You know how I’m continually nagging you about shredding your documents….whether I am giving an in-service, or talking to friends. Guess what! I have a resource that you’re going to love. In fact, it’s someone I use myself and here’s why – as a private investigator and I keep files as long as required by law, when I get ready to dispose of them, I need guaranteed destruction and security. When I review my own health records or explanation of benefits or the bills and utility charges,  or  catalogs I receive, I want to make sure no one else is privy to my personal information!!

So these are the questions to ask your shredding organization:

1. Do you do a complete background check on all your employees?

2. Do you video tape all shredding areas in company?

3. Are all personnel fingerprinted and run through the DOJ (Dept. of Justice) data base?

4. Are the employees knowledgeable  in security and or  law enforcement?

5. Do they specialize in cross cut technology vs. tear and grind which is cheaper?

6. What is their liability coverage?

In my opinion, a minimum of 1mil/2mil is mandatory

Therefore I recommend 2shred here in Southern California…check their website:

2Shred (http://www.2shred.com/Pages/default.aspx )

Do you want to know more? Contact me at www.the identityadvocate.com or 310-831-4400.

Have a safe day!

The FTC noted that in 2012 they received over 52,000 complaints of ID theft from consumers that were 60 and above. That’s up from 32,907 two years earlier when this age group accounted for 13 percent of all ID theft complaints. Identity fraud has become one of the most reported complaints  by seniors. Checking your credit reports is a must. You can sign up  for  a free service to receive  monthly credit monitoring at www.creditkarma.com

The IRS suggests that older taxpayers  should file early each to  protect themselves before a thief can access their personal information and file as owner of that social security number. All taxpayers can order their transcript online at irs.gov. This is a great plan especially  if they do not make enough income to file taxes regularly.
Seniors tend to be vulnerable to medical identity theft as they are using their health care dollars more regularly, which means their information is more likely to be in the health care system and exploited. Also, most seniors carry their Medicare Card with them, which, of course, is their social security number. When visiting the doctors office, they make copies of the Medicare cards, drivers license, and I bet you haven’t asked if they have completed a background check on their employees? Do that next time you are in the office. See what kind of response you get!
Four things to do in protecting you information

1. Always check your EOB (explanation of benefits) – dispute what is not yours

2. Shred everything that has your name and other information (even your utility bills)

3. Never take part in any  “free” offers if it includes giving your Medicare or health care information

4 Request copies of medical records on every visit.

It is important to always be aware that there is someone who can use and then abuse your information! The identity Advocate is here is to educate and offer solutions for Identity and Medical Identity Theft.  Connect with them here.

It’s traumatic when you or a loved one is admitted to a hospital. There’s so much to worry about. However, the protection of your private health care information should not be one of them. Although there has been a rash of celebrity information being compromised during recent admissions to a hospital, you don’t have to have a star status to ensure your health care information is safe.

To make sure your private health information stays that way, here are 3 questions to ask during the admission process:

1. Does your organization do background checks on all employees?

2. Who has access to my information?

3. Where will my records be stored and will they be encrypted?

If the person admitting you  (or the pre – admission process) can’t answer the above questions, ask to speak to a supervisor who has the answers. If he or she doesn’t know, then ask to speak to the Director of Nursing, or Chief Nursing Officer.

While you may feel this over cautious, we are hearing of  Identity Theft Rings run from a hospital by an admissions clerk as in this case in Alabama: Leader of Identity Theft Ring Sentenced to prison.

Obviously an admission in an emergency you can’t do this process.  This may be a reason to consider having Identity Protection and Recovery. If you want to know more  about being proactive instead of reactive connect with me here:    http://www.theidentityadvocate.com/identity-theft-protection.php.

Keep your piece of mind.

Have you thought medical identity theft wouldn’t happen to you? Is your thought “why would anyone want my medical information?” Well, they don’t want your “medical history” —  they want your insurance information. They might be out of work, or have a friend who needs assistance, or belong to an identity theft ring, and is in it for the money they can earn by selling your medical identity! Today it is more valuable then just your social security number.

When your medical information is stolen and used by someone to seek treatment, your own medical history will change. You may receive bills from doctors you have never seen or even heard of. You may discover they have a different blood type, or have cancer. Then to remove the mis-information and change your information back to who ‘you really are’ becomes an arduous task in itself. Also, you might find yourself responsible for bills that are not yours, and this affects your credit rating when it goes to collections!

Be proactive, protect your medical identity  by asking  your physician the following questions:

Does s/he do a complete background check on his employees?

Does s/he encrypt the records in his office?

