More UCLA Workers, Including Doctors, Accused of Snooping
May 14, 2008, 10:28 AM PDT
LOS ANGELES -- California health regulators have connected 14 more
people affiliated with UCLA Medical Center, including four physicians, to the
improper viewing of celebrity medical records, it was reported Tuesday.
The latest evidence brings the number of current and former workers
apparently implicated in the snooping scandal to 68.
The additional violations came to light in a report by the California
Department of Public Health, which was sent to the hospital Friday.
The findings are the latest to stem from news reports about UCLA
employees' prying into records of celebrities and co-workers. The regulators
faulted UCLA for failure to maintain patient confidentiality and report the
breaches to regulators.
The key findings reportedly relate to the activities of a longtime administrative
specialist who allegedly pried into the medical records of 61 patients,
including celebrities and co-workers.
According to the new report, the administrator reviewed the records of
actress Farrah Fawcett on 104 days between July 1, 2006, and May 21, 2007.
She is also accused of looking at the records of pop star Britney Spears, whose medical
files have reportedly been viewed inappropriately by dozens of other UCLA workers.
The administrator, a 49-year-old woman, was indicted by a federal grand
jury last month for allegedly selling information to the news media from
medical records of celebrity patients. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years
in prison.
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