The Importance of a Picture ID

Why is it important that we have a client’s photo ID in the chart? The simple answer is that we need to make sure we are treating the person they say they are. You may think, why would someone pose as someone else?

There are a couple of reasons that we do see on occasion at BPW. Unfortunately, with insurance being so expensive and many people having deductibles and copays that make using their insurance difficult, people may use someone else’s insurance to access services more affordably. When insurance is used for services, this is a form of fraud and illegal. Another reason is to access controlled substances.

Take a scenario where someone is receiving stimulants for ADHD. Someone else could make an appointment claiming to be them, and if the prescriber does not remember what the client looked like during the last session, understandably with a huge caseload with some clients only seen every 3 months, then someone could pose as the client to get a prescription.

Another reason is for the release of records and information. We often need to make sure that the person receiving records is who they say they are, and in a custody situation, the person claiming to have a right to information is the person named in custody documents. It is, therefore, so important at intake that we verify the client’s identity.

If you don’t remember what the client looks like in time, you check their ID before providing services, and we verify one’s identity when in doubt when releasing information to clients or third parties.