California legislation aims to protect patient privacy

California lawmakers are responding to repeated incidents of patient privacy with legislation that creates additional oversight and imposes hefty fines, the Los Angeles Times reported August 27.

 

The state Senate approved a bill that would establish a new state Office of Health Information Integrity with power to review plans and violations, according to the article. The legislation would assess fines of up to $250,000 against individuals who violate patient privacy and would require hospitals to draft plans to protect patient privacy.

 

A companion bill, not yet acted on by the state Senate, would allow fines of up to $250,000 against providers for violations, the newspaper reported. “Our current system of protecting patient privacy has not served as a sufficient deterrent to stop repeated and damaging breaches of patient confidentiality,” Senator Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara), author of the companion bill, told the newspaper.

 

Employees at UCLA Medical Center inappropriately accessed the medical files of Maria Shriver, Farrah Fawcett, and Britney Spears, according to the article. Alquist told the newspaper that one individual at UCLA inappropriately accessed patient information more than 900 times.

 

Click here to read the Los Angeles Times article.