Turns out nosy doctors get off easier at UCLA

It's one of the first things readers noticed when Charles Ornstein broke the UCLA hospital snooping story last month: The punishment of rank-and-file staffers exceeded that of doctors for the same offense. Charles' newest story on the scandal shows readers were right:

...the 13 nonphysician employees who viewed Spears' record while she was in UCLA’s psychiatric unit were “suspended, dismissed, resigned or retired.” Of the eight physicians who perused Spears’ records, though, three were suspended and five were reprimanded. None was fired, the state found.

The info comes from a report released today by state health inspectors. Full story to come.

--Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Associated Press

Comments

[Frank]

I guess it's easier to replace a clerk than a doctor. But rules should apply to all not depending on your postion.

[Ron Grube]

Rank does have it's priveliges doesn't it.

[UCLA employee]

If anything, the physicians should be held more accountable. They take an oath, and should definitely know better. They should lose their license to practice.

[susan]

There should be a lot more attention to snooping in general -- it's so rampant, it's almost expected. My doctor at Cedars snooped into my husband's file for some reason, which she revealed when she made a comment about his age and looking a lot older than me, and I said "oh, so you guys know everything about eveyrone's records who've ever been affiliated with a Cedars doctor," and she shrugged, sure.

I'm not a celebrity, just an object of curiosity since I look some 15 years younger than my middle-aged years, and doctors and nurses often point me out to each other and come stare at me. Sometimes they laugh at how strange it is, sometimes, they then start to treat me like an older woman whereas they didn't before, but anyway it shows that ALL OF US need privacy protection from doctors, LOUD, INSENSITIVE NURSES which populate Cedars (except the gentle Philipinos) and assistants.

I resent Cedars saying they protect the privacy of more celeb patients than UCLA but still only limit the records of celebrities. This is illegal, discriminatory and wrong: some of us become "mini-celebrities" but aren't on any lists.

[USC Employee]

A physician's mentality is that since they have an MD behind their name, they are smarter than everyone else and above having to behave ethically. For example, a USC faculty physician can become romantically/sexually involved with a staff member, resident or med student and just get a slap on the wrist, if that. The staff member, on the other hand, is forced to resign.