Moda Health Protects Members from Medical ID Fraud with MIDAS from ID Experts

Mobile alert system empowers members to protect themselves and help prevent America’s fastest-growing crime

PORTLAND, Ore. – Dec. 9, 2014 – Moda Health individual insurance plan members now can have built-in protection against medical ID fraud, America’s fastest-growing crime, through the MIDAS alert and resolution system powered by ID Experts.

Healthcare data breaches have now affected about 40 million individuals, according to HIPAA statistics collected by the Department of Health and Human Services. Use of stolen medical identities to commit medical identity fraud can corrupt the information in a patient’s file, leading to future misdiagnoses, prescription confusion or inappropriate treatment decisions.

“Medical ID fraud is both an invasion of privacy and a threat to an individual’s health and wellbeing,” said Jonathan Nicholas, vice president of marketing at Moda. “MIDAS empowers Moda’s individual plan members to spot false claims early.”

Moda members who sign up for MIDAS will receive text or email alerts any time a new claim is made against their identity. Members can approve the claim or flag it if they don’t recognize it. If fraud has occurred, ID Experts will resolve the issue and work to return the member to pre-theft status. Moda employees participated in a pilot test of the MIDAS system at an earlier phase of its development.

“Medical identity theft presents consumer safety challenges unlike any other form of data breach,” said Bob Gregg, CEO of ID Experts. “Moda has pushed strongly into the individual insurance market with the idea that members should expect more from their insurers. MIDAS is helping Moda protect its members and deliver on that promise.”

As the individual insurance market expands, more consumers than ever are paying out of pocket for their coverage. Keeping down costs by reducing fraud and improving the quality of care has become an important pocketbook issue and an area of shared responsibility. At present, 56 percent of patients do not check their health records and explanations of benefits statements for accuracy, according to a Ponemon Institute study.

Gartner, Inc. selected ID Experts and its MIDAS offering as a Cool Vendor for Healthcare Payers in 2014. Jeff Cribbs, Gartner principle research analyst and author of the report, praised MIDAS by saying it “represents a low-cost, high-consumer-engagement tool that can not only help foster good relationships with members, but also save money by stopping payments for claims and services that are not valid.”

Moda members can sign up for MIDAS through the myModa portal at modahealth.com.

About Moda Health
Moda Health is a multifaceted organization that provides medical, dental, pharmacy, vision, and professional liability insurance products, along with a variety of business services including benefits administration. Moda Health is headquartered in Portland, and its service area encompasses Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Visit: http://www.modahealth.com.

About ID Experts
ID Experts provides software and services for managing the disclosure and breaches of regulated data. The Medical Identity Alert System – MIDAS – is the first and only member-focused healthcare fraud solution that engages health plan members to monitor their healthcare transactions and take control of their medical identities. Exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association, ID Experts is an advocate for privacy and a leading contributor to legislation and industry organizations that focus on the protection of PHI and PII. On the web: http://www.idexpertscorp.com/midas-software.

# # #