Pacific Hospital Long Beach Reflects on Preventing Hospital Identity Theft
Long Beach, CA (PRWEB) July 02, 2013 -- The staff at Pacific Hospital Long Beach, a fully accredited and recognized teaching hospital, is issuing comment on a new article from MSN Money that explains how patients can cope with the growing issue of identity theft in hospitals. While doctors and nurses provide patients with care and compassion during their stay, a hospital is not necessarily the right place to get too comfortable. Patients must always remain aware of the potential for identity theft when they are staying at a hospital, and should protect their personal information at all times.
Vigilance is important in a hospital setting as more and more patients are having their identities stolen in order for the thief to receive medical care. In other instances, employees have collected and sold patients’ personal information. In order to protect their identity during a hospital stay, a person should avoid giving out social security or Medicare numbers whenever possible. Should an employee of the hospital request this information, the patient and their family members should not hesitate to ask to speak to a supervisor or manager in order to find out why these details must be shared.
Patients and their families should understand that scammers target hospitals because they feature a large group of people who may be feeling vulnerable or overwhelmed. These scammers may approach an individual in a parking lot, stating that they are working for a group conducting a medical survey. Should he or she then go on to ask for an individual’s Medicaid or social security information, the individual who is approached should walk away. These people may claim that they can provide the patient or their family with free medical equipment once the information is presented; in reality, groups that will provide free medical equipment will do so without collecting these personal details.
The team at Pacific Hospital Long Beach explains, "It would be nice to believe that a person wouldn't take advantage of someone who is ill or injured, or is caring for a family member who is, but this is not reality."
"For this reason, patients are their families must always remain aware of potential scammers, and should keep personal information private unless the reason for divulging the details becomes immediately clear and is confirmed by an identified hospital official."
During and after a hospital stay, a person should carefully review bills, notes, explanations of benefits, and other documents carefully. This can alert them to a potential identity theft problem before it is allowed to persist and long-lasting damage occurs. Should the individual notice anything that they deem suspicious, they should contact the insurance company or the hospital right away.
The staff at Pacific Hospital Long Beach agrees with this advice noting, “Taking a proactive approach to these matters helps to protect a patient and allows them to spot any discrepancies before they are permitted to become life-ruining issues.”
ABOUT:
Pacific Hospital Long Beach is a recognized and accredited teaching hospital. The facility’s residency and internship program has also received approval from the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). The hospital provides work to 26 interns and residents, and is currently the oldest osteopathic postgraduate training program found in the state of California. The hospital allows medical professionals to get the hands-on training they need to serve their patients more effectively.
Ian Vandagriff, PR Management Inc., 484-362-9658, [email protected]
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