Medical Identity Theft: A Crime for the Desperate

Identity theft may be a crime unique to the information age. In the past, you merely had to go to a different place and you could be free from your past, whatever it might be. Now, in an age where records are increasingly available the only way to start with a clean slate so to speak is to steal the identity of someone else. One spokesman for Blue Cross/Blue Shield said, "Having an insurance card is like having a Visa card with a $1 million spending limit."

The theft of a medical identity can cause scary complications - blood types can get changed, diagnoses never received by the actual patient and doctors giving inaccurate medical care because the records indicate that a patient underwent a procedure that he or she in fact never did. Further complications can arise when a person's blood type gets changed to something other than it in fact is. Victims may be turned down for insurance or a job because a physical reports that they suffer from a conditions that they personally do not. All the financial risks associated with normal identity theft apply.

Even if an error is spotting, correcting information contained on the medical records of a person may be difficult. Changes made in the files of one office or hospital are not required to be copied by another agency and computer networks designed to share a patient's health information may spread the false information in a patient's records.

While the HIPAA act made it possible for patients to view their own records, the procedure for correcting errors is difficult and medical professionals may be reluctant to give int such requests. Doctors fear opening themselves to liability lawsuits should the information requested to be removed Not only that, you will have to go to every place that has information on you to make sure the presented information is in fact correct. Keeping track of medical bills and insurance services received will let you know if you have been a victim.