Five California hospitals fined for patient record snooping

The California Department of Public Health has doled out fines to five hospitals for failing to protect patients' medical information. The hospitals, which included Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, were assessed a total of $675,000 in penalties for violating state privacy laws that prohibit employees from snooping on confidential patient records, the agency said last week in a statement. Community Hospital of San Bernardino received the largest single fine — $250,000 — for failing to prevent an employee from viewing private data of 204 patients. — DK