Medical Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs most often after a wallet or purse is stolen or after mail or electronic data containing sensitive information is stolen. Wherever thieves can grab sensitive information, they will. Most people may not have heard about identity theft used to falsify medical claims or used to secure healthcare coverage. However, it is occurring. The affect of medical identity theft reaches beyond just the emotional toll on the victim. It also has financial and medical ramifications.

FINANCIAL
The financial consequences are what you might imagine. Victims suddenly receive unpaid bills for procedures and office visits they’ve never had. Collection agencies begin to call. After a short time, credit reports are affected. Frustrating and troublesome as all this is, the most harmful affect of medical identity theft may be medical record corruption.

MEDICAL
When false medical records are created from stolen personal information, any procedures, medications, and other case history information of the perpetrator may wind up in the file of the victim. This can potentially create a life-threatening situation for them.

Victims may not find out about the record corruption for years. And, obtaining copies of medical files and correcting errors is difficult because of liability concerns and privacy law regulations.

What can you do?

• Obtain of a free copy of your credit report every year from each of the three credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion.
• Compare the data across all three reports and make sure all the information is accurate.
• Correct any inaccuracies with the credit bureaus. If your identity has been stolen, follow these procedures as advised by the Federal Government.
• Keep all your doctors informed of any procedures you have and medications you are taking.
• Ask your doctor at your visits for a brief run down in your history listed in their file just so you can rule out any items that may not pertain to you.
• Keep track of your medical history yourself at home in a journal or notepad.

If any false records or information are brought to your attention at a doctor’s visit or by a call from a collection agency, check your credit reports immediately. Report any possible incidents of identity theft to your doctor, insurance provider, and all three credit bureaus.