Many medical practices are converting to electronic health records. And with the grants offered in the stimulus bill the number is only going to increase. One factor many practices fail to take into account is the security of the documents during the conversion process.

Ed Goodman, of Identity Theft 911, is predicting “There will be lots of lower-paid individuals and there are not always background checks being done. It’s pretty easy to abscond with Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or other identifiers.” He suggest making sure you are dealing with a reputable scanning service when you convert your medical records.

Many people worry about the security of their documents if they send them off to India for document imaging. And there is reason to be concerned. In an undercover operation, British officials have purchased hundreds of medical records from two Indian men. The records were sent to India for processing.

When you pick a document scanning service make sure they follow HIPAA guidelines and maintain a chain of custody for every record. If the records are going oversees then it makes it impossible to visit their operation and verify the security they claim.