HIPAA and Identity Thefts

Did you know pediatric medical records are being targeted by identity thefts?

I recently attended a staff meeting where our hospital's privacy officer gave a talk.

I've blogged a lot here about HIPAA. You can check out some of those posts below.

What he said that was interesting was that identity thefts are targeting pediatric medical records because they have all the info they need and are "clean" meaning no problems with credit.

Generally, a child's credit score isn't checked until they are 18 so the thieves have years and years to use their information for nefarious reasons. He recommended parents check their child's credit rating every year to make sure their identity hadn't been stolen.

Think he's off target? Here's a news article from March, 2011 that discusses exactly what he's concerned about.

To read more about HIPAA pitfalls when writing fiction-- check out the following links.

HIPAA and Law Enforcement

HIPAA Part I

HIPAA Part II

HIPAA Part III

Have you ever been the victim of identity theft?