Medical Privacy of Celebrities

The Los Angeles Times reports that the privacy of (yet more) several famous patients has been breached at the UCLA Medical Center. The West Coast newspaper had reported last April that the medical records of Farah Fawcett, Maria Schriver, and other celebrities had been accessed without authorization. The Los Angeles Times posted a copy of the report filed by the California Department of Health Services.

A famous patient, D., checked into the UCLA Medical Center in October 2004, under a pseudonym. In spite of taking the care of using a false name, information about his medical condition somehow leaked, and was reported by a national newspaper. An inquiry led to the dismissal of an employee last month, because he accessed the D’s records for job-related reason, and thus violated the protected health information of the patient.

In Michigan, some employees of the Sparrow Hospital in Lansing were fired or disciplined for having attempted to access the medical records of Governor Granholm.

Even the mundane act of buying medication is published for all fans to know.