(Keep Identities Safe continued) to break into your premises. They want your wallet and your social media accounts. They are looking to infect and redirect your electronic media with programs that go undetected by security methods and firewalls from the home and office. They can follow you into cyber cafés or troll your neighborhoods for mail and unprotected wireless signals. Plus, they can seek out your discarded computers, copy machines, and printers. There are thieves who want to hire others who work for your company to steal your data. They can hold your data hostage or simply, quietly, and repetitively sell identities as often as they can and to the highest bidders. unfortunately, we tend to make it easy for identity theft to occur. The us population prizes convenience over risk, making our communities, our businesses, and ourselves more vulnerable to attack than our european counterparts. Think about what this means for you. Have you ever thought about a hospital in which nurses use electronic medical records on carts and turn away for a minute, leaving patient data vulnerable to a camera located on a smartphone as someone passes by? What about the bump-and-steal tactics in subway cars? Think it doesn’t happen? It does – and it is often part of an organized effort. How visible are your officers, boards of directors, and CeO? It only takes a few pieces of information to steal an identity. The first is a name and then a date of birth, social security number, address, etc. It is not difficult to figure out a date of birth. The first five digits of a social security number indicate where a person was born. an address can lead to relatives, friends and neighbors, charitable donations, unclaimed funds, and more. even child identity theft is rising because it is not normal to check for credit reports or employment and criminal records on children. Protected health information (PHI) includes medical information. However, unless it is a high-profile person, most of the time the information most prized include the name, date of birth, and social security number. even patient benefit cards that have out-of-network benefits become credit cards for thieves looking to purchase expensive services. Identity theft can happen on company premises and after company hours. at the very least it will result in approximately 600 hours of company time to attempt to restore one identity. It will cost employees and company money and productivity time when it occurs (the operative word is 14 HBma BIllINg • maY. juNe.2014 a message from HBma PrOTeCTINg YOur ClIeNTs FrOm meDICal IDeNTITY THeFT By Billing editors We have all heard a lot about identity theft lately and many of our member companies have taken great care to protect their clients’ patients’ information. unfortunately, despite these efforts, identity theft not only still occurs, it is rising. market Watch stated in march that 43 percent of all identity theft reported in 2013 was attributed to medical identity theft. The company also cited a Ponemon Institute Patient Privacy and Data security study that noted a whopping 100 percent increase in criminal attacks on healthcare organizations since 2010. recent examples highlight this trend. In march, a woman was arrested in los angeles for allegedly using other people’s credit card numbers and identities to pay for college tuition, airline tickets, and more. The woman obtained the information from her former employer, aBeO, a medical billing company. as an informed member of HBma, you have most likely taken action to ensure you are implementing the most effective and reputable business practices. If you have not already taken steps to do so, we urge you to put in place systems that protect your clients’ patients’ identities and personal information. Fortunately there are tools available to assist you in this endeavor. ester Horowitz has already listed a number of practical tips and resources for you to utilize. additional information can be found on websites of the Centers for medicare & medicaid services, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Health & Human services, including the Office for Civil rights, which enforces HIPaa regulations. There is also a plethora of information on the Internet from respected sources. Identity theft is a serious problem facing medical billing companies today. However, by taking action, you can protect your company and your clients from the devastation of this crime. We encourage you to use the resources available to you to protect against identity theft, share best practices with fellow HBma member companies, and join us in keeping this issue a priority for all HBma members. (continued on page 16)
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