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Several months ago, an Independence member received three bills from three
separate hospitals for emergency room visits. He was shocked since he had never
been to a hospital, let alone three separate visits during a two-week span.
This was not a mistake or a billing error by the hospital — his health
insurance card had been stolen. An investigation by Independence's Corporate
and Financial Investigation Department (CFID) showed that a man was using his
identity. The perpetrator is currently being charged with identity theft and
insurance fraud.
Protecting patient medical information
Independence recognizes the problems that specifically target medical
identity theft, and we take every measure to investigate and mitigate harm to
our members. However, as a provider in our network, here are some ways that you
can help protect patient medical information:
- When a patient checks in for an appointment, the provider office staff
should request the member's medical identification card along with another form
of identification, such as a driver's license or verification of date of
birth.
- Providers should closely review their Provider Explanation of Benefits or
Provider Remittance to ensure charges on the statement correlate with services
provided to their patients.
- Providers should protect a medical insurance card as if it is the member's
Social Security card by returning it promptly to the patient and refraining
from leaving the card or copies of the card in common areas (i.e., copy room or
near the check-in desk).
If you suspect that your patient's medical identity was misused or stolen,
please report it immediately by calling the Independence Fraud Hotline at
1-866-282-2707.
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