Thieves don’t just want your credit card information, they are also highly motivated to steal medical records because they contain highly valuable information that can be used to commit identity theft or to receive and bill for treatment fraudulently. These crimes are often referred to collectively as Medical Identity theft and often catch victims unaware.

Most often medical identity theft occurs when an individual uses someone else’s insurance card to receive care. But that’s not the only way criminals use someone’s health information. Criminals who steal this type of information usually do so to fraudulently bill payers, like Medicare, Medicaid, or other insurers.

Whether someone gets care with another’s insurance or uses stolen information to bill for services, medical identity theft is a crime that can be very damaging to victims’ medical records and credit reports.

What are the signs of medical identity theft? 

• Receiving bills from providers you or your dependents have never seen.
• Receiving a change of address confirmation from your insurer, when you haven’t moved.
• Odd entries in your medical record—blood tests you haven’t had done or medications you’ve never been prescribed.
• Collection notices for bills you’ve never incurred or received.

 

Proactively protect yourself by doing the following:

• Safeguard your insurance cards. Treat them like credit cards. If you lose them, notify your insurer immediately.
• Review all bills, notices, and Explanations of Benefits (EOB) you receive. These documents will usually list the name of the person who received services. If that isn’t you or a dependent covered by your insurance, call your insurer.
• Periodically review your dependent children’s medical records. Thieves target children’s identities because the theft or misuse often goes undetected for longer periods of time.
• Never share your patient portal credentials with anyone.

Just like you would with your personal financial information, you should take action to protect your medical identity by monitoring and reviewing all medical related correspondence you receive.