Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/324591
Healthcare Financing Experts Providing a diversified suite of healthcare financial products since 1999. Contact Jeff Cowan at 952.826.7868 or jcowan@creekridgecapital.com for more information. Interested in financing new equipment or software? Have a low monthly payment for your entire solution including shipping, installation and training. THE NUMBER OF MEDICAL IDENTITY THEFT VICTIMS IN THE UNITED STATES IS STAGGERING, ACCORDING TO RECENT RESEARCH BY THE PONEMON INSTITUTE. THIS TREND HAS TROUBLING IMPLICATIONS FOR BOTH PATIENTS AND PRACTITIONERS. Breaking Trust Approximately 56+percent of victims report losing trust and confidence in their healthcare provider as a result of medical ID theft, regardless of who is responsible. Only 5+percent of the thefts are perpetrated by a medical office employee, while 7 percent result from data breaches at healthcare organizations, insurance companies and related entities. More common causes include patients' inappropriate sharing of medical ID and family members' unauthorized appropriation of ID or credentials. Medical ID theft also causes inaccuracies in patients' records. In 2013, inaccuracies due to medical fraud led to: + 15 percent of victims being misdiagnosed + + 14+percent experiencing delays in treatment + 13 percent being incorrectly treated for an illness + + 11+percent receiving wrong prescriptions Weighing the Cost Reimbursements victims paid to healthcare providers to cover services furnished to impostors: Sources: 2013 Survey on Medical Identity Theft, Ponemon Institute; Government Technology; World Privacy Forum + 60%: $0 + 11%: $1 –$1,000 + 14%: $1,001–$5,000 + 6%: $5,001–$10,000 + 5%: $10,001–$25,000 + 4%: > $25,000 AT A GLANCE + + 1.84+million+— Americans victimized by medical ID theft + 19 percent — Uptick in medical ID theft from 2012 to 2013 + + $12.3+billion — Out-of-pocket cost for victims in 2013 ++++++++++++++++++ +++ + +++ + ++++++++++++++++++ DATA VAULT The IMPOSTORS By Colin Stayton M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Minnesota | 2 3