BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY TOWARDS PREVENTION OF MEDICAL IDENTITY THEFT: PHYSICIANS’ PERCEPTIONS

Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.5, No.1, February 2016
DOI: 10.5121/hiij.2016.5102 11
BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY TOWARDS PREVENTION
OF MEDICAL IDENTITY THEFT: PHYSICIANS’
PERCEPTIONS
Chevella N. Oliver MHIIM, Sajeesh Kumar, PhD
Department of Health Informatics & Information Management, University of
Tennessee
Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
ABSTRACT
While Financial Identity Theft (FIT) has been an ongoing threat to the safety of American society with its
horror and inconvenience, Medical Identity Theft (MIT) is now an additional risk on the horizon and there
are many perils associated with this burgeoning phenomenon. This paper will examine the physician
perceptions and look at the menacing burden that MIT places on its victims. It will also discuss ways in
which the provider can better address issues by using biometric technology to combat this escalating
problem. Also, MIT can be more damaging than FIT because it can create mayhem for the victim and his
or her medical information when erroneous details have been created in the medical record due to a thief’s
scheming and deceitful usage of healthcare information. The literature suggests that biometric technology
can revolutionize the healthcare industry with scientific tools that can scan your eye, hand or thumbprint
and a person can be easily identified. This technology would add another layer of security to give greater
protection to healthcare users as well as providers. Biometric technology is an exciting untapped resource
that can make an incredible difference in the field of healthcare and PHI. This project will shed some light
on this technology and may help the healthcare community understand the viability of biometrics and how
it can possibly deter MIT.
Biometric Technology towards Prevention of Medical Identity Theft: Physicians’ Perceptions
1. INTRODUCTION
Medical Identity Theft (MIT) is a tremendous problem that is causing enormous concern in the
healthcare community. If the health care industry does not explore and consider the use of
biometric technology within its operating purview then it will perhaps be susceptible to a
breakdown in the infrastructure which can likely be more devastating than financial identity theft.
“Medical Identity theft (MIT) is a practice in which someone uses another individual’s
identifying information such as health insurance or social security number without the individuals
knowledge or permission to obtain medical services or goods or to obtain money by falsifying
claims for medical services and falsifying medical records to support those claims.”(Mancino,
2014) As a result, MIT has become a huge problem in the health care arena. It can be so much
more devastating than the crime of financial identity theft and is extremely disturbing because
MIT can affect anyone who is the holder of a medical or health insurance card.
“Biometric technologies are automated methods for identifying a person or verifying a person’s
identity based on the person’s physiological or behavioral characteristics.”(Radack, n.d.)
Biometric technology is not new; however, based on the reading, it is not being used
overwhelmingly by the healthcare community. With the proliferation of MIT in the American

