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.
Adventist 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 March 21, 2014. Also cited in 29 other reports.
Report ID: VYMQ11, California Department of Public Health
Reported Entity: ADVENTIST MEDICAL CENTER
Issue:
Based on staff interview, clinical record and administrative document review, the facility failed to keep Protected Health Information (PHI) confidential when Patient 1's medical records were faxed to the wrong physician.These failures resulted in unauthorized access to Patients 1's PHI and the potential for unauthorized use.Findings:On 3/21/14 at 2:46 p.m., Privacy Officer (PO) stated a dictated consult for Patient 1 was mistakenly faxed to a physician who was not involved in Patient 1's care. PO stated that the telephone number of the physician who received the fax in error, should not have been in the auto fax system.The PHI breached included Patient 1's name, date of birth, medical record number, account number, and diagnosis.The hospital policy and procedure titled "Policy: Faxing Patient Protected Health Information PHI," dated 12/6/12 indicated, "It is the policy of the organization to authorize faxing of confidential documents only in cases when it is an emergency... It is the senders responsibility to be aware of the content of the faxes they are sending, to exercise caution in faxing confidential information. ... 5. Confirm fax number. c) ...verify fax number by checking against current fax number list."
Outcome:
Deficiency cited by the California Department of Public Health: Patients' Rights