27 Hospital workers suspended after Clooney crash

(10/10/07) NORTH BERGEN - More than two dozen workers at a New Jersey hospital were suspended without pay Wednesday after allegedly snooping into actor George Clooney’s medical records.

Clooney and his girlfriend were treated at Palisades Medical Center after a Sept. 21 motorcycle accident. The hospital says computer records show the accused workers broke federal law by snooping into the actor’s medical information. According to the hospital, only direct caregivers and their support staff can access a patient’s medical record.

The union representing seven suspended workers says some of them did have reason to see Clooney’s records. It also believes the hospital should have special computer codes to make sure similar incidents don’t happen again.

In a statement Tuesday night, Clooney said, “This is the first I’m hearing of this and while I very much believe in a patient’s right to privacy, I would hope this could be settled without suspending medical workers.”

A hospital spokesman says Clooney’s fame has nothing to do with the suspensions. He says any patient’s privacy would be treated the same way.

Link to video report

Re: 27 Hospital workers suspended after Clooney crash

he's being nice about the whole thing, but privacy laws are in place for a reason. Those who snooped should be punished.

But I also don't think just anyone should have access to records.

Message edited 10/11/2007 2:12:12 AM.

Re: 27 Hospital workers suspended after Clooney crash

I was actually laughing when I read this story because it is probably women getting all ga-ga that he was brought into their hospital and looking at his personal information. These people work in a hospital in the middle of NJ - who would figure George Clooney would be brought in. That would have been more excitement than I could have handled!

Anyway, if I worked there I probably would have been one of the ones suspended because I would have been all over it. Hell, I probably would have been fired because I'd be trying to sneak into his room.

He is being really nice about it. Just makes me even more.

Message edited 10/11/2007 7:39:12 AM.

Re: 27 Hospital workers suspended after Clooney crash

I'm realy glad this was all over the news..and even more glad they got suspended. Personally I think they should be fired as well. A similar situation happened in my previous job (MSKCC) where my boss's privacy was violated by co-workers. He had HIV and they were ALL in his records because they wanted to be nosey and find out why he was out so much. They even went so far as to print out his records! Well...they all got fired (4 of them), and one was a nurse who was on the job for 18 years. I will NEVER go to this hospital for ANYTHING because of this scandal. I think it was sick of them to even look to begin with..and there is so much more that goes on in that hospital than people know.

A persons medical information is no ones business regardless if they are of a celebrity status or not. That's why they have HIPPA!

Re: 27 Hospital workers suspended after Clooney crash

Re: 27 Hospital workers suspended after Clooney crash

They say it is not because he is famous but I doubt it would have been looked into as much if he wasn't. I work in a hospital and I've had "high profile" patients. Whenever I do, my supervisor gets a call to ask if I had a right to be in the chart (electronic chart can track everyone who logs in). Of course, I was treating the patient so no problem, but there have been times I have gone in the wrong patient's chart and no calls are made. I think if he was not famous, no one would have been checking to make sure his privacy was maintained because his medical recorde would not have been nearly as interesting, but since he is famous, the hospital is on top of it immediately.

I am glad they were suspended but further actions should be taken! It's disgusting that people feel they have the right to violate someone's privacy. I caught support staff who had no business reading a patient's chart as if it were a novel because it was interesting to them. Sick!

Re: 27 Hospital workers suspended after Clooney crash