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The author of this blog, David T.S. Fraser, is a Canadian privacy lawyer who practices with the firm of McInnes Cooper. He is the author of the Physicians' Privacy Manual. He has a national and international practice advising corporations and individuals on matters related to Canadian privacy laws.

For full contact information and a brief bio, please see David's profile.

Please note that I am only able to provide legal advice to clients. I am not able to provide free legal advice. Any unsolicited information sent to David Fraser cannot be considered to be solicitor-client privileged.

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The views expressed herein are solely the author's and should not be attributed to his employer or clients. Any postings on legal issues are provided as a public service, and do not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.

This web site is presented for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute legal advice and do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and David T.S. Fraser. If you are seeking specific advice related to Canadian privacy law or PIPEDA, contact the author, David T.S. Fraser.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Identity theft and fraud in the healthcare context

Jeff, at HIPAA Blog points to an article on ID theft and fraud in the healthcare context put out by the American Health Information Managment Association. He introduces it thusly:

HIPAA Blog
More on identity theft: Here's an article from AHIMA that supports my constant cry that the big risk of improper use/disclosure of PHI isn't about the 'H' but about the 'P'. Unless you're a professional athlete, nobody cares about your knee surgery. But they do care about your name, address and social security number. There's money in that information.

From the into to the article:

Identity Theft and Fraud-The Impact on HIM Operations (Journal of AHIMA):
Identity theft and fraud are the fastest growing crimes today. Healthcare organizations are particularly vulnerable to identity theft due to the wealth of patient personal, demographic, and financial information that is collected, transmitted, and maintained in the course of operations. Healthcare employees with legitimate access to protected health information (PHI) may gather information for later misuse. Credit cards and identification may be stolen while patients are being treated in healthcare facilities. Individuals posing as investigators may contact patients or providers asking for information that allows them to impersonate the patient or provider.

Labels: health information, identity theft, information breaches