NATCHEZ — Losing track of a medical insurance card can be just as risky as misplacing a credit card.

Approximately 15 million Americans have endured the scary hassle of identity theft, and some instances materialize as unexplained medical bills rather than monthly credit-card statements, said Terry Stutzman, a health care data and technology instructor at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Stutzman spoke at a program Tuesday called, “21st Century Medical Care and Who Has All of My Information?” at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Stutzman said since many health care institutions are using electronic health records, increased accessibility has both good and bad implications.

Files can be constantly updated to reflect new medications and treatments from office-to-office, which can reduce instances of incorrectly-filled prescriptions, misdiagnosis and more, Stutzman said.

However, if someone without insurance falsely claims the identity of a person with insurance for the use of medical benefits, changes in both medical bills and medical records could cause victims headache and potential harm.

Stutzman said one such case involved a woman whose medical identity was stolen when the perpetrator used her insurance at a hospital to give birth. When tests on the newborn revealed methamphetamine in the baby’s system, social services attempted to remove the victim’s four children from her household.

Stutzman also spoke about a few cases in which a person’s blood type was changed, and another case in which records showed a woman who walked fine on both feet had a right foot amputated, according to her medical records.

“The more lucrative (medical identity theft) becomes, the more it will happen,” Stutzman said.

Simple steps to cut down on medical identity theft include shredding old medical insurance cards, ordering a credit report and requesting an Explanation of Benefits statement from health care providers.

An Explanation of Benefits, known as an EOB, is a form describing services patients can receive from their insurance provider after a claim is filed.

“Protect your health care information just like you would your financial info,” Stutzman said.

Stutzman said accessing medical records online can also reduce the possibility of someone intercepting a paper trail.

Advances in technology also carry benefits for patients when it comes to health records, Stutzman said. For instance, personal health records include information often redundantly reported at each point of health care access.

When health care facilities keep personal health records, it allows patients to have interactive access to them to view test results, schedule appointments, refill prescriptions and more.

Many of the medical facilities in the Miss-Lou do not have electronic personal health records, but Stutzman said creating one’s own personal record on a thumb drive can be helpful for patients.

Items to add to a personal health record include:

4 A current list of medications

4Appointment schedules

4A list of allergies

4Recent discharge instructions

4Recent EOBs

4Emergency contact information

When a patient’s personal health care is easily accessible in one place — such as a thumb drive — the process at each point of access can be streamlined, Stutzman said.

Stutzman said thumb drives containing personal health records should be stored in a safe place, such as the areas where other important files are kept at home. She also suggested alerting an emergency contact where the files are kept, so the files can be easily accessed in the event of an emergency.

Those who suspect health care fraud or medical identity theft can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call 1-877-438-4328. Victims can also contact local law enforcement agencies and read about “tools for victims” at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/tools.html.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society sponsored the health care information program. The 66 audience members included community members and Co-Lin students studying respiratory therapy, certified nursing assistants and licensed practical nursing.

Stutzman said knowing about medical identity theft and other elements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is important for those entering the health care field because earning patients trust is an important element in have a successful medical facility.