Apr 11, 2008 2:05 am US/Pacific
AP: UCLA Knew About Records Snooping
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
UCLA Medical Center has known since at least 1995 that its employees were improperly looking at confidential medical files of Tom Cruise and other prominent patients.
James Duckstad, a former hospital assistant at UCLA, tells the Los Angeles Times that he was one of a group of workers fired in 1995 for records snooping. He says they looked at computerized medical files of celebrities including actors Cruise and Dom DeLuise.
Earlier this week, former administrative specialist Lawanda J. Jackson confirmed she peeked into the medical records of more than 60 UCLA patients in 2006 and 2007. Among them were actress Farrah Fawcett and California first lady Maria Shriver.
Jackson resigned from the hospital in May 2007 as it was preparing to fire her.
State health officials are determining what action to take against the facility.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
