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 New England Healthcare System (VISN 1)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on March 1, 2012. Also cited in 204 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000072356, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 01 Bedford, MA
Issue:
School nurse called to report that a medication fax was sent to her school. It is unclear where the fax originated from. The Privacy Officer (PO) requested that documents be sent to facility. The information that was compromised was the Veteran's name, date of birth and medication information. Update: 03/16/12:The Veteran will receive a letter offering credit protection services.
Outcome:
Clinic staff were provided with an incorrect fax number for the local private Hospital. As a follow-up, clinic employees were given guidance on providing reasonable safeguards for faxing information, i.e. verifying fax numbers prior to sending, using fax coversheet with appropriate confidentiality statement, notifying recipient before sending the fax, and reviewing the fax confirmation slip. The Veteran was sent a credit monitoring letter.