Personal Injury Law

$4,600 For Celebrity Medical Records Brings Indictment

By Jane Akre

She is alleged to have sold the medical records of celebrities who had checked into the UCLA Medical Center for $4,600.

Now Lawanda Jackson, 49 has been indicted and could spend 10 years in prison.

The United States Attorney's office says Jackson sold the records to news media outlets during 2006 and 2007.  The checks from media outlets were allegedly made out to her
husband.

Jackson was indicted April 9^th but the document was unsealed Tuesday. 

Without identifying specifically which records had been sold, the Los Angeles Times has reported that actress Farrah Fawcett, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver are among them.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that other workers were involved and up to 60 celebrities records may have been snooped.

UCLA launched the investigation after Farrah Fawcett and her attorneys notified authorities that she believed her medical records had been breached after the National Enquirer ran a May headline "Farrah's Cancer Is Back!", detailing her ongoing battle with anal and intestinal  cancer. 

The tabloid published details about a recurrence in Fawcett's cancer before she had a chance to tell family and friends, her attorney Kim Swartz said to CNN.

Jackson worked as an administrative specialist and had been with the medical center since the age of 16. She and her husband filed for bankruptcy in 2001.

Jackson will be arraigned June 9^th. The administrative specialist told the Times she was just "being nosy".

Though violations of patient privacy are rarely prosecuted, these charges, brought by a grand jury, are the most serious allowed under the privacy act known as HIPAA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Additional defendants may be charged and UCLA has fired or caused 14 other employees to resign. 

Additionally charges may be brought against the Enquirer for aiding and abetting.

 "The threat of jail time may be just the thing to stop this type of employee." Lois Richardson of the California Hospital Association tells the Los Angeles Times.

While paper records are accessible to those inside a medical clinic, the Cleveland Clinic and Google are preparing to launch a trial run to put thousands of patient medical records online.  #  

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on April 30, 2008 (boomark / email).