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The Basics of Medical Record Shredding |
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This article outlines everything any small business needs to know about medical record shredding. |
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| Author: Michael Kirby |
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But did you know that medical records are one of the primary targets for identity thieves? Fraudsters can steal your identity to get health services or obtain insurance. They can even use your insurance, by pretending to be you. And just like your credit history, it’s important to keep track of your medical records, shredding any copies of them the second you’re done.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act – better known as HIPAA – is the federal law that governs the protection of your health records. It contains provisions for accessibility, medical record shredding, and the reliability and accuracy of your health-related paperwork. Here are some of the ways HIPAA lets you control your medical records:
Accessibility. You have the right to see copies of your medical records. Your health provider is obligated to show you the records within 30 days of your request, or ask for more time. Providers do have the opportunity to charge you for making copies. You should check your records periodically – if someone has impersonated you to get health care or insurance, there may be false information in your records, which could lead doctors to make bad decisions regarding your care.
Accuracy. You should make notes about any information on your medical records that looks wrong to you. Providers aren’t obliged to change the data in question, but they are obliged to make a note that you requested the change.
Medical Record Shredding. HIPAA demands that doctors and insurance companies hire professional document shredding services to regularly dispose of any paperwork containing sensitive information. It also has provisions for protecting and deleting data stored on computers.
Maintaining your medical records might be the most important process that hardly anyone initiates. It’s something we should all be pro-active about; health care providers and insurance companies won’t take the initiative to make sure your records are correct. Financial identity theft is easier to spot – a failed credit card application or a sudden decrease in a savings account are among the red flags – but medical identity theft carries greater risk: Imagine being given a medicine you’re severely allergic to, because your records fail to indicate the allergy. It’s that important.
About Author
Michael Kirby is a freelance writer living in California. He writes on a variety of topics for a variety of clients, including Legal Shred, the premier document destruction company working in Florida. Visit Legal Shred here: http://www.legalshred.com
Article Source:
http://www.1888articles.com/author-michael-kirby-32629.html
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