Protect Your Health Information from Medical Identity Theft: How NYC and Long Island Small Businesses Can Stay Safe

Health insurance is meant to provide necessary care and services, but it has also become a target for scammers. Earlier this year, Change Healthcare was hit by a cyber-attack that affected thousands of health care providers, insurers, and policyholders across the U.S. Alarming reports suggest that nearly 50% of all U.S. medical claims could be compromised!

To put that into perspective, if you’re sitting in a waiting room with nine other people, there’s a good chance that five of you could be victims of medical identity theft within the year. Once your medical information is stolen, cybercriminals can file false claims, buy expensive prescriptions, and bill it all to your insurance.

The worst part? Many victims don’t even realize what’s happened until they face serious consequences like tax fraud or mortgage fraud, or worse—discover they’re unable to get medical procedures covered because their insurance benefits were maxed out by someone else.

Common Signs of Medical ID Theft

How do you know if your medical identity has been stolen? Here are 10 warning signs:

Unexpected Medical Bills – Bills for treatments you never received.

Collection Notices – Calls from debt collectors about unfamiliar medical bills.

Errors in Medical Records – Finding treatments or diagnoses you never had.

Insurance Issues – Claims denied because benefits were maxed out, even if you didn’t use them.

Unfamiliar Insurance Alerts – Receiving claims or services you don’t recognize.

Unknown Health Accounts – Discovering new insurance accounts you didn’t create.

Discrepancies in Explanation of Benefits (EOB) – Medical services listed that you didn’t receive.

Being Denied Insurance – Difficulty obtaining coverage due to false medical conditions in your records.

Calls from Medical Providers – Appointments or follow-ups for treatments you never had.

Unfamiliar Prescriptions – Notices for prescriptions you didn’t fill.

How to Protect Yourself from Medical ID Fraud

Medical identity theft is a serious issue, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself:

Check for Health Care Breaches – Regularly check if your information has been compromised by using searchable databases.

Secure Your Records – Store paper copies of medical records securely to prevent unauthorized access.

Shred Sensitive Documents – Shred documents with personal or medical information before disposing of them.

Monitor Your Medical Records – Request your medical records periodically to look for discrepancies.

Review Insurance Bills – Carefully check your EOB statements for any services or charges you don’t recognize.

Dispose of Prescription Labels – Remove labels from empty prescription bottles before discarding them.

Monitor Your Credit – Use services like AnnualCreditReport.com to check for suspicious activity.

Stay Proactive Against Medical Fraud

Health care data breaches are on the rise, and hackers continue to target hospitals, medical offices, and insurance providers. Protecting your health information is crucial.

Our team can help you stay ahead of threats with a FREE Dark Web Scan, which identifies if your personal information has been exposed online. Don’t wait until it’s too late—call 718.412.9196 or click here.