By Tina L Douglas
Identity theft can be divided into several categories and, unfortunately, this fast growing crime already reached our medical records. This kind of identity theft, classified as medical identity theft, can easily be done because there are also several persons, whether authorized or unauthorized, who can access our medical records that contains necessary and confidential information. These people can be anyone, from physicians to other medical personnel or even some other persons who really want your medical identity.
There are several ways on how they can get the medical information that they need. In just few clicks on the electronic medical databases, they can transfer or get your medical information. Storing medical records on the computer can make stealing one's medical record easier especially if it doesn't have any protection or security. Requesting for a password and at the same time a username can minimize any unauthorized transaction. There should be a system or record which will allow us to monitor every person who accessed our confidential records. It is also ideal that should also be a clear line up of the persons who are authorized to see and access the electronic med records. But aside from the 'insiders' who steal medical records, you can also be a victim of this kind of identity theft if your health insurance card is stolen. That way, medical identity thieves no longer have to break on your medical records.
A stolen health insurance card will not affect you, your identity and your medical records if the security of the insurance company is strict. But if the insurance company only requires the health card, you better be more careful in protecting your card. Insurance companies, you should have tighter security when it comes to using the health cards. One way of doing this is by simply requiring a valid Identification card such as driver's license so that one can verify the identity of the person who will get the benefit of the health insurance. Some of those benefits are very expensive procedure, medical services and even prescription of medications.
Since this kind of crime is already practiced by several criminals and experienced by several victims, there are several actions that were made by the concerned agencies. The main aim of these actions is to detect the thieves and at the same time protect the people from being victims of medical identity theft.
But these agencies are not the only group that can keep us away from the thieves. We can also help ourselves in protecting our medical records. We can do so by monitoring the medical related transactions under our account. Just like in credit card reports, any unfamiliar and unauthorized should be reported immediately.
We have to accept the fact that our medical records are not always safe and each of us has a responsibility to make sure that these are on the right hands. We also have to protect what we have on our hands from those who want to steal it from us.
Tina L. Douglas is a skilled writer from California. With numerous experiences in the field of writing for several financial institutions, she is greatly qualified across a variety of economic issues. Her notable pieces of writing involve id theft company [http://idtheftcompany.net/] and id protection comparison [http://idprotectioncomparison.com/].
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tina_L_Douglas/506723
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