Looks like we now know where magazines and web sites get at least some of their medical stories about Hollywood celebrities. I don’t care who they are, young or old, liberal or conservative, they’re entitled to confidentiality from their caregivers. It appears UCLA Medical Center hasn’t addressed the privacy breaches quickly enough, and forcefully enough, so guess what? The state of California is poised to step in with regulations and fines. But check out the vagueness of one provision of the proposed law, which I’ve emphasized in bold below. I’d love to know who is set to receive those fines. From the Los Angeles Times:
In part because of the breaches, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed legislation that would impose penalties on hospitals and healthcare workers for breaching patient privacy.
“Californians have every right to expect their medical records to be safeguarded and protected, and I am alarmed about repeated violations of patient confidentiality and the potential harm to the citizens of this state,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement. “By putting financial penalties in place for those employees and facilities that do not follow these laws, this legislation will lead to better care for all Californians.”
Under the legislation, being carried by Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara) and Assemblyman Dave Jones (D-Sacramento), healthcare workers who unlawfully view patient records would be fined from $1,000 to $250,000, depending on the seriousness of the violation. Hospitals and other health facilities would face fines of $25,000 to $250,000 for similar violations.
The legislation also would increase penalties for hospitals found to have put patients in jeopardy of harm or death, to $100,000 from $25,000.
