Dr's office/PT requiring SS#'s...do you give your's?

[linda0706]

My DD9 went to a new opthomologist & they insisted on it before they would treat. Not only mine but HERS ALSO. They would NOT treat without it. Bad enough about mine but there is no reason under the sun that they need a minor's SS#. Our insurance numbers are totally different from our SS#.

This doctor the only pediatric opthomologist within 30 miles & I'd waited 2 months for the appointment. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, but I made up some numbers.

 

[ols386]

I've never been asked to give my ss# at a Dr. office, or pt, or hospital, or anything. I wouldn't give it....they don't need it.

You can't be too careful with your personal information these days.

And if I've ever been in any situation, where someone said they needed my ss#, I always question it. There really aren't many times when I've truly needed to give out my ss#.

 

[aprilgail2]

I guess i'm the odd man out....i dont see a problem with it.
I always give my SS# for Drs appointments, radiology exams, surgeies and inpatient hospital information. My parents have never told me not to put it.

Personally, i think that is a crazy reason not to see a doctor...JMHO

I don't have an issue with it either- thye ask I give it-not an issue to me.

 

[2Kds2K9]

I refuse to give and and here is one of the main reasons why.

A few weeks ago, DH had an eye dr appt. While checking out, there was another patients file laying on top of the counter where he was paying. He could read ALL of the information on the file. He saw the person's name, date of birth, address and Social Security Number. Now, had my DH been an immoral person, he could have memorized this info and taken on a whole new identity. Luckily, he is a very decent man. Ironically, the receptionist grabbed the file, looked at it and realized it was not my DH's file and put it right back in front of him. Bottom line, she was not doing ANYTHING to protect that information.

Many of our doctors are now asking for your drivers license as proof of identity. They make a copy for the files. That should be sufficient in tracking a person down for payment.

I've always been told to guard your ssn with your life.

 

[mhsjax]

What are you guys going to do when you get Medicare? YOu may have a problem. They use SS#

 

[Abbie]

One of the reasons they may ask is for coordination of services. If you have a primary and a secondary insurance, each insurance company needs your social to coordinate benefits. The id number on your primary card means nothing to the provider of your secondary insurance and vice versa.

Most insurance companies have stopped using socials as id numbers (still see it sometimes) but of course Medicare is only social security numbers so when you hit that age, if you want benefits, you will have to give it!

The PT office was within their rights not to treat you without it just as you are within your rights to refuse to go there. If you live somewhere similar to me there are a TON of other PT offices to choose from and they are VERY competitive for business so hopefully you will not have any trouble finding another place.

 

[momof1princess]

i don't have a problem giving my SS# IF i'm familiar with the doctor's office and its procedures. for example, if my ob/gyn, whom i've been a patient of for 15 years, asked for my SS#, i would give it to his office. now, if it were one of these doc-in-a-box places i stopped in for something minor (to me, anyway) like a sinus infection-no way, no how.

 

[HelenePA]

What are you guys going to do when you get Medicare? YOu may have a problem. They use SS#

that is totally different.. my ped doesn't need my kids ss# for anything. They do not need it for billing the kids are not responsible if the insurance doesn't pay.. WE the parents are.. I will give them mine if they ask but I leave the kids blank or I will write in mine. They have no need for it. It would be so easy to steal kids ss#'s and get away with it for YEARS before its discovered when they are 18 and just starting out in life..

 

[mhsjax]

that is totally different.. my ped doesn't need my kids ss# for anything. They do not need it for billing the kids are not responsible if the insurance doesn't pay.. WE the parents are.. I will give them mine if they ask but I leave the kids blank or I will write in mine. They have no need for it. It would be so easy to steal kids ss#'s and get away with it for YEARS before its discovered when they are 18 and just starting out in life..

I was talking about SS3 in general, so many people here say they wouldn't give their SS#. Not pediatricians in particular.

And really I am kind of insulted, I worked in Dr office for years, all Kinds we saw kids all the way up to the elderly. Why do you think that the employees are out to "steal" your kids SS#. If you want to leave it blank that is fine, but I give mine out just in case there is ever a mix up with names, I want something used to identify my child. Your child, your choice, just expressing my opinion.

 

[teacherforhi]

Why is the SSN the only way to identify people with the same name? I've always been asked for my birthdate in the event there was someone else with the same name. I also have to think, if that person even had the same birthdate, there would be some way to tell the two of us apart.

As far as Medicare is concerned, it's administered by the government, so I'd expect my SSN to be used there. Not much I can do about that. However, since my current insurance number is a series of numbers and letters, that's all the doctor's office needs to know.

