127 UCLA Medical Center Workers Peeped Into Celebrity Files, Report Says
Unauthorized peeping into celebrity medical files at UCLA Medical Center was more widespread than previously believed, involving at least 127 employees.
Regulators who reported this tally fault the hospital for not taking more effective measures to protect patient confidentiality, writes the Los Angeles Times. Despite announcements that unauthorized access to medical records would result in sanctions and disciplinary measures taken by UCLA that have included termination of some employees, some privacy breaches apparently have continued to occur. The hospital is continuing to upgrade its records security and employee training to try to prevent further unauthorized intrusions.
A major source of problems, however, was a single employee who accessed medical records for 939 patients, using her supervisor’s computer password, between April 2003 and May 2007, without legitimate reason, the newspaper writes. Lawanda Jackson is facing federal criminal charges for allegedly violating the privacy of actress Farrah Fawcett. Such medical records also often contain Social Security numbers, addresses and other personal information.
Due in part to the reported celebrity privacy breaches at UCLA, lawmakers have proposed and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed legislation that would allow hefty fines of up to $250,000 to be imposed on health care workers and hospitals that violate patient privacy.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Celebrity Medical Files Breached at UCLA”
