Dr. Office Photo ID

[megsters]

I work in health information management. We do keep them in the medical record for a variety of reasons. It's very useful to have on the backend. Standard practice that I feel benefits both you and the practice.

 

[megsters]

It's not just this... it's to alleviate some of the fraud that is based in medical care claims.

I can claim to be Sally Smith, she is a friend of mine, and I don't have insurance, so she gives me her card to use at the doctor's office. By identifying me, the doctor can prove that she/he is treating the correct Sally Smith, and guarantee payment for the visit.

I once dealt with a chart correction where someone shared- but it was a set of twins who kept sharing an insurance card. This worked out for them for awhile, but then one twin was pregnant and one wasn't. Such a disaster.

 

[Moliphino]

They always ask for ID and insurance card at my gyn. I don't pay attention to what they do with them after I hand them over. My dentist just asks if my insurance has changed, they don't check any cards if I say it hasn't.

 

[kymom99]

I don’t understand why someone would be concerned about the doctor having a copy of your ID. They have so much personal info already including your ssn

 

[hrhdhd]

How do they know you are who you say you are without ID? And how do they prove they confirmed your ID without having a copy in their files?
All about protecting your right to privacy about your medical history.

No, it's about ensuring that someone else isn't using the insurance coverage.

 

[hrhdhd]

I don’t understand why someone would be concerned about the doctor having a copy of your ID. They have so much personal info already including your ssn

I don't give my SSN to doctors. That, they don't need.

 

[ajlsjl]

I've had the same experience as the majority of posters. Every doctor I've been to requires photo ID (drivers license) and insurance card when checking in for the appointment. Definitely standard practice.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I’m 60 years old and see primary once a year and specialist twice a year and have never had to show my ID. Primary makes a copy of my insurance and that’s good until it changes. Specialist made a copy of my insurance card too but when it changed all I did was call and give them the new company name and my member number.

 

[Marrila]

I’m 60 years old and see primary once a year and specialist twice a year and have never had to show my ID. Primary makes a copy of my insurance and that’s good until it changes. Specialist made a copy of my insurance card too but when it changed all I did was call and give them the new company name and my member number.

They probably know you well enough that they opted to let the ID part go at this point.
It might be a different situation with a new patient.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I always assumed this was to prevent fraud. I once got a call years ago from an ER because someone was attempting to use a bit of paper or mail they had with my name of it to get care. The ER Dr got suspicious, looked up my info and called me to check & when I answered the phone she got her answer, not me. I don't know more than that but ER care isn't cheap. Medical fraud is serious especially now with high deductibles so a person could get easily pinned by fraudsters.

 

[focusondisney]

It’s been a thing to help prevent insurance fraud for years.

 

[focusondisney]

I don't give my SSN to doctors. That, they don't need.

They don’t ask for your SS number. It’s photo ID, like driver’s license or state ID.

 

[hrhdhd]

They don’t ask for your SS number. It’s photo ID, like driver’s license or state ID.

1. I was replying to kymom99, who said doctors already have a lot of info, including SSN.
2. I have been asked for my SSN by doctors' offices. I refuse. If they insist, I find another doctor.

 

[nw6675]

Many medical facilities stopped asking for SSN when Medicare (and other insurance carriers) changed their ID numbers from including the SSN and because of the rise in internal ID theft (particularly in large health systems). Those that still ask do so primarily for debt collections.

 

[tvguy]

No, it's about ensuring that someone else isn't using the insurance coverage.

That too. But I believe it is actually a requirement of HIPPA.
I touched off a firestorm a few years ago when some clinic mistakenly faxed my employers fax machine a patient's complete medical history. I found a contact number and informed the sender who panicked. I shredded the documents.

 

[ronandannette]

I’ve never had to provide any ID beyond my health card (which proves I live in the province I say I live in). We obviously have a very different setup than you do, but that’s still my experience.

It's not unheard of; I had a neuro consult yesterday at a new provider and they asked for photo ID (just to look, no copy taken). I've also had to show photo ID several times before getting diagnostics (mammogram and blood work most recently). The insurance fraud angle isn't really a thing so I can only speculate it may be for their liability in doing (somehwhat) risky procedures to the wrong person? At the blood lab the tech also double-checked my information to make sure the vials matched the person, if you know what I mean.

 

[hrhdhd]

That too. But I believe it is actually a requirement of HIPPA.
I touched off a firestorm a few years ago when some clinic mistakenly faxed my employers fax machine a patient's complete medical history. I found a contact number and informed the sender who panicked. I shredded the documents.

Surely having a photo wouldn't have fixed this error.

And it's HIPAA.

 

[fla4fun]

I understand why a doctor’s office would need to see my ID to confirm who I am when I arrive for an appointment. That is different than them keeping a copy on file. A hard copy in a file is not confirming anything when I am not present, and puts me at risk of ID theft.

My main concern would be how they would secure a hard copy of that ID at all times. Do files lay on a desk or in a bin on the wall at any time where anyone could grab the hard copy? How are files secured for long term storage between appointments? If hard copies are converted to digital, who has access to the digital copy and how are the hard copies destroyed?

The number of people who need to verify my identity within a practice is extremely limited. I would not want a copy of my ID to be accessible to anyone who does not specifically need that information.

 

[lanejudy]

My main concern would be how they would secure a hard copy of that ID at all times. Do files lay on a desk or in a bin on the wall at any time where anyone could grab the hard copy? How are files secured for long term storage between appointments? If hard copies are converted to digital, who has access to the digital copy and how are the hard copies destroyed?

They don't make physical hard-copies anymore, at least not at my medical providers' offices. It's always scanned and goes directly into in my EMR (electronic medical record). The ID/picture helps providers identify the patient -- while we'd all like to think Dr. Smith knows LaneJudy on sight, they have so very many patients that recognition simply isn't true for most providers and patients. Having the ID as part of your file helps ensure they have the correct account/file.

And to the OP's question...yep, it's been pretty standard for years. Probably not ever single appointment because we tend to be seen multiple times a year. The insurance card is requested every January even if there's been no change, and ID gets requested occasionally as well. Before they requested ID, they actually took a picture (which is why I know it goes into my EMR -- I can see it online).

 

[lynxstch]

Husband and I go to the same cardiologist practice, but not the same Dr within it. They asked him for one, I have never been asked to do it. Go figure.