If you should change physicians, what happens to those records? Does s/he outsource billing and receivables and if so, are they cleared as well. You want to know who is in his office and if there are prying eyes or someone who can walk off with all your information on a device such as a laptop or flash drive with all your electronic health information?

Read this article from Fox Business News and see why your medical information and insurance are a valued resource in the the black market; and why it is so difficult to keep your information PRIVATE:  http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/willis-report/blog/2013/05/21/protect-yourself-against-medical-identity-theft..

And then call me or email me for solutions available to  protect and recover your identity in the event that your identity is compromised or stolen

www.theidentityadvocate.com

310-831-4400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announce record-breaking recoveries resulting from joint efforts to combat health care fraud

Government Teams Recovered $4.2 Billion in FY 2012

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report showing that for every dollar spent on health care-related fraud and abuse investigations in the last three years, the government recovered $7.90. This is the highest three-year average return on investment in the 16-year history of the Health Care Fraud and Abuse (HCFAC) Program.

The government’s health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recovered a record $4.2 billion in taxpayer dollars in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, up from nearly $4.1 billion in FY 2011, from individuals and companies who attempted to defraud federal health programs serving seniors and taxpayers or who sought payments to which they were not entitled. Over the last four years, the administration’s enforcement efforts have recovered $14.9 billion, up from $6.7 billion over the prior four-year period. Since 1997, the HCFAC Program has returned more than $23 billion to the Medicare Trust Funds.

These findings, released today in the annual HCFAC Program report, are a result of President Obama making the elimination of fraud, waste and abuse, particularly in health care, a top priority for the administration.

The success of this joint Department of Justice and HHS effort was made possible by the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), created in 2009 to prevent fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and to crack down on individuals and entities that are abusing the system and costing American taxpayers billions of dollars. These efforts to reduce fraud will continue to improve with new tools and resources provided by the Affordable Care Act.

“This was a record-breaking year for the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services in our collaborative effort to crack down on health care fraud and protect valuable taxpayer dollars,” said Attorney General Holder. “In the past fiscal year, our relentless pursuit of health care fraud resulted in the disruption of an array of sophisticated fraud schemes and the recovery of more taxpayer dollars than ever before. This report demonstrates our serious commitment to prosecuting health care fraud and safeguarding our world-class health care programs from abuse.”

“Our historic effort to take on the criminals who steal from Medicare and Medicaid is paying off: We are gaining the upper hand in our fight against health care fraud,” said Secretary Sebelius. “This fight against fraud strengthens the integrity of our health care programs and helps us fulfill our commitment to our seniors.”

About $4.2 billion stolen or otherwise improperly obtained from federal health care programs was recovered and returned to the Medicare Trust Funds, the Treasury and others in FY 2012. This is an unprecedented achievement for the HCFAC Program, a joint Justice Department and HHS effort to coordinate federal, state and local law enforcement activities to fight health care fraud and abuse.

The administration is also using tools authorized by the Affordable Care Act to fight fraud, including enhanced screenings and enrollment requirements, increased data sharing across the government, expanded recovery efforts for overpayments and greater oversight of private insurance abuses.

Since 2009, the Justice Department and HHS have improved their coordination through HEAT and increased the number of Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams to nine. The Justice Department’s enforcement of the civil False Claims Act and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act have produced similar record-breaking results. These combined efforts coordinated under HEAT have expanded local partnerships and helped educate Medicare beneficiaries about how to protect themselves against fraud. In FY 2012, the two departments continued their series of regional fraud prevention summits, and the Justice Department hosted a training conference for federal prosecutors, FBI agents, HHS Office of Inspector General agents and others.

The strike force teams use advanced data analysis techniques to identify high-billing levels in health care fraud hot spots so that interagency teams can target emerging or migrating schemes as well as with chronic fraud by criminals masquerading as health care providers or suppliers. In July, Attorney General Holder and Secretary Sebelius announced the launch of a ground-breaking partnership among the federal government, state officials, leading private health insurance organizations and other health care anti-fraud groups to share information and best practices to improve detection of and prevent payments to scams that cut across public and private payers.

In FY 2012, the Justice Department opened 1,131 new criminal health care fraud investigations involving 2,148 potential defendants, and a total of 826 defendants were convicted of health care fraud-related crimes during the year. The department also opened 885 new civil investigations.

The strike force coordinated a takedown in May 2012 that involved the highest number of false Medicare billings in the history of the strike force program. The takedown involved 107 individuals, including doctors and nurses, in seven cities, who were charged for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes, involving about $452 million in false billings. As a part of the May 2012 takedown, HHS also suspended or took other administrative action against 52 providers using authority under the health care law to suspend payments until an investigation is complete.

