Vigilance Key To Preventing Burgeoning Threat Of Medical Identity Theft
An expert gives advice on how patients can protect themselves from theft, and what to do if they're at risk.
Sacramento Bee:
Pain In The Wallet: How To Protect Against Medical Identity Theft
In 2014, medical identity theft cases jumped an estimated 22 percent compared with the prior year, according to the most recent annual study by the Ponemon Institute, a cybersecurity research firm in Traverse City, Mich. At the same time, more than a third – 35.5 percent – of all U.S. data breaches last year hit hospitals, health care providers and health insurance companies, according to the San Diego-based Identity Theft Resource Center. In the past several years, an estimated 2.3 million U.S. adults have been victims of medical ID theft, according to Ponemon. (Buck, 9/12)
