ONC Commissioned Medical Identity Theft Assessment

In May 2008, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) awarded an approximately $450,000 contract to Booz Allen Hamilton to assess and evaluate the scope of the medical identity theft problem in the U.S.

Medical Identity Theft

Medical identity theft is a specific type of identity theft which occurs when a person uses someone else's personal health identifiable information, such as insurance information, Social Security Number, health care file, or medical records, without the individual's knowledge or consent to obtain medical goods or services, or to submit false claims for medical services. There is limited information available about the scope, depth, and breadth of medical identity theft.

Dr. Robert Kolodner, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, has noted that medical identity theft stories are being documented at an increasing rate, bringing to light serious financial, fraud, and patient care issues. ONC recognizes that health IT is an important tool to combat the threat of medical identity theft. We are seeking input from the public and other government agencies to better understand how health IT can be utilized to prevent and detect medical identity theft as well as build consumer trust in electronic health information exchange. ONC believes it is imperative to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of this issue from a variety of perspectives, and to create an open forum for dialogue to work proactively to address medical identity theft.

An Assessment in Three Phases

Three specific deliverables corresponding with each of the three phases resulted from the assessment.

1. A comprehensive Environmental Scan Report of the medical identity theft problem in the U.S particularly focusing on the intersection of Health IT was completed October 15, 2008 and released at the ONC Medical Identity Theft Town Hall meeting.

   A literature review and documentary research in addition to interviews was conducted to explore the scope and trends of medical identity theft. This report will:

   1. Identified a comprehensive list of stakeholders who are affected by medical identity theft and summarize their activities;
   2. Identified issues of medical identity theft, quantify its impact on the health care industry, and identify gaps where there are no reliable measures; and
   3. The Environmental Scan Report serves as a baseline for developing recommendations for the prevention, detection, and remediation of medical identity theft.

2. A one-day Town Hall meeting was held, October 15, 2008, in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on Medical Identity Theft. The written transcript and audio file from the event are now available. Access the written transcript and audio file.

   The Town Hall enabled health care experts to share knowledge and experience of medical identity theft and how health IT can be utilized to prevent and detect medical identity theft.

   ONC Medical Identity Theft Town Hall Speakers and Topics

   Welcoming Remarks by Robert Kolodner, MD, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

   Opening Remarks by Jodi Daniel, JD, MPH, Director, Office of Policy and Research, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

   Panel 1: Understanding the Scope of the Problem

   Moderator: Jodi Daniel

   Panel:
   Department of Justice, Kirk Ogrosky
   Federal Trade Commission, Betsy Broder
   Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Lisa Gallagher
   Identity Theft Resource Center, Linda Foley
   Massachusetts General Hospital, Shanda Brown
   Victim of Medical Identity Theft, Nicole Robinson
   World Privacy Forum, Pam Dixon

   Panel 2: Laws, Policies and Procedures

   Moderator: Jodi Daniel

   Panel:
   American Health Information Management Association, Harry Rhodes
   Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Stephanie Kaisler
   HHS Office of Inspector General, Gary Cantrell
   Hogan & Hartson LLP, Marcy Wilder
   Massachusetts General Hospital, Shanda Brown
   Social Security Administration, Jonathan Cantor

   Panel 3: The Role of Health Information Technology (HIT)

   Moderator: John Loonsk, MD, Director, Office of Interoperability and Standards, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

   Panel:
   American Health Information Management Association, Harry Rhodes
   BlueCross BlueShield Association, Calvin Sneed
   CareSpark, Liesa Jenkins
   Good Health Network, Lory Wood
   Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Lisa Gallagher
   Indiana Health Information Exchange, Debbie Banik

   Panel 4: The Path Forward

   Moderators: Morris Landau, JD, MHA, LLM, Policy Analyst, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Denise Tauriello, Senior Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton

   Panel:
   American Health Information Management Association, Harry Rhodes
   CareSpark, Liesa Jenkins
   Federal Trade Commission, Betsy Broder
   Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Lisa Gallagher
   Massachusetts General Hospital, Shanda Brown
   World Privacy Forum, Pam Dixon

3. A final report and roadmap.
   The report and roadmap summarizing health IT and medical identity theft issues raised at the town hall will be released in Winter 2008 - 2009 and will set forth possible next steps for the Federal government and other stakeholders in order to work toward prevention, detection, and remediation of medical identify theft.