Strike force operations in the nine cities where teams are based resulted in 117 indictments, informations and complaints involving charges against 278 defendants who allegedly billed Medicare more than $1.5 billion in fraudulent schemes. In FY 2012, 251 guilty pleas and 13 jury trials were litigated, with guilty verdicts against 29 defendants, in strike force cases. The average prison sentence in these cases was more than 48 months.

The new authorities under the Affordable Care Act granted to HHS and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) were instrumental in clamping down on fraudulent activity in health care. In FY 2012, CMS began the process of screening all 1.5 million Medicare-enrolled providers through the new Automated Provider Screening system that quickly identifies ineligible and potentially fraudulent providers and suppliers prior to enrollment or revalidation to verify the data. As a result, nearly 150,000 ineligible providers have already been eliminated from Medicare’s billing system.

CMS also established the Command Center to improve health care-related fraud detection and investigation, drive innovation and help reduce fraud and improper payments in Medicare and Medicaid.

From May 2011 through the end of 2012, more than 400,000 providers were subject to the new screening requirements and nearly 150,000 lost the ability to bill the Medicare program due to the Affordable Care Act requirements and other proactive initiatives.

The Department of Justice and HHS also continued their successes in civil health care fraud enforcement during FY 2012. The Justice Department’s Civil Division Fraud Section, with their colleagues in U.S. Attorneys’ offices throughout the country, obtained settlements and judgments of more than $3 billion in FY 2012 under the False Claims Act (FCA). These matters included unlawful pricing by pharmaceutical manufacturers, illegal marketing of medical devices and pharmaceutical products for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Medicare fraud by hospitals and other institutional providers, and violations of laws against self-referrals and kickbacks. This marked the third year in a row that more than $2 billion has been recovered in FCA health care matters. Additionally, the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, working with U.S. Attorneys’ offices, obtained nearly $1.5 billion in fines and forfeitures, and obtained 14 convictions in matters pursued under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

The HCFAC annual report is available at www.oig.hhs.gov/publications/hcfac.asp. For more information on the joint DOJ-HHS Strike Force activities, visit: www.StopMedicareFraud.gov/.

For more information on the fraud prevention accomplishments under the Affordable Care Act visit: www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2012/02/medicare-fraud02142012a.html.

Tricare data breach with more than 20 years of healthcare information compromised. Watch this video: http://grab-media.com/premium-videos/4844205

Former Miami Clinic Director Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Role in HIV Infusion Fraud Scheme
U.S. Department of Justice January 23, 2013

Office of Public Affairs (202) 514-2007/TDD (202) 514-1888

WASHINGTON—A former Miami HIV infusion clinic director was sentenced today to serve 70 months in prison for his role in a $26.2 million HIV infusion fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher B. Dennis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations, Miami Office.

Enrique Gonzalez, 67, formerly of Miami, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga in the Southern District of Florida. In addition to his prison term, Judge Altonaga sentenced Gonzalez to serve three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $17,590,896 in restitution to HHS.

On November 13, 2012, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, to cause the submission of false claims, and to pay health care kickbacks, and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Gonzalez admitted that between August 2002 and March 2004, he conspired with co-defendant Ronald Harris, a Miami physician, and alleged co-conspirators to operate Physicians Med-Care and Physicians Health (together the “Physicians Clinics”), two Miami HIV infusion clinics. According to court documents, the Physicians Clinics were owned and controlled by alleged co-conspirators Carlos Benitez and his brother Luis Benitez. The Physicians Clinics purported to specialize in treating patients with HIV but were operated for the sole purpose of committing Medicare fraud, according to court documents. Gonzalez was a director of Physicians Med-Care and, at the direction of his co-conspirators, was responsible for the finances of the Physicians Clinics.

Gonzalez admitted that he agreed with his co-conspirators to handle the finances for the Physicians Clinics, moving the money paid by the Medicare program out of the Physicians Clinics’ accounts and into accounts owned and controlled by his co-conspirators. According to court documents, Harris signed blank checks that Gonzalez used to transfer funds to various Benitez-owned entities and others, as directed by his co-conspirators. In addition, Gonzalez agreed to provide cash to various co-conspirators at the Physicians Clinics to be used to pay bribes and kickbacks to the Medicare beneficiaries in return for those beneficiaries allowing the Physicians Clinics to bill the Medicare program for HIV infusion services that were not medically necessary and often not provided.

Gonzalez admitted that during his association with Physicians Med-Care, the clinic billed the Medicare program approximately $24.5 million in HIV infusion therapy claims, for which the clinic received $16.7 million in payments. Gonzalez also admitted that during his time with Physicians Health, the clinic billed Medicare approximately $1.7 million and received approximately $800,000 in payment from the Medicare program for fraudulent services.

