Identity thieves prey on patients’ medical records

USA Today, May 7, 2008

Identity thieves are using different methods to steal patient information from doctors' offices, clinics and hospitals, lawyers and privacy experts say. Legal experts say the thieves use medical information to get credit card numbers, drain bank accounts or falsely bill Medicare and other insurers. Although hospitals and other medical settings often encrypt data and take other steps to protect privacy, people are acting with increasing sophistication to steal information, attorneys say.