How Do You Avoid Medical Identity Theft?
There’s another player in the identity theft game-people practicing medical identity theft to pay for surgeries, hospital stays and medication using your identity and financial information. Thieves using your data to obtain medical treatment can not only damage your credit rating, but also your health if doctors are seeing someone else’s medical history and prescriptions when you go in to seek treatment. Use these tips to protect your medical identity to avoid this potentially life-threatening form of identity theft. Stay on top of any bills, letters or statements that you receive from your doctor, any hospitals or insurance company. Question any discrepancies immediately, particularly if they reference conditions or prescriptions that aren’t yours. Don’t simply write it off as a glitch in the system. Hand your new patient information sheet directly to the receptionist instead of filling it out and leaving it on the counter when you’re done. Most forms contain all the data someone need
