: MENIFEE VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER

Issue:

Based on interview and record review, the facility failed to ensure for one patient (Patient A), that her protected health information (PHI) was not disclosed to an entity not authorized to receive the information. This failure resulted in unauthorized access to Patient A's demographic information.Findings:A telephone interview was conducted with the Director of Health Information Management/Privacy Officer (DHIM) on March 13, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. The DHIM stated Patient A and B were treated in the Emergency Department (ED) at the same time on February 1, 2014. Patient A's registration form was mistakenly copied by a staff member in the ED and placed within Patient B's medical records. The DHIM stated that Patient B was transferred to a different facility, and Patient A's registration form was sent to the other facility along with Patient B's medical records. A review of Patient A's registration form that was sent to the wrong facility contained the following PHI for Patient A:a. Nameb. Addressc. Telephone numberd. Date of birthe. Agef. Sexg. Religionh. Social security numberi. Racej. Marital statusk. Medical insurance informationThe facility's policy and procedure titled " HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act) Privacy," revised September 2013, reflected the facility's policy was to prevent breaches of PHI from occurring, and to respond to suspected or known breaches that do occur.

Outcome:

Deficiency cited by the California Department of Public Health: Health & Safety Code 1280