Gonzalez was a fugitive from justice from the time of his indictment in 2008, until he was located and detained in Peru in late 2011. Gonzalez was extradited to the United States in July of 2012. Gonzalez’s daughter, Carmen Gonzalez, was indicted in a related case and is currently a fugitive.

Co-defendant Harris pleaded guilty on August 26, 2008, to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, to cause the submission of false claims and to pay health care kickbacks; one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud; and three counts of submitting false claims to the Medicare program. Harris pleaded guilty in connection with his role as the medical director for the Physicians Clinics. On November 4, 2008, Harris was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison for his role in the scheme.

Carlos and Luis Benitez and Thomas McKenzie were charged separately with health care fraud and money laundering crimes in an indictment unsealed on June 11, 2008. According to the separate indictment, the defendants provided the money and staff necessary to open the Physicians Clinics, the Medicare patients that the clinics needed to bill the Medicare program and transportation for the HIV patients who visited the clinics. Carlos and Luis Benitez and McKenzie were charged for their role in committing approximately $109 million in HIV infusion fraud and money laundering through the Physicians Clinics and nine other HIV infusion clinics.

On September 18, 2008, McKenzie pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of submitting false claims to the Medicare program and admitted to his role in a $119 million HIV infusion fraud scheme. On December 18, 2008, McKenzie was sentenced to serve 14 years in prison.

Carlos and Luis Benitez are also fugitives. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the fugitives is urged to contact HHS-OIG fugitive reporting phone line at 888-476-4453.

The defendants who have not been convicted are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The Physicians Med-Care and Physicians Health case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney N. Nathan Dimock of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was investigated by the FBI and the DHS Office of Inspector General.

The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The Department also thanks the Peruvian National Police Interpol Unit for their assistance.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,480 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $4.8 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

Hospice of North Idaho settles HIPAA security case for $50,000

The Hospice of North Idaho (HONI) has agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) $50,000 to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule. This is the first settlement involving a breach of unprotected electronic protected health information (ePHI) affecting fewer than 500 individuals.

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) began its investigation after HONI reported to HHS that an unencrypted laptop computer containing the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of 441 patients had been stolen in June 2010. Laptops containing ePHI are regularly used by the organization as part of their field work. Over the course of the investigation, OCR discovered that HONI had not conducted a risk analysis to safeguard ePHI. Further, HONI did not have in place policies or procedures to address mobile device security as required by the HIPAA Security Rule. Since the June 2010 theft, HONI has taken extensive additional steps to improve their HIPAA Privacy and Security compliance program.

“This action sends a strong message to the health care industry that, regardless of size, covered entities must take action and will be held accountable for safeguarding their patients’ health information.” said OCR Director Leon Rodriguez. “Encryption is an easy method for making lost information unusable, unreadable and undecipherable.”

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Breach Notification Rule requires covered entities to report an impermissible use or disclosure of protected health information, or a “breach,” of 500 individuals or more to the Secretary of HHS and the media within 60 days after the discovery of the breach. Smaller breaches affecting less than 500 individuals must be reported to the Secretary on an annual basis.

A new educational initiative, Mobile Devices: Know the RISKS. Take the STEPS. PROTECT and SECURE Health Information, has been launched by OCR and the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) that offers health care providers and organizations practical tips on ways to protect their patients’ health information when using mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. For more information, visit www.HealthIT.gov/mobiledevices.

The Resolution Agreement can be found on the OCR website at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/enforcement/examples/honi-agreement.pdf

Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
###

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

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Last revised: January 2, 2013

Remember you have to have identity theft protection. A data breach can happen at any time. No matter what you do to protect yourself, your data can be exposed without your permission. Review The Identity Advocates protection services at: http://www.theidentityadvocate.com/identity-theft-protection.php

Nearly 284,000 Medicare beneficiaries who have been victims of identity theft are facing difficulties accessing health care services because the federal government has not given them replacement ID cards, according to a report released Wednesday by the HHS Office of Inspector General, USA Today reports.

Medicare officials cited cost and the required involvement of multiple agencies as reasons for not replacing the cards, HHS OIG investigators said. According to USA Today, Medicare ID numbers are directly linked to beneficiaries’ Social Security numbers, which the government cannot reissue for the identity theft victims.

Beneficiaries can only report misuse of their Medicare IDs, and the government does not provide updates about the ID theft investigation or amend victims’ records with accurate billing information, factors that prevent patients from easily accessing care, the report says.

Read more: http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2012/10/10/report-cms-not-issuing-new-medicare-id-cards-to-identity-theft-victims.aspx#ixzz29a4YUV6O