The Veterans Health Administration is notifying 4,882 veterans who were treated at the Martinsburg (W.Va.) VA Medical Center that their personal health information may have been mailed out in letters to other patients, according to a news release emailed to Becker's Hospital Review.
Patient information inadvertently shared included lab results, imaging results and appointment scheduling. No Social Security numbers were disclosed.
The incident occurred Feb. 13 and remained undetected until Feb. 16. The VHA uses an app, powered by Xerox software, that converts patients' EHR information into letters. However, the letters sent to some VA patients contained personal information belonging to other patients.
The VHA is mailing out corrected letters to all affected patients and is in the process of reviewing its quality control measures.