The American Medical News suggests medical receptionists
take these steps in order to prevent the use of stolen identities3:
n Request two pieces of identification from patients.
Thieves will most likely not have a matching photo ID.
n Ask for a referral source. Generally patients were
referred by another dentist, doctor or friend and can
be used to establish the person’s identity, if needed.
Look for inconsistencies in the record. Having
access to patient records from another facility can help
dentists identify discrepancies such as dramatic
changes in previous procedures and the patient’s current state.
n
It is just as important to educate your patients to help them
avoid becoming a victim. Healthcare providers play a huge role
in medical identity theft. Besides being responsible for protecting medical identifiers provided in confidence, a practice should
be proactive in properly identifying potential patients, prior to
providing care and services.
The Ponemon Institute surveyed 757 patient victims of
medical identity theft to find out how they handled the loss
of their identity, time taken to resolve the issue and costs.
Average time to resolve:
12.1 months
Personal cost of resolving theft:
$22,346 per victim
Those who lost trust in their
health care organization as a result:
51%
Percentage who had medical records accessed:
20%
Percentage with private insurance:
44%
Percentage with Medicare:
21%
Percentage not insured:
20%
Ponemon Institute 2013 Survey on Medical Identity Theft6
Medical identity theft can dramatically affect dental offices by
diminishing patients’ trust and confidence in them as health
care providers. Instead of waiting for a crisis to occur, help your
patients become aware of the increasing risk of medical identity
theft and watch for the signs within your practice.
Lane Gorman Trubitt, PLLC suggests taking these first-step
solutions once realizing either you or your practice have become
a victim.
n
File a police report.
Contact patients and ask them to contact their
insurance provider.
n
Inform the government by filing a medical identify
theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission4
(FTC) or call the FTC’s toll-free hotline at 1-877IDTHEFT (438-4338).
n
Correct improper medical information as soon as
it is noticed.
n
n
Use a credit monitoring service.
For further advice and support in regaining your identity, contact one of our professionals at www.lgt-cpa.com 0r call
(214) 871-7500 and ask for Robert Lane or Kevin Warneke.
REFERENCES
1) Brain, S. (2014, June 8). Identity Theft / Fraud Statistics.
http:/