Medical identity theft is a crime that can have devastating consequences for both a patient and a medical provider. We had the opportunity to interview Eva Velasquez from the Identity Theft Resource Center to discover more about the effects of medical ID theft, how to prevent it, and what resources are available for people who may be victimized.

1. RightPatient®
Free Online Learning Podcasts
Podcast length – 30:46
Medical Identity Theft: What you need to know
Podcast Guest: Eva Velasquez, Identity Theft Resource
Center

2. Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) Overview
Why consumers should be concerned about the dangers of
identity theft and the potential impact if they are victimized
Why medical identity theft is a serious problem, its
implications, and steps can patients take to protect their
identities
The importance of protecting a child’s medical identity and the
earliest age a child can have their medical identity stolen

3. Why biometric patient identification solutions play a larger role
in protecting patient identities and the importance of adopting
biometric patient identification solutions that can prevent
medical ID theft for use at new touchpoints along the care
continuum
The impact of medical ID theft faced by healthcare providers
Resources available to help patients if victimized by medical ID
theft
Overview of the marketplace for stolen medical identities and
what hackers do with medical information once it’s stolen

4. Information about The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC)
including social channel contact information

5. • Mission:
• Provide best-in-class victim assistance at no charge to
consumers throughout the United States
• Educate consumers, corporations, government agencies, and
other organizations on best practices for fraud and identity
theft detection, reduction and mitigation
• Serve as a relevant national resource on consumer issues
related to cybersecurity, data breaches, social media, fraud,
scams and other issues
• Toll free number: 1-888-400-5530
• One-on-one free assistance
• Help consumers differentiate between ID theft and data
breach exposure
• Help consumers minimize risk of ID theft
• Help educate consumers on identification landscape

6. • 15 million U.S. residents have their identities used fraudulently
each year with financial losses totaling approximately $50 billion
(Source: http://bit.ly/1XmS7CP)
• ID theft cases are normally discovered and create a roadblock
when a victim attempts to move forward in life:
• Applying for home loan
• Applying for student load
• Attempting to purchase a cell phone
• Filing a tax return
• Applying for a job
• Lost opportunity is not often realized as impact of ID theft
• Emotional impact of ID theft:
• Erosion of trust – when basic mechanisms put in place fail,
consumers often lose faith and trust
• Victims have tendency to lose desire to engage in everyday
activities – social media, online activities, banking for
example

7. • Medical ID theft can be very serious because it could have
negative repercussions on the victim’s health
• Negatively impacts ability to obtain medical care and impacts
the care you receive:
• “Overlay” medical records – when a thief’s medical history
appears on your own medical record – could lead clinicians
to make decisions on your own care based on misleading
medical data
• Prescriptions – medical ID theft can lead to issues getting a
prescription filled
• Medical ID theft could create “gaps” in care coverage until
situation is resolved
• Steps patient can take if victimized:
• Shared responsibility
• Providers must ensure they accurately ID patients
• Patients must thoroughly review “Explanation of
Benefits” (EOB) documents from providers

8. • Steps patient can take if victimized:
• (EOB) documents:
• Look at dates of service, service provider – ensure
you or family member did have appointment and
did receive those services
• Immediate follow up to address incorrect data is
crucial
• Additional warning sign of potential medical ID theft – if you
start receiving solicitations or mailers for a medical condition
you or a family member does not have!

9. • Protecting child identities is an overall growing concern
• Children are just as susceptible to ID theft as adults
• ITRC handles and remediates child ID theft cases on a daily
basis
• Crux of problem with child ID theft is the time of discovery
• Children don’t follow adult patterns of seeking credit, loans,
etc.
• Child may reach age of 16 before they realize they have
been victims
• Parents must be proactive to protect child’s identity
• Some states allow you to freeze a child’s credit
• Parents should request and review their children’s medical
records to check for inaccuracies
• Parents should carefully read child EOB’s from providers
• Children can have their identities stolen at anytime – even pre-
conception (thieves often make up social security numbers
which could later be assigned to your child)

10. • Why are biometrics playing a more important role to protect
patient medical identities?
• Biometrics extremely difficult to spoof
• Medical providers must ensure that patient is who they
claim to be prior to enrolling their biometrics
• Increase in patient touchpoints along care continuum
(telemedicine, portals, mHealth) increase urgency for medical
providers to adopt biometric solutions that have the ability to
accurately ID patients from anywhere
• Medical providers must plan ahead and adopt biometrics for
patient ID BEFORE they implement any new touchpoints – once
the door is open to medical ID theft, it becomes very difficult to
close
• Medical providers must evaluate what vulnerabilities they are
introducing prior to implementing any new patient touchpoints

11. • Financial and legal liabilities are top impact to medical
providers from ID theft
• Data breaches are often prime catalysts to stolen patient
identities
• Medical provider reputation decline and erosion of patient trust
are two additional impacts of medical ID theft
Did you know?
The ITRC breach list is a compilation of data breaches
confirmed by various media sources and/or
notification lists from state governmental agencies.
http://bit.ly/1TbJSVi

12. • ITRC toll free number – 1-888-400-5530
• Even if you aren’t 100% sure you have been a victim, if you
suspect it, ITRC encourages you to contact them
• Regional resources:
• Crime victim resources from local prosecutor, local law
enforcement agencies, advocacy agencies
• ITRC has link on Web site to state identity theft rules and
regulations - http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.php/id-
theft/state-resources.html
• ITRC is west coast based but provides services to patients
nationwide

13. • ITRC has been capturing data breach information since 2005 –
issues weekly list of all publicly reported breaches
• Data breaches are growing exponentially and information is
very valuable to thieves
• Data contained in medical record is not only useful for medical
ID theft, but every type of identity theft
• ITRC has seen tremendous growth in government documents
and benefits identity theft - medical ID theft data can be very
granular and is increasingly used to file false tax returns
Did you know?
The impact of medical identity theft can include
erosion of patient trust in a medical provider to
properly protect their medical identities.

14. Please visit The ITRC through the following communication
channels:
www.idtheftcenter.org
Identity Theft Resource Center
@ITRCSD
@ITRCCEO

15. John Trader
VP of Communications
RightPatient®
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Suite 850
Atlanta, GA 30338
jtrader@rightpatient.com
404-528-1279
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