Physicians Can Prevent Theft of Their Medical Identities

Actively managing enrollment information with payers, controlling unique medical identifiers, and engaging patients about identity theft are among the top strategies to help physicians avoid theft of their medical identities for use in fraudulent schemes, states an article from the February 1, 2012, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Physicians should update payers on changes in enrollment, especially when opening, closing, and relocating practices or separating from organizations. They should actively review medical documentation and remittance notices to identify potentially fraudulent information. Physicians should avoid giving medical identifiers to potential employers or other organizations before conducting appropriate due diligence and should train staff on the appropriate use and distribution of identifiers, such as those on prescription pads, electronic records, and other sensitive documents.