Octomom's Hospital Fined $250,000

The California Department of Public Health today announced a quarter-million dollar fine given to Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Hospital after "the hospital compromised the privacy of a patient when 21 employees and two physicians improperly accessed records." That patient was "Octomom" Nadya Suleman This is the first time a penalty has been assessed under new patient privacy laws went into effect last year when it was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. "Medical privacy is a fundamental right and a critical component of quality medical care in California,” said Dr. Mark Horton, director of CDPH, in a news release. “We are very concerned with violations of patient confidentiality and their potential harm to the residents of California.”