UCLA Hospital Fined for Accessing Confidential Records

UCLA Hospital in Los Angeles, where the news of Michael’s death was announced in June 2009, has been ordered by officials to pay a $95,000 fine. The offense attributed to the hospital was failing to prevent its employees from accessing confidential medical records. According to the hospital, the offending employees used “curiosity” as an excuse for their actions.

Hospital officials did not name the patient whose confidential medical report stamp was broken, but officials referred to her as a “deceased patient.” The disclosure of the mentioned information happened five days after Michael Jackson’s death and Farrah Fawcett’s death. These two died on the same day. Previously, in 2007, Farrah Fawcett’s medical records—she had cancer—were accessed at UCLA Hospital without permission and sold to the National Enquirer.

Source: eMJey / bellinghamherald.com