Robin Slade – MIFA

Don’t Fall Prey to Medical Identity Theft

Robin Slade — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 13:36:05 +0000

By now, most people know about the perils of identity theft, where someone steals your personal or financial account information and makes fraudulent charges or opens bogus accounts in your name. ID theft can take a serious toll on your credit and take months or years to fix, even if you spot it quickly.

Lately, a not-so-new twist has been getting a lot of attention — medical identity theft. That’s where someone gains access to your health insurance or Medicare account information and uses it to submit phony insurance claims, obtain prescription drugs or medical devices (often for black-market resale), or get medical treatment in your name.

Besides its high cost (an estimated 1.8 million victims paid more than $12 billion in related expenses in 2013, according to the Medical Identity Fraud Alliance), medical ID theft can have deadly consequences as well: Suppose someone poses as you and gets an appendectomy; if you later entered the hospital with abdominal pain, your medical file would show that your appendix was already removed and you could be tragically misdiagnosed.

Click here to read the full article that includes tips for avoiding medial ID fraud and steps you can take.

June 25, 2014 by Jason Alderman, Huffington Post

Medical Identity Theft: The Fraud That Can Kill You

Robin Slade — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:55:33 +0000

When it comes to medical identity theft, more than your money is in danger: This type of fraud could cost you your life. Receiving the wrong blood type, being misdiagnosed, or getting a prescription in error because a fraudster’s medical history is commingled in your chart are just a few of the disturbing possibilities. Less serious consequences include having your medical insurance canceled, credit rating destroyed or prescription refill denied.

Click here to read the full article and learn more.

March 31, 2014 by Annalisa Kraft-Linder, AOL Daily Finance

Newest Ponemon Study Outlines Top Security Threats To Patient Information

Robin Slade — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 18:26:43 +0000

ID Experts and the Ponemon Institute, announced the results from the Fourth Annual Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy and Data Security. The Study reveals new and expanded threats to the security and privacy of patient information in the U.S healthcare system.

Read the Press Release
Read the Executive Briefing

A free download of the Study is available here.

Experian Data Breach Resolution And The Ponemon Institute Release Study Findings About eHealth Usage And Attitudes

Robin Slade — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 18:29:17 +0000

MIFA founding member Experian, has released the study Risks & Rewards of Online & Mobile Health Services: Consumer Attitudes Explored, which examines consumers’ perceptions about sharing their personal information when using online health services and mobile apps.

Read the full press announcement.

Access the study, Risks & Rewards of Online & Mobile Health Services: Consumer Attitudes Explored.

Having Your Financial Identity Stolen Is Awful. Having Your Medical Identity Stolen Is Worse

Robin Slade — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 02:47:21 +0000

Most of us tightly guard our credit cards and bank account numbers, but health insurance policy numbers are also prime targets for thieves. An estimated 1.84 million people were victims of medical identity theft in 2013, according to the Poneman Institute, a research organization, which expects that number to rise.

By Caroline Chen and Del Quentin Wilber, The Washington Post, February 5, 2014

Click here to read the full article and learn more.

Your Medical Info Is NOT Secure. Here’s Six Ways To Fix That

Robin Slade — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 19:47:17 +0000

Identity theft doesn’t just hit your wallet. It can jeopardize health insurance and medical care.

The odds of your becoming a victim of identity theft are greater than ever. The number of consumers whose information was compromised in a recent data breach at Target is now up to 110 million. Most people think of ID theft as a financial threat, but it can also impact your personal healthcare and well-being.

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Everyday Health, January 23, 2014

Click here to read the full article and learn more.

Clearwater Compliance Joins MIFA As Founding Member

Robin Slade — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 18:10:20 +0000

The Medical Identity Fraud Alliance (MIFA), a public/private sector effort that acts as the intersection between industry, government and consumers announced today that Clearwater Compliance, LLC has joined the organization as a Founding Member. MIFA is focused on developing best practices, solutions, and technologies for the prevention, detection and remediation of medical identity theft and fraud.

“Clearwater Compliance is demonstrating their commitment to and leadership in creating solutions to address the growing threat of medical identity theft,” said Robin Slade, development coordinator of MIFA. “We welcome their expertise and applaud their effort to be a founding member of an organization that will unite all stakeholders involved in the protection of consumers.”

Press Release, DigitalJournal.com, October 23, 2013

Click here to read the full article and learn more.

Leaders Share Visions for the Future of Secure Identity Infrastructures

Robin Slade — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 14:04:12 +0000

Leaders Share Visions for the Future of Secure Identity Infrastructures for Federal, Healthcare, Enterprise and Consumer Environments at 2013 Smart Card Alliance Government Conference

The 2013 Smart Card Alliance Government Conference, the leading event for ID security,and the new User-Centric ID Live Conference, a comprehensive forum addressing business challenges and commercial opportunities surrounding the new digital identity ecosystems, were held in Washington, D.C. last week. The events featured industry leaders speaking on PIV credentials, developments in the NSTIC initiative, trusted ID on mobile devices, developments in state and international ID programs, advancements in health IT security and global trends in secure identification.

By Smart Card Alliance, GlobeNewswire.com, October 21, 2013

Click here to read the full article and learn more.

AG Harris Issues Guidelines to Help Prevent Medical Identity Theft

Robin Slade — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 22:22:34 +0000

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris released guidelines on Thursday to help prevent medical identity theft, including tips and recommendations for the health care industry, providers and consumers.

“Medical identity theft has been called the privacy crime that can kill,” Harris said in a press release from her office. “As the Affordable Care Act encourages the move to electronic medical records, the health care industry has an opportunity to improve public health and combat medical identity theft with forward-looking policies and the strategic use of technology.”

By Amy Stewart, TechWire.net, October 18, 2013

Click here to read the full article and learn more.

The Hacker Will See You Now

Robin Slade — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 19:23:20 +0000

More than 1.8 million medical ID theft victims in 2013

That’s a 19% increase over last year according to the 2013 Survey on Medical Identity Theft. More than 300,000 new medical identity theft cases were reported during the one-year period, the study found. The 4th annual survey, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, defined medical identity theft as a person using an individual’s name or personal identity “to fraudulently receive medical service, prescription drugs and goods, including attempts to commit fraudulent billing.”

By Peter Silva, Web 2.0 Journal, October 9, 2013

Click here to read the full article and learn more.