Physicians interested in previewing their Physician Payments Sunshine Act reports will need to have their identities verified before they can register to access those reports. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has contracted with Experian to perform this identity proofing. It is considered a "soft credit inquiry" and should not be visible on your credit report to anyone other than you and Experian. It will not affect your credit score. The information will not be stored by CMS; the inquiry is conducted entirely between the registrant and Experian.

Identity proofing involves the use of questions that ask for private data and contain information pulled from your credit report. These questions are referred to as "Out of Wallet," or OOW.

Tips for Identity Proofing:

• Be prepared to answer the questions yourself. The OOW questions ask for sensitive personal information that your administrative staff will not be able to answer.
• Have copies of your personal and financial information available to assist in answering the OOW questions.
• Obtain a copy of your credit report. While the information is from your personal history, the information contained within your credit report may be incorrect. Reviewing it can ensure your ability to answer the questions properly.
• Contact Experian Proofing Support Services for assistance with identity proofing at (866) 578-5409.
• You must use your formal legal name, not a nickname or shortened version of your name.

Keywords: Physicians, Confidentiality, Medicaid, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S., Medicare

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