New AHIMA Book Addresses Rising Medical Identity Theft Issue

CHICAGO, March 25, 2008—Amid recent news reports concerning celebrity victims of breached personal medical information, the related threat of medical identity theft may appear now to be more real than ever before.  All of which makes the timing of the American Health Information Management Association’s newest book, “Medical Identity Theft,” as relevant as it is instructive.

Published under the editorial leadership of Cindy L. Nichols, assistant vice president and health information management privacy officer for Hospital Corporation of America, “Medical Identity Theft” lays out every important aspect of this growing concern for healthcare professionals, especially health information and healthcare privacy and security professionals, as well as healthcare risk managers and compliance officers, who have legitimate contact with patients’ personal and private health information.

“With the amount of private health information created and managed in the healthcare industry coupled with efforts to have more of this information electronically available, medical identity theft is already an increasing issue,” Nichols said.  “I think HIM professionals will be excited to have a foundational resource that gives us guidance in preventing medical identity theft.  Not only that, but also a tool to that helps us apply the best professional practices when responding to, or mitigating, medical identity theft.”

“Medical Identity Theft” is designed to be an ideal resource for professionals looking to define medical ID theft, establish preventive policies, execute and fund breach contracts, mitigate risk and exposure, comply with HIPAA guidelines, resolve individual incidences of medical ID theft and more.

Beginning with a clear, detailed and insightful definition of the issue of medical identity theft, the book touches every base before finishing with an instructive set of “best practices” presented within the context of a proper response of an identity theft event.  In between the thoughtful issue definition and a well-defined example of proper theft-response protocol, “Medical Identity Theft” devotes entire chapters to each of four major driving elements: internal and external threats, risks and controls; the application of HIPAA guidelines to identity theft, an examination of evolving roles for health information management professionals and privacy officers, and; those issues directly related to regional health information organizations (RHIO) and the National Health Information Network (NHIN).

 Contributing authors to “Medical Identity Theft” include Nancy Davis, director of privacy and security officer at Ministry Health Care, a Midwest network of hospitals, clinics and several other healthcare facilities; Chrisann Lemery, compliance specialist, HIPAA security officer and assistant privacy and security officer for Wisconsin-based WEA Trust Insurance; and Clarice Smith, regional HIM director for Community Health Systems in Tennessee.

“Medical Identity Theft” retails for $59.95—however, AHIMA members receive a substantial discount—and can be purchased online at http://www.ahima.org/products/store.asp .

About AHIMA

AHIMA is the leading professional Association representing more than 53,000 specially educated and certified health information management professionals working throughout the healthcare industry.  HIM professionals serve healthcare and the public by managing, analyzing, and utilizing data vital for health system management. www.ahima.org