Many of your clients that do not check their medical records closely may be at risk of medical identity theft. According to the World Privacy Forum, as many as 500,000 Americans have been the victims of medical identity theft, most of which don’t even realize until it is too late. Recovery from identity theft can take years at the expense of the victim’s bank account, health plan, and dignity.
Surprisingly, a vast majority of the thieves are corrupt doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals that know their way around medical billing systems. A thief can ruin credit history, medical history records, and can even put the victim at risk of lost insurance coverage.
You can encourage your clients to be more aware of their medical record history by having them follow these simple steps:
• Always review your explanation of benefits (EOB) that is sent in through your medical insurer. Notify personnel if you see changes that do not correlate to your history.
• Monitor your insurance benefits
• Keep a copy of your medical records on hand. In case you would become a victim of medical identity theft, these important documents act as evidence.
• Correct inaccurate medical record immediately. Even minor mistakes need to be corrected to ensure accuracy.
By providing some basic information about medical identity theft prevention, your clients will respect your company for protecting their dignity and be more responsive to your services.
