ShareThisThink you might be a victim of medical identity theft? Take these steps -- recommended by federal authorities and private experts -- to determine if someone has used your name fraudulently and to correct your records.
-- Keep a complete copy of your medical records. If someone steals your medical identity, it helps to have an accurate, unaltered version. Request records from your doctor before your next visit.
-- Check your credit score from one of three credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. If an ID thief got medical care in your name and didn't pay for it, the bill may show up on your credit report.
-- Read statements from your health insurer. After processing a claim, an insurance company is supposed to send an explanation of benefits (EOB). If you're sent this document for medical care you did not receive, you might be an ID theft victim.
-- Contact your insurance provider to make sure it has your correct mailing address. Some ID thieves alter billing addresses to keep victims from realizing what is happening.
If you think you may be a victim of medical ID theft:
-- Understand that there is no clearinghouse for medical records. In contrast, credit bureaus collect credit-account information and can provide a recovery roadmap for victims of financial ID theft. So, you might not find out about instances of medical ID theft until you receive a hospital bill or insurance claim for medical care.
-- Ask for copies of medical records and bills. Use these to identify inaccuracies.
-- Be prepared to push. If a health care provider refuses to give you access to medical files created by an ID thief, citing federal health privacy law, appeal. Contact the provider's patient representative or ombudsman.
Request an accounting of privacy disclosures. This accounting will report how and with whom a medical provider has shared your information. It may indicate whether medical information has been released inappropriately. Ask the health provider for the date of the disclosure, who got the information and why.
File a complaint. If you think your privacy rights have been violated, contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights at www.hhs.gov/ocr ; you can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov .
(Contact Isaac Wolf at wolfi(at)shns.com.)
