Lessons learned from health care ID verification practices

Identity theft has been an increasingly intense economic issue in a variety of United States industries, while the financial services and medical sectors have been the most active in trying to defend against this crime. Although not all organizations handle information that is equally as sensitive as patient data, businesses can benefit from following some of the more complex practices of health care providers.

Healthcare IT News recently reported that electronic health record security has been a main talking point among decision-makers in the medical field and publicly elected officials. As the federal government mandated that all health care providers switch over to digital information management systems within a relatively short time period, medical organizations were tasked with integrating the technology and swiftly securing it.

California has been especially active in its pursuit of stronger ID verification measures, as the source noted that the state Attorney General's Office recently released new best practices.

"Medical identity theft has been called the privacy crime that can kill," Attorney General Kamala Harris explained, according to the news provider. "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."

The source medical ID theft has been on the rise, but many government organizations and advocacy groups have worked to increase the amount of guidance providers can access for security purposes.

Small business owners, as well as corporate executives, should work to follow all available best practices and guidance to prevent identity theft. Corporate identity theft has become an issue in the private sector, while being the source of an identity theft event can be devastating to a company's reputation. Through comprehensive and proactive ID verification frameworks, businesses can reduce the risk of experiencing these adverse conditions.