Can I redact my voice mail?
July 21, 2010 6:23 PM Subscribe
I left all of my health insurance information on a hospital voice mail. Now what?
I've been having billing issues with my doctor's office. This office is affiliated with a hospital I once had surgery, and they are now billing me with my old insurance I had under my parents.
Frustrated by being unable to reach the billing office directly, I left a voice mail with my hospital account number, name, old address, new address, old insurance name, and current insurance name and number. I asked them to please change the information and leave me a voice mail with any questions.
It only occurred to me after the fact that this was a terrible idea.
Now I'm freaking out about insurance fraud and identity theft. I didn't leave my social, but thieves would have everything else they needed.
What should I do?
a) Nothing.
b) Call my health insurance and ask them to give me a new account number due to suspected fraud. Then call the hospital with my new information. Then call my doctor with the new information.
c) Call my health insurance and ask for their advice.
I want to do b), as I'm panicking, but with all the billing issues going on, I'm afraid of ruining my credit completely.
What do you think I should do? Should I not worry?
I can get to the phone from 8:20-8:45 and 1:30-2:00. So I can take one step each day. I have issues with any other time. Should I take a sick day and take care of these issues?
Thank you for your advice.
I've been having billing issues with my doctor's office. This office is affiliated with a hospital I once had surgery, and they are now billing me with my old insurance I had under my parents.
Frustrated by being unable to reach the billing office directly, I left a voice mail with my hospital account number, name, old address, new address, old insurance name, and current insurance name and number. I asked them to please change the information and leave me a voice mail with any questions.
It only occurred to me after the fact that this was a terrible idea.
Now I'm freaking out about insurance fraud and identity theft. I didn't leave my social, but thieves would have everything else they needed.
What should I do?
a) Nothing.
b) Call my health insurance and ask them to give me a new account number due to suspected fraud. Then call the hospital with my new information. Then call my doctor with the new information.
c) Call my health insurance and ask for their advice.
I want to do b), as I'm panicking, but with all the billing issues going on, I'm afraid of ruining my credit completely.
What do you think I should do? Should I not worry?
I can get to the phone from 8:20-8:45 and 1:30-2:00. So I can take one step each day. I have issues with any other time. Should I take a sick day and take care of these issues?
Thank you for your advice.
Did you leave your info on the billing office's voicemail? If so, then I would make sure to follow up and verify they received your information.
Many people employed in a hospital have access to information that would facilitate identity fraud. They don't have to wait for someone to leave a voicemail. However, they generally don't perpetrate identity fraud because (a) they could lose their jobs and be fined and (b) they are decent people.
In your shoes, I would call again during my morning break, and if not able to speak with anyone directly, ask that they call you back to confirm your information was received and that they may leave a message on your voicemail if you aren't able to answer the phone.
posted by jeoc at 6:32 PM on July 21, 2010
Many people employed in a hospital have access to information that would facilitate identity fraud. They don't have to wait for someone to leave a voicemail. However, they generally don't perpetrate identity fraud because (a) they could lose their jobs and be fined and (b) they are decent people.
In your shoes, I would call again during my morning break, and if not able to speak with anyone directly, ask that they call you back to confirm your information was received and that they may leave a message on your voicemail if you aren't able to answer the phone.
posted by jeoc at 6:32 PM on July 21, 2010
If a live human had answered you would give him/her that information anyway. The same people are checking the voicemail.
posted by Jacqueline at 6:53 PM on July 21, 2010
posted by Jacqueline at 6:53 PM on July 21, 2010
Please don't worry. Hospitals are full of patients' insurance information, and leaving info on their voice mail is normal. It happens many times every day. Having left your information in a voice message makes you no more likely to be the victim of identity theft than any other person who uses medical services, which is nearly everyone. You have not done anything to increase your risk.
It would be good to follow up by phone in a few days, if possible, just to make sure that your information has been updated, and that your physician's billing office also now has it. If your information does not get updated as the result of your message, it will be because of human error, not mischief.
If you are concerned enough that you decide to try to convince your health insurance plan to issue you a new number, you'll then have to inform all of your health care providers about the change in your number. Maybe even leave it on voice mail again. Why put yourself through that?
posted by Snerd at 7:15 PM on July 21, 2010
It would be good to follow up by phone in a few days, if possible, just to make sure that your information has been updated, and that your physician's billing office also now has it. If your information does not get updated as the result of your message, it will be because of human error, not mischief.
If you are concerned enough that you decide to try to convince your health insurance plan to issue you a new number, you'll then have to inform all of your health care providers about the change in your number. Maybe even leave it on voice mail again. Why put yourself through that?
posted by Snerd at 7:15 PM on July 21, 2010
I am employed by a hospital, but I don't work anywhere near the hospital or have any contact with patients other than my personal volunteer commitment. I don't see any patient data, ever.
Having said that, I am quite extensively trained in patient privacy and confidentiality, as well as security concerns about the electronic transmission of health information. So is everyone else who works for the hospital, including the janitors. Health information privacy is taken very, very seriously and every measure is taken that your data is safe.
The office you called works directly with health insurance information (they get to see all of your procedures, diagnostic codes, etc.), which means that they well trained in best practices. It may not be the case in their office, but at my institution I can't even have a voice mailbox that's not password-protected (or accessible only through a secure, only internally accessible email address).
I honestly think that you have nothing to worry about.
posted by halogen at 8:57 PM on July 21, 2010
Having said that, I am quite extensively trained in patient privacy and confidentiality, as well as security concerns about the electronic transmission of health information. So is everyone else who works for the hospital, including the janitors. Health information privacy is taken very, very seriously and every measure is taken that your data is safe.
The office you called works directly with health insurance information (they get to see all of your procedures, diagnostic codes, etc.), which means that they well trained in best practices. It may not be the case in their office, but at my institution I can't even have a voice mailbox that's not password-protected (or accessible only through a secure, only internally accessible email address).
I honestly think that you have nothing to worry about.
posted by halogen at 8:57 PM on July 21, 2010
Don't worry about it. If the insurance company isn't paying *your* bills, why in the world would they start paying someone else's?
Far as I know, the vast majority of insurance fraud is done with the consent/assistance of the patient.
posted by gjc at 3:07 AM on July 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Far as I know, the vast majority of insurance fraud is done with the consent/assistance of the patient.
posted by gjc at 3:07 AM on July 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Following up on halogen's comments about how extensively hospital personnel are trained regarding patient confidentiality, hospitals are subject to HIPAA, a federal law that requires health care providers to maintain the confidentiality of patients' sensitive information. As a result, hospital tend to be very serious about the way they treat such information.
Given all of this, and the fact that you would have had to give them this information one way or another, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
posted by Alexdan4 at 11:28 AM on July 22, 2010
Given all of this, and the fact that you would have had to give them this information one way or another, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
posted by Alexdan4 at 11:28 AM on July 22, 2010
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It's the same information they would have access to otherwise, just in a different form. I mean, if you hadn't left the voice mail, you would have called them directly and given them the information, correct? It's the same difference.
If you're worrying about privacy, HIPAA regulations cover voice mail too.
posted by ErikaB at 6:31 PM on July 21, 2010 [2 favorites]