This is a major concern — talk to your hospital and clinic about their best practices to help keep your identity private.

Brandon Sharp, a 37-year-old manager at an oil and gas company in Houston, has never had any real health problems and, luckily, he has never stepped foot in an emergency room. So imagine his surprise a few years ago when he learned he owed thousands of dollars worth of emergency-service medical bills. Mr. Sharp, as it turned out, was a victim of a fast-growing crime known as medical identity theft. – from NYTimes