In August 2007, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) published a detailed article regarding identity theft in injury claims in Claims Canada. One of the statement made in this article is the increase of electronic claims (e-claims) and the impact on the number of receipt and other hard copies documents used to authenticate a provider:
What is more, the rise of the electronic age has meant a decline in the use of paper-based documentation; in health care this means that signed hard copies of assessments, treatment plans and invoices are less common. Not to mention, because electronically stored information is so easily copied and travels so quickly, by the time an identity theft is discovered someone has usually already been defrauded.
Among the tips to prevent identity theft, the Provider Directory helps directly on the two following points:
- Making sure all college-registered contact information is up to date;
- Advising colleges, insurance companies and other relevant contacts when they are leaving a clinic;
Indeed, by centralizing the communication between colleges, associations and claims adjudicators, the Provider Directory, will maintain up to date information and advise claims adjudicators as soon as the college or association make changes regarding a members. Thanks to the Provider Directory, providers will only have to maintain their records up to date with their regulating body and not with hundreds of organizations.