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The Dangers of Medical Identity Theft

Posted by on in Data Security

The push to transfer patient information to electronic health records (EHRs) has created a number of new concerns concerning healthcare data security. The data contained on these files has become a highly sought after target for cybercriminals. In addition to personal identification information such as Social Security numbers and dates of birth, EHRs can contain financial account data if patients pay their medical bills online.

The dangers of medical identity theft
While the potential of medical information being compromised has typically been regarded as a privacy issue, that data can be leveraged by hackers for a major payout. According to RSA's "Cybercrime and Healthcare Industry" study, medical identity theft can be much more lucrative than similar types of threats. The World Privacy Forum's figures on the trend found that stolen medical information can be worth $50 compared to $1 for a Social Security number. In addition, the average amount of profit made from an instance of medical identity theft is $20,000, while regular identity theft results in just $2,000.

Furthermore, while identify fraud and theft cases can be severely detrimental to the victims, repairing that damage is relatively simple compared to medical identify theft. Making the necessary changes to medical and prescription records is much more difficult than cancelling credit cards and closing bank accounts. Organizations that handle sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI) should protect that information with strong encryption and ensure the integrity of the data.

 

Tagged in: Data Security EHR Encryption Hacker Healthcare PHI

Comments

  • Identity Theft Protection services Thursday, 16 May 2013

    thanks for share your information and i want to suggest some tips for protect medical identity theft
    There are steps you can take to protect yourself from medical identity theft.

    1. First and most obvious, if your medical insurance card is stolen, report it to your insurer and healthcare providers.
    2. Second, carefully check the Explanation of Benefits statements sent by your insurer to be sure that all the services listed were actually provided to you on the dates shown.
    3. Third, check your credit report regularly, as unpaid medical bills will show up there.
    4. Keep a copy of your current medical files, to protect against future ID theft.

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  • Susan Gosnell (PKWARE) Friday, 17 May 2013

    Thanks for the additional insight! We can't be too careful when it comes to protecting ourselves against ID theft.

    Susan, PKWARE

    Reply Cancel

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