The technological revolution has transformed the telehealth industry along with other corporations but it has also attracted fraudsters to commit identity theft. The market size for telehealth will reach around $186.5 billion by 2026. The pandemic era has taught businesses various lessons regarding the use of innovative solutions to ensure fraud prevention. This led experts to verify certificate online to restrict the spread of viruses. The cutting-edge solution also facilitates compliance with WHO SOPs.
Telehealth Services: A Quick Overview
In Telehealth solutions, patients and medical professionals do not need to be physically present. Instead, technology facilitates communication, just like Skype & FaceTime. During the consultation session, a patient and a medical expert interact through a smart device or a computer screen.
Telehealth, otherwise known as telemedicine, has supported healthcare service operators to connect with patients remotely and continue to provide medical care as needed. The availability of telehealth services has bridged the gap between patients and medical experts, paving the way for effective fraud prevention and verify certificate online. The following statistics shed light on important telehealth trends:
- Around 50% increase happened in several telehealth visits in the initial months of 2020
- Telehealth for individuals aged 18-49 rose from 68% to 73% by 2020
Gaining Insight into Telehealth Fraud Cases
Telemedicine scams, such as data breaches have serious financial repercussions that go beyond $7.3 million. What makes it problematic is the fact that the figure is much higher than the global cost for data privacy violations.
The main objective behind exploitation of the sector by cybercriminals is that medical documentation has sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII). The patient’s identity credentials are age, address, ID card number, and many more. If fraudsters get their hand on critical data, it can easily result in identity theft cases, account hacking, and prescription errors. The rising number of investors interested in telehealth platforms has also attracted criminals, giving them opportunities to exploit the health system. Unfortunately, criminals can use stolen data to hack accounts and receive medical insurance, prescription-only drugs, and free medical treatments. Consequently, the verify certificate online approach will be highly advantageous.
Using KYP Solutions to Mitigate Fraud
The state of the telehealth service sector is not downhill. Thankfully, there is an innovative digital solution that can discourage telehealth scams; they are Know Your Patient (KYP) services which can also verify certificate online.
In outdated setups, patients must bring official ID documentation to go through an identity verification process before receiving medical treatments. Likewise, patient ID authentication has become mandatory in a digital setup. This is essential because around $175 million of medical records got leaked in the past few years. Using robust telehealth solutions can considerably mitigate telehealth fraud by implementing KYP services that also verify certificate online.
Performing Patient ID Authentication Process
The KYP services initiate during the first stage of account opening procedure. In this phase, the patient submits government-issued records such as ID cards and passports along with the latest selfie. The patient identity validation software perpetually extracts patient data with the help of OCR technology. Using artificial intelligence and ML algorithms, the ID validation solution correctly verifies the data and photos, producing high-quality results in real time. After this, the patient can conveniently receive medical treatment from a professional that can verify certificate online.
Telemedicine operators also validate patients’ ages during the onboarding process so that minors can be restricted from accessing the platform. Such types of security checks also facilitate the telemedicine sector in mitigating fraud, sticking with regulatory obligations, and ensuring better patient experiences.
Going Beyond Legislations
For the USA-based telemedicine system, The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is a standard legislation that operators must abide by. This act, which aims to discourage healthcare fraud, must be implemented quickly with patient ID verification services. By making identity authentication a basic requirement for telehealth platforms, healthcare operators can be held responsible for non-compliance, while patients are accountable for telehealth fraud cases.
The support of such software by third-party vendors results in improved medical care to verify certificates online. This approach also facilitates the growth of an industry that can survive crises and rise above the challenge.
Final Remarks
Patients fully accommodating to the digital era of COVID-19 meant widespread use of telehealth services even in the post-pandemic world. The combination of telemedicine and ID verification solutions creates a practical approach that ensures data security. The application of advanced methods can be challenging but they can ensure a seamless patient experience. From a bigger perspective, this approach will not only protect patient data but also help telehealth vendors ensure compliance with HIPAA standards and verify certificate online.