The UCLA
Medical Center,
that had the 26-year-old Britney Spears under observation for two times in
January, was forced to fire some of its employees and to discipline others. After
several investigations were made, it was discovered that the staff have snooped
at the confidential medical records of the troubled singer. As a result, more
than 13 employees, none of whom doctors, were fired and twelve others,
including some doctors will be disciplined for looking at the pop star’s
computerized records.
According to the Associated Press, Jeri Simpson, the
hospital’s director of human resources did not reveal the real number of
employees fired, neither when the snooping took place, but he confirmed that a
part of the hospital’s staff was sacked. Simpson told the AP that the situation
is “not only surprising, it’s very frustrating and it’s very disappointing.”
Moreover, according to The Los Angeles Times, no evidence
that any employee sold the information about the pop singer was found. However,
the staff’s action is a violation of state and federal medical privacy law, due
to the fact that under federal law only doctors and medical staff directly
involved with a patient are able to work with records.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time for the hospital
to face this situation. In September 2005, when Spears’ first son, Sean
Preston, was born several employees were caught peeking in the singer’s files
and were fired.
Britney Spears was first hospitalized at the UCLA Medical
Center in early January
after facing a crisis when Kevin Federline’s representatives tried to retrieve
their two children. The second hospitalization occurred only a few weeks later
after police called to her house.
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