Most people today consider identity theft a concern. In an age where information is more accessible than ever, most people are aware of the need to keep social security numbers and banking information confidential. But what about medical information? Can crooks steel our ‘medical identity’ too? Some experts say ‘yes’.

Medical identity theft may be more prevalent than we think. Employees with access to patient insurance information and ‘dumpster divers’ are thought to be the worst offenders of this type of theft. Other people find that their information was taken from insurance company benefits statements or medical bills they never received in the mail. Sometimes the infraction is not realized until the victim notices a ding on their credit report for an unpaid bill.

When thieves steal our medical identity, they can fill orders for prescription drugs in our name or even have surgery while we foot the bill. Sound far-fetched? It may not be. There have been over a million cases of medical identity theft reported so far and the number is growing.

Not only does medical identity theft threaten your financial health, it can also threaten your medical health.  There could be serious consequences if wrong allergies, wrong diagnoses or wrong lab results make their way into your medical record.

Because of the increase in this type of crime, stiff penalties now await health care providers who don’t handle medical information properly. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted in 1996, partly to help protect personal health information. It holds health care providers responsible for the proper handling of patient information. Pharmacies, hospitals and other health care facilities risk being fined or even losing their license to operate if they fail to handle this type of information appropriately. New regulations require health care providers to separate medication labels, medical records, insurance forms and any other documents that contain patient-specific information. This type of patient-identifying information must then be shredded or destroyed.

To help prevent medical identity theft, it is important to keep your social security number and insurance information safe. Consider peeling off and destroying prescription labels before disposing of prescription bottles. Report lost or stolen insurance cards immediately. Also, check insurance benefits statements and credit reports regularly.