The implementation date for the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Red Flag Rules has been changed to August 1, 2009. The FTC continues to assert that physicians who regularly bill their patients (including co-payments and coinsurance) are considered creditors and must develop and implement written identity theft prevention and detection programs for their practices.

The American Medical Association (AMA) continues to disagree with the FTC’s broad interpretation of the term “creditor” and continues efforts to delay the already delayed compliance deadline and to get the FTC to re-publish the Rules allowing medicine to have the opportunity to explain why this Rule is not applicable to physicians.

In the interim, the AMA has developed guidance material to help physicians comply with the Red Flags Rule, which can be accessed on the AMA website at:

www.ama-assn.org/ama/no-index/physician-resources/red-flags-rule.shtml

The Adobe pdf file information is available to all. The Word version of the compliance plan is for AMA members only.

Go Back