 

[mhsjax]

Why is the SSN the only way to identify people with the same name? I've always been asked for my birthdate in the event there was someone else with the same name. I also have to think, if that person even had the same birthdate, there would be some way to tell the two of us apart.

As far as Medicare is concerned, it's administered by the government, so I'd expect my SSN to be used there. Not much I can do about that. However, since my current insurance number is a series of numbers and letters, that's all the doctor's office needs to know.

Yes it is administered by the Gov't, but people here are arguing that they would never give their SS# to the Dr. So when those people get Medicare they are going to have to give up that control. That is all I am saying. When you get Medicare you will have to give your SS# to any and all Dr's and hospitals PT and anyone else that files your insurance. And if that is ok, then why can't people trust those Dr's now, What makes Medicare so different? It all boils down to trust, if you can't trust your Dr's office with a number, then how can you trust them with your health care.

 

[npmommie]

I was talking about SS3 in general, so many people here say they wouldn't give their SS#. Not pediatricians in particular.

And really I am kind of insulted, I worked in Dr office for years, all Kinds we saw kids all the way up to the elderly. Why do you think that the employees are out to "steal" your kids SS#. If you want to leave it blank that is fine, but I give mine out just in case there is ever a mix up with names, I want something used to identify my child. Your child, your choice, just expressing my opinion.

I don't think its the employees, there are all kinds of breach of security all the time.

and look at the example someone just gave about the file being out in full view. that is a perfect example of a hipaa violation and that practice could be fined. they are not protecting personal information of patients.

 

[gaelic grace]

I don't blame you for not wanting to give it out but I don't blame them for not wanting to treat you. You could have paid up front and then be reimbursed or you could have waited for an appointment once the insurance company certified it or go to a different clinic which is what it sounds like you are doing. You each have rights and you are each exercising them. It's another case of others bad behavior by not paying their bills infringes on your credibility.

 

[teacherforhi]

Yes it is administered by the Gov't, but people here are arguing that they would never give their SS# to the Dr. So when those people get Medicare they are going to have to give up that control. That is all I am saying. When you get Medicare you will have to give your SS# to any and all Dr's and hospitals PT and anyone else that files your insurance. And if that is ok, then why can't people trust those Dr's now, What makes Medicare so different? It all boils down to trust, if you can't trust your Dr's office with a number, then how can you trust them with your health care.

There are bad people in all walks of life. Why leave my SSN out there just in case? Look at the example upthread. There's a perfectly valid reason. It has nothing to do with the healthcare her husband received, just the way the information was handled.

 

[mhsjax]

I don't think its the employees, there are all kinds of breach of security all the time.

and look at the example someone just gave about the file being out in full view. that is a perfect example of a hipaa violation and that practice could be fined. they are not protecting personal information of patients.

Exactly, I was going to write something like that, There are all sorts of violations, I would much rather have my ss# number out there, than my personal medical records. I think you find a lot more nosy people in a Dr's office than ones that would steal SS#'s

I just don't understand the big deal about giving your Dr your SS# that's all, like I said in all my years of giving my ss# to all of me Dr's and hospitals, I have never been ripped off, but was depleted of $4000.00 by using an ATM with a camera in it to copy information.

 

[mhsjax]

There are bad people in all walks of life. Why leave my SSN out there just in case? Look at the example upthread. There's a perfectly valid reason. It has nothing to do with the healthcare her husband received, just the way the information was handled.

I give up, that golden ss# should be kept from everyone, all those Dr's that leave files out all of the time, and all of those dishonest people in those offices. Be prepared to pay lots of money once you reach 65 or else get over this obsession about not giving out that golden number. And I don't mean you personally but all the people here that seem to have such a huge problem with it.

 

[teacherforhi]

I give up, that golden ss# should be kept from everyone, all those Dr's that leave files out all of the time, and all of those dishonest people in those offices. Be prepared to pay lots of money once you reach 65 or else get over this obsession about not giving out that golden number. And I don't mean you personally but all the people here that seem to have such a huge problem with it.

It's not an obsession. It's a need-to-know kind of thing. I'm 33 years old, so at this point in time, my doctor does not NEED to know my SSN. If Medicare even exists when I reach my 60's, I guess then my doctor WILL need to know. Or, since I'm a fully vested state employee, I can continue to use the insurance I have now, if it still exists when I'm in my 60's.

 

[disfan07]

okay...so what about putting it on college applications. You have no idea who really has access to that information. I dont see giving your SS# to the doctors as being any different

 

[Planogirl]

Not providing a social security number is one reason why so many collection accounts end up on the wrong credit reports. I always give mine but then my insurance is listed under my SSN.

 

[olena]

No way. We leave that info blank and still get treated by doctors. If they insisted, I'd be VERY tempted to make one up.