Identity Theft Victim (Eric Drew) & HIPAA Privacy and Security Expert (Ira Victor)

Do No Harm: The Duty to Avoid Unintentional Injuries to Patient Identity

When the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996, it was hard to predict or personalize the impact that would be felt by health care providers and their patients. Ten years later, the impact is vast and compliance, rather than implementation, is the emphasis today. And the timing is perfect: identity theft is one of the fastest rising crimes in the U.S., and the onus is on the healthcare industry to protect its patients. In a not-to-miss presentation, Eric Drew, the first and best-known individual to prosecute under HIPAA laws, and Ira Victor, HIPAA expert, bring their compelling stories, their expertise and their proven strategies to keep healthcare providers covered and clear of culpability in the fight against identity theft.

About Eric Drew: The first person to prosecute an identity theft criminal to the full-extent of HIPAA laws, Drew has an unbelievable story: while undergoing treatment for a rare form of leukemia, his identity was stolen by a hospital worker, who then ran up thousands of dollars in purchases in Drew’s name. Rising from his deathbed, Drew hunted down the culprit, and brought him to justice, and his story made nationwide headlines, from Dateline NBC, to The Montel Williams Show, and The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch, among others. For every Eric Drew, however, there are thousands of cases of victimization that are perpetrated annually in healthcare settings. This exposes not just the patients, but the facilities as well, to time-consuming, expensive endeavors in rectifying such situations.

About Ira Victor: An Information Security Auditor and Compliance Specialist, Victor has seen many of the best and worst practices that health care organizations have used to protect patient information. He has identified important areas that health care organizations frequently ignore, having observed the field since the phase-in of the HIPAA privacy and security mandates. Victor has developed protections that are simple and effective when they are folded into daily procedures. He is a pioneer in software that secured financial transactions between businesses, and is co-developer of patent-protected email security systems. In the mid-90's Victor led the team which developed early eCommerce/Internet solutions for Macy's, Tandem Computer, 24 Hour Fitness, Waterford Crystal, KitchenAid, UPN Television, and many other firms. He is a Board Member of Sierra-Nevada InfraGard, an FBI-sponsored cyber-security organization and co-chairman of the Silicon Valley based SDForum Internet Security Special Interest Group. Victor makes frequent media appearances, and is a sought-after expert on privacy and security.