12
infrastructure, the door has been opened to more data breaches, added security issues and
wrongdoers scamming victims’ medical identity. It is now a huge reality and far too common.
Financial Identity Theft (FIT) was relatively unknown twenty years ago. Fast forward to 2015
and it appears that few professionals and consumers are aware of its evil twin medical identity
theft and the snowball effect that it has on the victim as well as the American economy. Pam
Dixon, Executive Director, of the World Privacy Forum brought attention to MIT by researching
and writing the first known report on the crime in May 2006. (Dixon, P. & Gellman, B., 2006) It
is now on the horizon as a moderately talked about topic. While FIT has been more of the hot
subject matter and news reports have stated that FIT has cost the US billions of dollars annually,
the toll can be even greater if MIT is the crime against an individual. (Dixon, et al)
Indeed, it is almost impossible to believe that in the not so distant past, FIT was a perplexing and
a rather ambiguous crime. This infraction has reached exponential levels and Congress passed the
Identity theft and Assumption Deterrence Act to respond to the growing problem of identity theft.
(Identity theft overview, n.d.) Now MIT has taken center stage and is invasive in all areas and
difficult at best to resolve. It has become evident that with the dawn of the new millennium that
identity thieves are finding more clever ways to steal other peoples’ personal information that
includes not just social security numbers and credit cards but health care insurance cards. MIT is
an increasing perplexity in this society and can cause more headaches than the theft of the
beloved plastic money. Since The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services started
keeping records on MIT in 2009, it has found that the medical records of between 27.8 million
and 67.7 million people have been breached. (Ollove, 2014)
Recently, a small online Medical Identity Theft Knowledge Survey was administered by The
Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) and 167 responses were received. A mere 13.8 percent
claimed they understood the meaning of medical identity theft; however, 42.5 percent had to be
excluded for the remainder of the survey questions because they had no concept as towhat
medical identity theft is. Sadly, MIT is not on most people’s consciousness. (Mannino, 2014)
If an impostor accesses your healthcare care card to receive services at a hospital or doctor’s
office and the claim is submitted for reimbursement to the insurance company for his or her
healthcare fees, this can be destructive to the holder of the medical insurance card financial well-
being and medical life. What about diagnoses that have nothing to do with the victim’s previous
medical history? How can a person explain an STD diagnosis or a blood borne illness? What if
the victim is given the incorrect blood type when receiving a blood transfusion? The diagnosis
three months ago indicated that the person is in prime condition yet Stage IV colon cancer is now
the ailment. (Linder, 2014) Of course, instances such as the aforementioned should raise red
flags and give an insurance company reasons to question those situations. Will the victim be able
to correct his or her record? How many records are out there for the victim? How many health
care practitioners has the perpetrator seen? What type of services has the perpetrator been given?
These are some of the questions that can bombard the mind and life of the innocent victim.
It is unusually challenging to correct inaccurate information when an MIT breach is exposed.
Sensitive information may have already been released to other medical providers, medical
clearinghouses or insurers. (Rebstock, 2009) Moreover, victims can be harassed by debt
collectors, may experience loss of or difficulty finding work, may be rejected for insurance
coverage and may even find that wrongful accusations of criminal activity have been imposed on
them. Providers can also be victims. Having to return money to insurance companies, face
possible litigation and civil penalties as well as deal with negative mediaand a decline in
consumer confidence can weigh heavily on providers. (Rebstock, 2009)

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MIT happens to be more profitable than financial identity theft. Apilfered Social Security number
is anticipated to have a street value of $1 per identity while ill-gotten medical identity information
can fetch on average $50 per identity. (Rebstock, 2009)Personal information can be obtained by
thieves through lost or stolen wallets, purses, dishonest medical personnel, or perhaps family
members and colleagues. (Medical id theft, n.d.) Also, there are people who rummage through
outdoor trash receptacles who find medical documents that are not shredded which contain
personal information that can be used for their fraudulent gain. It is unfortunate; however, reports
estimate that 33% of medical ID theft happens when an acquaintance or even a family member
uses an individual’s medical information without their consent or knowledge. (Medical id theft,
n.d.)
The primary objective of this study is to assess physicians’ perceptions regarding the use of
biometric technology as a deterrent against MIT. Data will be examined from a web based survey
of physicians within the Memphis Medical Society to determine if they are aware of biometric
technology and if they are familiar with the term medical identity theft.
2. TYPES OF BIOMETRICS
Biometrics come in a number of different forms and this paper will discuss seven of them. The
simplest and most common is the fingerprint.Nearly everyone has a fingerprint unless there has
been some type of accident to disfigure the fingers. It is safewith no hassle. Police programs and
crime prevention agencies such as the FBI have used fingerprint technology for decades.
(Fingerprints,n.d.)The biometric modalityknown as speaker or voicerecognition uses an
individual’s voice for detection purposes. It is a different technology than speech recognition
which recognizes words as they are pronounced anddoes not fall into the category of a biometric.
The method of speaker recognition depends on features which are impacted by the physical
configuration of an individual’s vocal tract and the individual’s behavioral characteristics.(Voice
recognition, n.d.)
Palm print is similar to the fingerprint because it deals with the ridge impression of the hand.
History shows that the handprint was used when illiterate people did not have the education to
know how to sign their names. While it has been available for more than a century, it is a
technology that has lagged behind in automation because of constraints in computerization
systems and operations. (Palm print, n.d.)
Facial recognition relies on the fine points of spatial geometry to differentiate the features of the
face and analyze them for identification.(Woodward, Horn, Gatune.& Thomas, 2003) This
biometric technology has been used to spot shoplifters in stores, and pinpoint criminals and
terrorists in urban areas. In the casinos facial recognition has been used to identify card counters
or other undesirables where gambling is the business. (Woodward, et al.)Although, the
technology has not yet been perfected, it is developing and has tremendous potential. (Woodward,
et al.)
One of the most well-known biometric technologies is retinal scanning; however, it is extremely
costly.This technology was discovered in the 1980s. Retinal scans map the
distinctiveconfigurations of an individual’s retina.Within the retina are blood vessels which
absorb light more easily than the tissue which encloses it and it is easily identified with the proper
lighting. (King, 2013)
The most unique feature visible on the human body is the iris. Fortunately, no two irises are
alike. Even identical twins have dissimilar iris configurations. There is much detail in the iris with

