In a California Healthline Special Report with Deirdre Kennedy, state and university leaders discussed new policies to protect patient privacy after a series of security breaches at UCLA Medical Center.

The Special Report includes comments from:

• Kathleen Billingsley, deputy director of the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Healthcare Quality;
• Roxanne Moster, a spokesperson for UCLA health sciences; and
• Patrick Schlesinger, director of research compliance for the University of California.

Schlesinger said recently disclosed breaches of patients’ medical records at UCLA served as a wake-up call for the rest of the UC system. 

“We have taken a hard look at both the education we provide our medical center staff as well as the surveillance techniques we use to check on unauthorized access to records,” Schlesinger said.

In addition, Billingsley said that new state laws will increase penalties for hospitals that have not enacted adequate protections against privacy breaches (Kennedy, California Healthline, 11/5).

Related Topics

Audio Report Insight Hospitals Privacy