Medical identity theft red flags

FINDLAY, Ohio - Identity theft is a nightmare if it happens to you. Cleaning up your credit can take an enormous amount of time and effort.

And it can be just as bad, maybe worse, if your medical identity is swiped by a crook.

"It is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States," said Rhonda Wise of Beacon Associates .

Think about it. The spending limit on your health insurance card is a lot higher than the limits on your credit cards - a huge opportunity for thieves, and especially tempting when times are tough.

"We know it's valuable," said Richard Cordray, Oho Attorney General. "We know it's important. We know it's a matter of personal privacy, so people stealing medical information and mis-using it, that is another terrible aspect of identity theft."

"Victims of medical identity theft sometimes are years in trying to get things rectified," added Denny Bash, Blanchard Valley Health System's Compliance Officer.

Bash says it's relatively rare, but it does happen.

Hospital emergency departments are one place that offers chances for mistaken identity because everyone's in a hurry, and sometimes patients are unable to speak.

"Hospitals are bound to treat patients when they enter our emergency department, whether or not they have insurance," he said.

Blanchard Valley Health System has modified procedures to tighten security when patients come in, Bash said, making them provide, not just confirm, personal information.

"Now that may sound simple, but people get in the habit of saying, 'Do you live at...', instead of saying, 'And what is your address?'," Bash added.

Medical identity theft can leave you with more than a pile of bills.

For example, if someone pretends to be you and creates medical records in your name, that could confuse medical personnel into giving you the wrong blood type or procedure. It can make them think you have a serious condition that you don't have.

"You didn't have a heart attack, but you need coverage," wise said. "A heart attack in the individual market is an uninsurable condition, so you could be denied for health coverage."

Because of the privacy protection of HIPAA - the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act - it can be tough to get information about fraudulent records created in your name. It's often a check of billing paperwork that indicates that something's wrong. So you need to examine documents carefully.

"Maybe you were treated for diabetes and you're not diabetic. That's a red flag, " Wise said.

"If there's something suspicious, like a male had some sort of procedure done that would be particular to a female, we would immediately look at that and see what the issue was," added Mark Moser of Paramount Health Care.

Paramount says they would re-issue a new card and ID number immediately if there was a case of identity theft.

But your best bet is to avoid it in the first place. Don't just toss medical papers onto the front seat of your car for everyone to see.

"A lot of people are laissez-faire with that kind of information," Moser added.

"It's similar to having a credit card stolen," Bash said.

"Guard your card with your life," said Wise.

"Starting with your social security number, including your financial information, including your medical information," Ohio AG Cordray added. "You should only give that to people you know who you're dealing with and you're comfortable that the transaction is appropriate and beneficial to you."

The safety of our medical identities also lies in the hands of lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Their decisions on health care reform could change not only the cost of insurance, but the safety of your information and your ability to find coverage in the first place.

Until we see how that shakes out, shred any documents before you throw them away, keep track of your insurance card and check all bills and explanations of benefits, reporting any strange things you notice, right away.