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 Midwest Health Care Network (VISN 23)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on January 14, 2013. Also cited in 183 other reports.
Report ID: PSETS0000084622, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 23 St. Cloud, MN
Issue:
Veteran A was sent a hemocult slide test with Veteran B's information on a label from a VA employee. Veteran A called to report that the label did not contain their information but had another Veteran's information on it. Update: 01/14/13:Veteran B will be sent a letter offering credit protection services, as his full SSN was disclosed.NOTE: There were a total of # Mis-Mailed incidents this reporting period. Because of repetition, the other # are not included in this report, but are included in the "Mis-Mailed Incidents" count at the end of this report. In all incidents, Veterans will receive a notification letter and/or credit monitoring will be offered if appropriate.
Outcome:
Veteran A has returned the information he received that contained Veteran B's information. The lab worker who had given the Veteran the information was spoken with and was advised that in the future, when giving Veterans an item that contains sensitive information in person, they should ask the Veteran to validate their name. The clerk should then use either a pen or a highlighter and make a mark next to the name before giving it to the Veteran. This gives them an additional chance to validate they are giving them the correct item. The clerk stated she understood and would do this in the future.