Resources for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

What to do about medical identity theft

newsblogs.chicagotribune.com

The easiest part of dealing with medical identity theft is taking care of the bills that land on your doorstep.

If you’re being asked to pay for health care services received by someone else:

-- Contact the police department immediately and let them know someone has stolen personal information and sought medical care using your name. If they seem reluctant to help, tell them you need a police report to establish that you’ve been the victim of identity theft, said Jay Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center.

-- Get a copy of your credit report from the three leading credit agencies. (Click here for information on how to do that.) The credit report will show you other outstanding medical charges that the thief may have run up in your name.

-- Write to your insurance company and the medical providers that have contacted you, letting them know you’ve been taken advantage of and are disputing the charges. Include a copy of the police report (and, of course, keep a copy for yourself).

View the Resource

Share or bookmarklet this web page at: