It's once more into the security breach for employees at the UCLA Medical Center.
Just weeks after news that staffers were disciplined for unauthorized snooping in Britney Spears' medical file comes word that a similar breach occurred with Farah Fawcett's private records, a breach that preceded the tabloids' trumpeting of her cancer diagnosis before she had even disclosed the condition to friends and family.
While, per the Los Angeles Times, an internal review did not find definitive evidence that the employee who regularly accessed Fawcett's records sold information regarding her condition, the worker has since been terminated.
News of the return of Fawcett's cancer and the nature of her condition, were printed in the National Enquirer before she had the chance to inform friends and family. Subsequently, alarming details on her treatment showed up in both the Enquirer and its sister publication, The Globe, within days of her hospital visits.
A UCLA spokesperson said the 61-year-old actress raised concerns to her doctor last May that her condition had been leaked to the tabloids, concerns the doctor then relayed to hospital executives.
Causing even more distress was the fact that Fawcett was receiving care at the center under an alias.
After looking into the records systems, the hospital discovered "multiple reviews" of her file by an employee who was not involved in the actress' treatment. The employee's name has not been revealed, citing, ironically, confidentiality.
The breach marks the second time Fawcett's privacy has been comprised while receiving care at the hospital. Back in 2006, the former Charlie's Angels star was named on a blog written by a former hospital contractor, who revealed her status as a patient.
"She's been invaded—and these are the people who she entrusted her life to," Craig J. Nevius, who's producing A Wing and a Prayer, an upcoming documentary chronicling Fawcett's treatment, told the L.A. Times.
Fawcett's lawyer, Kim Schwartz, meanwhile, told the paper that while the star, being an extremely private person, was reluctant to take legal action against the hospital, it was just "such an ugly situation."
"This has been very hard for her. Not knowing who has her personal information has taken an incredible toll on her."
Per the Times, Fawcett is understandably no longer receiving treatment at UCLA Medical Center. She is now treated by physicians based in Germany and undergoes any required testing or follow-up treatment at a different, undisclosed Los Angeles facility.
Last month, UCLA Medical Center officials came clean about another high-profile security breach regarding Spears, who was infamously admitted to the hospital to receive intensive psychiatric care.
The improper peeking in that case was even more widespread, with 13 workers getting fired and 12 more the targets of disciplinary action as a result of the violation.