- Social Security numbers have been exposed in a public database
- The database was used to complete a Medicare directory.
- The directory was launched by CMS as part of the Trump administration’s plans to modernize Medicare.
A directory created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has exposed the Social Security numbers of several US healthcare providers.
The Trump administration introduced a new Medicare portal as part of plans to modernize America’s health technology.
However, a database that was part of the directory was left accessible to the public and exposed provider names and Social Security numbers.
Article continues below.
Private data exposed
The directory, which included the database, was created to help seniors in need of care find which doctors and medical providers were compatible with their health care insurers.
The database, downloaded and examined by the Washington Postwas publicly accessible as part of CMS’s efforts to adhere to data transparency efforts.
Unbeknownst to CMS, the database contained some of the providers’ Social Security numbers, which CMS said were entered into the database in error. CMS explained that the error “is due to incorrect entries of information provided by the provider or the provider’s representative in the wrong places.”
“The agency has taken steps to quickly address it and strengthen safeguards around data submission and validation,” CMS added.
CMS did not explain how many Social Security numbers were exposed, or information about whether providers had been informed about the exposure. The database was deleted after the Post notified health officials.
Speaking to the Post, an anonymous doctor said: “I don’t even know how [Medicare officials] I would get my Social Security number.”
The modernization of America’s Medicare under the Trump Administration has faced a number of previous mistakes, including mismatched or duplicate insurance coverage, drawing criticism from some Democrats.
Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) wrote a letter to CMS in November, stating: “We are concerned that this rushed implementation misleads millions of seniors when comparing plans, and could cause seniors and people with disabilities to incur medical bills they reasonably believed would be covered.”
For healthcare providers who believe their Social Security number may have been exposed, Microsoft recommends taking the following steps:
- Place a temporary fraud alert on your credit to alert the credit bureaus to suspicious activity.
- Download an updated copy of your credit report
- Escalate any unrecognized accounts to the Federal Trade Commission
- File a police report so that there is an official record of the identity theft.
- File a report with the Internet Crime Reporting Center
- Notify the Internal Revenue Service
The best identity theft protection for every budget
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