Medical identity theft continues to be a problem, and it is getting worse.
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Medical records are 20 to 50 times more valuable on the black market than financial records.
The demand for medical records on the black market leads to increased data breaches and increased risks to healthcare organizations and practices.
How can you protect your patient information?
Train your employees.
This is one of the most overlooked ways to avoid breaches.
Employees should be trained on how to identify phishing and on data protection policies and procedures.
Employees should also be trained on patient health information safeguards, whether it be physical documents or electronic records.
It’s also important to let your patients know that they should be checking their explanation of benefit statements.
Sometimes, medical record theft can lead to people being wrongfully denied insurance or benefits because of fraud. Other times, another person’s health information is mixed in with the patient’s.
This could lead to inaccurate health records, which can be very dangerous. Allergies, blood type, and health conditions can be incorrect and lead to the patient receiving the wrong medical care.
It is essential to be diligent about protecting patient health information at your practice. Make sure that your risk assessment is up to date, and you are aware of any potential issues.
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P.S. If you or your patients are interested in consumer healthcare issues, check out myhealthspin.com.