Yes, all medical practices are at risk. In fact, medical identity theft is more prevalent than ever and it’s affecting practices of all sizes.
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Medical identity theft is desirable to hackers for many reasons, despite a lack of consumer concern.
Personal health information (PHI) contains highly sensitive information. Many practices store not only names, birthdays, and addresses, but also Social Security numbers, sensitive health information and credit card information.
Medical identity theft has increased 22% since just last year.
Small and large practices are at risk due to the attractiveness of the data.
Why does it matter?
The consequences for practices are staggering.
Theft victims can expect to pay upwards of $13,500.00 to resolve the crime.
But maybe more importantly, 50% of consumers say they would find another healthcare provider if they were concerned about the security of their medical records.
What should you do to protect your practice?
Some healthcare organizations and practices have taken proactive measures such as removing Social Security numbers from their patient records.
Larger organizations have also been investing in technologies to help prevent and reconcile breaches.
We help our clients detect their risks through a through HIPAA Risk Assessment, and put measures in place to limit their vulnerabilities.
It is essential that you find your practices vulnerabilities and protect your patient data.
Mark your calendars! On July 1, 2015 don’t miss Healthcare Lawyer Lori-Ann Rickard’s FREE webinar on HIPAA and the Doc Fix bill. Click here to register.
In our next blog post, we will keep you informed of related issues. To get this important information delivered directly to your mail box, Click here to Subscribe
Do you need help with your practice’s HIPAA Risk Assessment or protecting your protected health information? We can help. To contact us about your HIPAA Risk Assessment, protecting your PHI, or about your other legal needs: CLICK HERE.
P.S. If you or your patients are interested in consumer healthcare issues, check out myhealthspin.com.
