Their has been a breach of confidentiality of Britney Spears’ medical records at UCLA Medical Center. The hospital is in the process of firing 13 of its employees and sanctioning 6 others with suspension.

The facility warned it’s employees that any unauthorized access to Miss Spears’ records was forbidden. Records at the hospital that were breached included details of her hospital stays when her children were born as well as her most recent psychiatric hospitalization.

UCLA Medical Center sent out a memo on the morning of January 31, 2008, warning the employees the Britney Spears’ records were off limits to those who were not associated with her case. Apparently, 19 of the employees were to eager to snoop than to listen, which inevitably cost them their jobs.

Jeri Simpson, Santa Monica hospital’s director of human resources, who previously fired employees for breaching Spears’ records said:

“It’s not only surprising, it’s very frustrating and it’s very disappointing. 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. I don’t know what it is about this particular person, I don’t know what it is about her.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, such prying is also considered a violation of state and federal laws governing medical privacy. The laws allow for fines of up to $250,000, although such penalties are uncommon. Under different laws, separate fines are allowed if patients are receiving treatment for mental illness or substance abuse.

The state Department of Public Health said late Friday that it had opened an investigation of the hospital.