Britney Spears' Medical Records

UCLA Medical Center has launched an investigation into some 25 employees who peeked at the singer's confidential medical records during her late January/ early February stay in the psychiatric ward. This week, the hospital began the process of firing 13 employees, has suspended at least six more, and is considering discipline against six other physicians who looked at her computerized records.

"It's not only surprising," human resources director Jeri Simpson told the paper, adding that similar firings also followed Spears' 2005 stay, when she gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston. "It's very frustrating, and it's very disappointing.

"I feel like we do everything that we possibly can to ensure the privacy of our patients, and I know we feel horrible that it happened again," Simpson added, offering an apology to Spears. "I don't know what it is about this particular person."

UCLA confirmed that, in an attempt to keep this breach of ethics from occurring, officials had sent out a memo on the morning Spears was hospitalized. The memo reminded employees that they were only allowed to view their own patients' records and that doing otherwise violated a federal patient-privacy law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

"Each member of our workforce, which includes our physicians, faculty, employees, volunteers and students, is responsible to ensure that medical information is only accessed as required for treatment, for facilitating payment of a claim, or for supporting our healthcare operations," the memo read. "Please remember that any unauthorized access by a workforce member will be subject to disciplinary action, which could include termination."

During routine monitoring of inappropriate record-viewing, UCLA officials uncovered violations by both medical and nonmedical personnel involving Spears' records, following an electronic trail left by the employees.