Technological transformations are bringing changes in the ways healthcare assistance was provided before. Medicare providers are bringing in more efforts to provide and tailor services to patients’ demands to provide more convenience. While enhancing their services, the healthcare sector is also facing an increase in fraud attempts. Criminals commit prescription scams, false insurance claims, and identity theft to take advantage of medicare facilities.
Criminals use document fraud to appear as imposters and illegitimately apply for telehealth benefits. While on one side it facilitates fraudsters, these illicit activities compromise the security and health of actual patients. This requires the telehealth service providers to integrate robust IDV services. The blog sheds light on how digital document verification solutions help combat rapidly increasing fraud risks in this sector.
Telehealth Industry and its Growth – A Detailed Overview
In order to mitigate consequences patients might face due to repetitive physical visits, taking efficient measures has become a liability. Therefore, to prevent life-threatening consequences, global medicare providers built a consensus on replacing physical assistance with telehealth services. These involve virtual check-ups, online drug purchases, and easy access to confidential records.
Telehealth providers are making access to medical assistance easier for global patients. They can simply register by providing their personal information and undergoing document authentication. However, this makes onboarding for fraudsters equally easier. By using counterfeit identity proofs, imposters can easily avail medical benefits while depriving legitimate entities of their rights. Hence, to ensure secure onboarding and facilitate the deserving patient, digital document verification is a must-have.
Due to its convenient measure and easy-to-avail services, the telehealth sector is experiencing tremendous growth. Similarly, as documents are the ultimate source of identity proof, integrating machine learning-powered solutions for their authentication further paves the way to more success. On the contrary, the increase in identity fraud is triggering regulatory bodies to take telehealth providers under strict monitoring. Therefore, the European Council and EU Parliament introduced the EU4 Health program.
According to the guidelines, the EU4 Health standard was put forth to support telehealth providers in integrating digital document verification and validating patients’ identities. With purposes such as proposing effective measures to curb fraud risks, providing easy access to medical records, and secure sharing of confidential information, this standard enables telehealth service providers to uphold their integrity. Document verification services provide accurate authentication of case histories, payment invoices, and e-prescriptions.
Digital document verification enables telehealth service providers to entertain global patients without compromising their security. Saudi Arabia is incorporating this technology to assist individuals in remote areas. This also adds to the benefits of digital document verification.
Online Document Verification – Solutions for a Variety of Crimes
As most people perceive, telehealth is not just a digital transformation of medical services it provides several other potencies such as cost-effective treatments, touchless drug purchase, and enhanced patient experience. Document verification solutions are streamlining access of individuals to their payment details, health records, treatment histories, and others. However, fraudsters are making their way into the telehealth industry by employing several techniques which count as an increase in medical fraud.
With the lack of inefficient regulations and fraud countermeasures, telehealth service providers are experiencing an upsurging increase in fraud risks. From availing false insurance claims and purchasing drugs under someone else’s name to camouflaging virtual visits. This requires telehealth service providers to bring in more efficient digital document verification solutions. While using bogus techniques to conceal their true identities, criminals steer clear of identification processes.
High fraud risks not only expose telehealth service providers to legal repercussions but also compromise patients’ privacy. With illegitimate access to medical records, fraudsters reap enormous benefits under actual individuals’ names. The section outlines more types of crimes that require document attestation.
Bribing the Health Professionals
One of the most common and prevailing types of crimes telehealth experiences is bribery. Fraudsters use this tactic to force medical professionals for manipulating digital document verification. For instance, a Florida-based businesswoman used fake companies to avail $400 million worth of false claims. Therefore, telehealth service providers need to integrate digital document verification.
Publicly Funded Systems Exploitation
Inadequate checks in the telehealth sector are helping criminals exploit publicly funded systems. With the integration of online document verification, medicare service providers are facing an increase in identity fraud. Imposters emerge as legitimate individuals to avail of public funding. However, digital document verification solutions can prevent this from happening
Endnotes
Telehealth service providers are in a tiresome struggle to prevent fraud and upgrade the secure patient experience. Lax regulatory checks, inadequate identity document verification, and other such loopholes are creating room for fraudsters. Therefore, to combat false medical claims, telehealth service providers need to integrate more efficient identity checks. With AI-powered digital document verification solutions in place, they can accurately validate patients while securing their global virtual operations.
