Protect your health information: Verify before you respond
FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — An unexpected text about a prescription or an email warning that health benefits will expire may prompt patients to act quickly. Before responding, beneficiaries should verify the request through a trusted source.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a reminder that safeguarding personal and health information is part of managing your health care.
“If a call, text or email seems suspicious, contact your military treatment facility using a phone number you already trust or one listed on its official website,” said Nicholas Tuccillo, Munson Army Health Center information system security officer. “Don’t rely on the contact information provided in the suspicious message.”
Scammers may impersonate health care organizations to obtain passwords, personal information or financial details. Warning signs include unexpected requests for sensitive information, threats of losing coverage or pressure to act immediately.
TRICARE advises beneficiaries to verify suspicious messages by contacting their contractor through a phone number or website they know is legitimate. Patients should take the same approach with messages that appear to come from their military treatment facility.
Open the organization’s official website independently, use a saved bookmark or call a number from trusted appointment paperwork. Avoid clicking links, opening attachments or sharing sensitive information until the request is verified.
“Patients receive legitimate communications about their care, and we want them to stay connected,” Tuccillo said. “Taking a moment to confirm an unexpected request can help protect your information without interrupting your care.”
The recent transition from DS Logon to myAuth also supports secure access to online health services, including the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal. According to the Defense Health Agency, myAuth offers enhanced security features to help protect against unauthorized access, including multifactor authentication, which requires an additional verification step beyond a password.
Beneficiaries who need help with myAuth can contact the Defense Manpower Data Center at 800-368-3665. Other steps to strengthen digital security include using strong, unique passwords and keeping devices and applications updated. Never share passwords or one-time security codes.
Patients should also keep medical details, identification numbers and images of health documents out of social media comments and direct messages. Use approved patient communication channels for questions about individual care.
Anyone who suspects they entered a password on a fraudulent website should promptly change it through the legitimate website or app and contact the service’s official support team. Suspected TRICARE fraud can be reported at tricare.mil/ReportFraud.
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