The increase in adoption of electronic health records has led to more snooping by hospital employees of the records of celebrities and others in the news, according to a report from National Public Radio. However, EHRs also make it easier for the records to be audited for inappropriate access and for the perpetrators to be punished for the privacy violations.
Several examples of EHR snooping that led to punishment, according to the article, include: the suspension of 27 employees of Palisades Medical Center in New Jersey for accessing the records of George Clooney after he was treated for a motorcycle accident the firing of 20 employees of Jacksonville Medical Center in Florida for accessing the records of Jacksonville Jaguars' player Richard Collier after he was shot; and two employees and a physician pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges for accessing records at Arkansas St. Vincent Medical Center for a local TV anchorwoman who was injured during a robbery. Article