14
its variability andlack of genetic dependence. Also, it has the suitability for imaging without
physical contact which could potentially make the iris an excellent personal identifier. (Eye
controls, n.d.)
The physical activity of signing, such as the stroke order, the pressure applied and the speed are
measurements and analysis of the biometric signature recognition system. (Signature biometrics,
n.d.) “Dynamic signature devices should not be confused with electronic signature capture
systems that are used to capture a graphic image of the signature and are common in locations
where merchants are capturing signatures for transaction authorizations.” (Mayhew, 2012)
Unfortunately, there may be issues with this technology since the signature can change over time.
3. METHOD
Twenty-three questionsurvey was administeredvia email to the 1403 Memphis Medical Society
members. This community of physicians was chosen because it had a high volume of potential
participants. The survey was initiated via email on June 23, 2015 and closed on July 7, 2015.
4. RESULTS
The study indicate that physicians within their respective disciplines would be willing to accept
change within their current state of affairs but cost appeared to be a major reason for not
implementing this equipment. The sample size could have been expanded by including
receptionists, business office managers and more of the individuals who actually deal with the
clients and their presentation of insurance paperwork daily. Personal interviews would probably
prompt better information regarding participants’ knowledge and attitudes and offer the
opportunity to clarify vague or confusing questions.
CONCLUSION
MIT is seen as a tremendous problem and biometric technology is recommended as being a
possible protective measure to prevent that criminal activity. It must also be noted that MIT is an
intricate and nefarious crime because it totally violates the victim in the most intimate areas of
their lives. While HIPAA is stringent, it does not address MIT. (Mancini, 2014)Unfortunately,
because there are no laws which really concentrate on this type of personal violation and crime, it
is difficult to investigate and bring resolution to what is quickly becoming a burdensome and
disturbing problem.(Mancini, 2014) More importantly, the research of this project shows that the
actual physicians are not as aware or knowledgeable about this escalating fraud movement. If
implemented, biometric technology can be an additional layer of protection to make strides in the
improvement of patient security and safety. It can also be an effective means to promote
enhanced office and hospital functioning. A well-structured system utilizing biometric technology
can be designed to streamline the registration process and patients can be assured that they will
receive high level quality of care specifically for their correct identity.
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BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY TOWARDS PREVENTION OF MEDICAL IDENTITY THEFT: PHYSICIANS’ PERCEPTIONS

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BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY TOWARDS PREVENTION OF MEDICAL IDENTITY THEFT: PHYSICIANS’ PERCEPTIONS