http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-ucla12apr12,0,3134540.story When penalties were handed out for snooping in UCLA's medical records, it paid to have an M.D. after your name.
As a group, doctors at UCLA hospitals who wrongly peeked at the records of pop star Britney Spears got off lighter than other staffers, according to reports released Friday by state health inspectors.
The California Department of Public Health faulted the prestigious UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, its neuropsychiatric institute and a sister hospital in Santa Monica for two privacy breaches involving Spears: when she gave birth to her first son in 2005 and when she was hospitalized in the psychiatric unit earlier this year.
All told, at least 53 UCLA staffers -- including 14 physicians -- looked at Spears' medical records on the two occasions, even though they were not treating her, according to statistics from the state and UCLA officials. Eighteen non-doctors resigned, retired or were dismissed after their prying was discovered, according to data provided to The Times by UCLA. No physicians quit or were fired.
Asked about the discrepancy, Kathleen Billingsley, deputy director for the state health department's Center for Healthcare Quality, said: "I can't speculate as to why."