A Bakersfield woman wants to know how patient medical records can end up in the wrong place, after documents for strangers show up in the fax machine at her home. It happened three times, and Geraldine Sproul worried about patient privacy.

Sproul can't understand how the doctors or medical providers got the fax number in her home, it's a number she's had for more than forty years. But, she got records first for a local woman last summer in at her house.

"It was a one-page document from one doctor to another," Sproul told Eyewitness News. "I understood from just glancing at it, it was treatment for somebody."

Sproul said she tried to track down what happened, but she wasn't satisfied with the response. "I called the doctor office, and they didn't seem to be too concerned."

The paper is authorization from Dr. Jasmine Moini's office for a patient to get orthopedic treatment. Eyewitness News went to Dr. Moini's office, and the staff said they didn't know how the wrong fax number got listed for the surgeon. Dr. Moini noted the paperwork was only authorization for treatment.

Dr. Christopher Hamilton was listed as the surgeon, and below his name a fax number is printed -- it's the fax number for Sproul's home. Staff at Dr. Hamilton's office said they didn't know how the wrong fax number ended up on the paperwork. They do have a general phone number that's similar to Sproul's.

But, the form came from "County of Kern Employee Medical Benefit Plan," and listed a phone number for Managed Care Systems. Eyewitness News called that number, and a woman who answered said they had no public information officer, and they would accept only written questions faxed to them. The worker would only identify herself as Arlene V.

Eyewitness News called back on several days, to check with Arlene V. She said supervisors were checking into the situation. On Monday, in a call to Managed Care Systems a worker said a supervisor had checked into the situation, and they believed there was no violation of patient privacy issues, and the mis-directed fax was "probably a typo."

Sproul said after that case, last Fall she got another fax for a patient. This time it was seven pages of medical records.

Then this Spring, Sproul got another medical fax. This time, it was paperwork from Hoveround authorizing a motorized wheelchair for a patient of Dr. Jerry Fox's.

From Dr. Fox's office, receptionist Dorothy Roberts said in this case they had trouble faxing to Hoveround, and they double-checked the number. Roberts looked at the mis-faxed papers, and said these were Hoveround trying to fax the documents to Dr. Fox to get his signature.

How did the mistake happen? "It could have been Hoveround," Roberts said.

Eyewitness News contacted Hoveround. Spokeswoman Debra Silvers checked on the case and said the company had been alerted a fax did not reach the intended recipient. Silvers said they confirmed the fax number for Dr. Fox, and they don't know how it still somehow ended up at Sproul's home fax machine. Silvers said they are asking the phone company to investigate.

Eyewitness News also checked with the Kern County Medical Society on the problem of mis-directed faxes of medical information. In an e-mail, executive director Sandi Palumbo said her office has been concerned about these situations since a Fresno woman also got medical information faxed to her personal fax number.

Palumbo had passed along advice to medical providers from the American Health Information Management Association. Those recommendations included setting up specific fax policies, pre-programming fax numbers when possible, training staff to double-check numbers when faxing out patient information, and including a cover page with a "confidentiality statement."

Patient privacy is regulated under what's called the "Health Insurance Privacy and Portability Act," or "HIPPA." Kaiser Permanente spokeswoman Christy Cortez said there are resources to report possible violations of patient privacy. Reports can be made to the California Office of Health Information Integrity at 916-654-3454. Or, reports can be made to the Federal Office for Civil Rights at 415-437-8310.

After getting the strangers' medical records faxed to her home, Sproul said she thinks twice about her own information. "You bet your bippy," Sproul said. "I don't want anything out on my records. I certainly don't want them out floating around. I don't think you would, or anybody else."

From Dr. Fox's office, Dorothy Roberts said they do verify fax numbers. And in spite of the mix-up over the Hoveround, that patient did get the motorized wheelchair she needed. Roberts said there are some things patients themselves could do themselves when information is going to be faxed.

"Call us, and tell us -- could you please call this number and ask if they received my information."