In: Nursing
according to HIPAA presentation, which of the following is most commonly stolen PHI?
Social security information
Drivers license number
Date of birth
License plate number
Most commonly stolen PHI is social security information.
Social security may refer to: social insurance, where people receive benefits or services in recognition of contributions to an insurance program. These services typically include provision for retirement pensions, disability insurance, survivor benefits and unemployment insurance.
Data from several healthcare network servers have been hacked into over the last few years. These servers have PHI for hundreds to millions of patients, so when these skilled hackers — who are only getting better at what they do — get their hands on them, they leak this information out or sell it to the highest bidder. Some of this information includes Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and insurance information.
Medical identity theft occurs when an imposter uses someone else’s personal information to obtain medical treatment or file a claim for treatment with that person’s insurer. Healthcare providers have treatment information on file, but may also have sensitive information such as a Social Security number, credit card or bank account number. Insurance identification numbers are valuable tools for fraudsters.