Hospital Fires 13 for Peeking into Spears' Records

More than a dozen employees at UCLA Medical Center will be fired for peeking into Britney Spears' confidential medical records, according to the Los Angeles Times. Six other employees have been suspended as well, the newspaper said.

"It's not only surprising, it's very frustrating, and it's very disappointing," Jeri Simpson, hospital director of human resources, told the paper. "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."

Most medical records of hospital patients are confidential. Prying into those records is considered a violation of state and federal laws and can carry hefty fines. Under different laws, separate fines are allowed if patients are receiving treatment for mental illness or substance abuse.

Insiders have said it wasn't Spears' most recent stay that led to the pending disciplinary action, however, but rather a series of confidentiality breaches stemming from previous hospital visits.

When Spears was admitted to the facility Jan. 31, officials sent a memo to hospital staffers reminding them of their patient obligations.

Hospital officials declined to discuss specifics of the most recent incidents, citing privacy protections for patients and workers. Most employees who looked up Spears' data during her most recent hospital stay were unable to review her psychiatric records, according to the newspaper.

Spears, the multi-millionaire pop star, was admitted to the hospital in January and released Feb. 6.