Improper access to the medical information of celebrities and people in the news has been a bane of health systems around the country for years. The proliferation of electronic medical records systems has made it easier to track and punish those who peek in records for no legitimate reason.
Below is a partial list of high-profile breaches and the consequences that followed, compiled from news reports.
Celebrity Medical Record Breaches
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October 2007
A bandaged George Clooney seen in New York in 2007, after he was injured in a motorcycle accident.
Robert Pitts/Landov
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Robert Pitts/Landov
Palisades Medical Center in New Jersey suspended 27 workers without pay for a month for looking at the medical records of actor George Clooney, who had been treated there after a motorcycle accident.
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March 2008
iBritney Spears was taken to the neuropsychiatric section of the UCLA Medical Center on Jan. 31, 2008.
Valerie Macon/Getty Images
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Valerie Macon/Getty Images
Britney Spears was taken to the neuropsychiatric section of the UCLA Medical Center on Jan. 31, 2008.
Valerie Macon/Getty Images
UCLA Medical Center took steps to fire at least 13 employees and suspended at least six others for snooping in the medical records of pop star Britney Spears during her hospitalization in its psychiatric unit. In addition, six physicians faced discipline.
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November 2008
iJacksonville Jaguars player Richard Collier joins his teammates on the sidelines for the national anthem on Dec. 18, 2008.
Phil Coale/AP
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Phil Coale/AP
Jacksonville Jaguars player Richard Collier joins his teammates on the sidelines for the national anthem on Dec. 18, 2008.
Phil Coale/AP
Jacksonville Medical Center in Florida fired 20 workers for looking at the records of Richard Collier, then an offensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who was paralyzed in a shooting.
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March 2009
iNadya Suleman was dubbed “Octomom” after the birth of her octuplets.
Barcroft Media/Landov
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Barcroft Media/Landov
Nadya Suleman was dubbed “Octomom” after the birth of her octuplets.
Barcroft Media/Landov
Kaiser Permanente revealed that 21 employees and two doctors inappropriately accessed the medical records of Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets at its Bellflower, Calif., hospital. Of those workers, 15 were either terminated or resigned under pressure. Eight faced other disciplinary actions. In May 2009, the California Department of Public Health fined the hospital $250,000 for failing to protect Suleman’s records.
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October 2009
Guy Cannady, father of Little Rock television news anchor Anne Pressly who was attacked in her home, speaks about his daughter’s condition on Oct. 24, 2008.
Danny Johnston/AP
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Danny Johnston/AP
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June 2010
iPolice tape hangs across the street near the emergency room dock at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, where Michael Jackson was brought after he stopped breathing.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters/Landov
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Mario Anzuoni/Reuters/Landov
Police tape hangs across the street near the emergency room dock at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, where Michael Jackson was brought after he stopped breathing.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters/Landov
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center was fined $95,000 by the California Department of Public Health for failing to stop employees from accessing singer Michael Jackson’s records. Two hospital workers and two contract employees were terminated.
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January 2011
iGabrielle Giffords sits with her husband, Mark Kelly, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on in 2013.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Gabrielle Giffords sits with her husband, Mark Kelly, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on in 2013.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., fired three employees for snooping in records after the shooting that left then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition. A contract nurse also was terminated.
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July 2011
iUCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles has many celebrity patients.
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters/Landov
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Lucy Nicholson/Reuters/Landov
UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles has many celebrity patients.
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters/Landov
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July 2013
iKim Kardashian, North West and Kanye West attend a fashion show in February.
Craig Barritt/Getty Images
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Craig Barritt/Getty Images
Kim Kardashian, North West and Kanye West attend a fashion show in February.
Craig Barritt/Getty Images
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September 2014
iEbola survivor Dr. Rick Sacra speaks to the media about his experience on Sept. 26, 2014, in Worcester, Mass.
Stephan Saviola/AP
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Stephan Saviola/AP
Ebola survivor Dr. Rick Sacra speaks to the media about his experience on Sept. 26, 2014, in Worcester, Mass.
Stephan Saviola/AP
Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha fired two workers for looking in the records of Dr. Rick Sacra, who had been treated at the hospital for the Ebola virus he contracted while volunteering in Africa.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom based in New York. This story is part of a yearlong examination into the security of medical information. Has your medical privacy been compromised? Help ProPublica investigate by filling out a short questionnaire. You can also read other stories in the Policing Patient Privacy series.