
Guest post by Patrick Bailey
Every person in the United States has medical records stored online as the healthcare industry moved to electronic medical records over the past two decades. Unfortunately, millions of electronic medical records are not properly secured and leave these records vulnerable to hacking attacks. These data breaches are caused by hackers infiltrating the computer network system of a medical provider office. Medical information, such as your medical history, billing information, or your personally identifiable information [PII], is then compromised or stolen to be sold on the Dark Web [the internet’s Black Market]. Cybercriminals are also looking for your health information to get medical treatment or drugs that you never requested to be covered by your medical insurance by impersonating you online with this stolen data.
According to the HIPPA Journal 2019 Healthcare Data Breach Report, “In 2019, the healthcare records of 12.55% of the population of the United States were exposed, impermissibly disclosed, or stolen.” If you or someone you know has been a victim of a healthcare data breach, you must take action to get your private health information back.
Before we talk about what action you must take, you must first learn the signs of medical identity theft. Some of the most obvious signs that you’re a victim of medical identity theft include:
This is not an exhaustive list; there are other numerous signs you must watch for. Parents must also be aware of any unusual information concerning their young children on their medical or insurance accounts. However, if you have experienced any of these signs, here are some things you must do to retrieve your health identity.
Nobody wants to see their private health information compromised. But if this were to happen to you, you must take action immediately to restore your identity. Here are the following steps to take:
Follow these steps to restore your private health information. Be sure to provide proof of your identity and documentation of your theft.
If you don’t want this unfortunate incident to happen to you again, you must take measures to protect yourself. Here are a few things you could do to avoid being a medical identity theft victim:
Follow these suggestions to protect yourself against health information hackers.
Millions of Americans have had their private health information compromised for assorted reasons. However, you don’t have to be one of those people. By following these tips of taking decisive action to protect your health identity at all times, you will reduce your risk of being hacked.
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