The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced its decision to delay implementation of new identity theft protection rules until August 1, 2009.

The identity theft protection rules – commonly known as the “red flags rules” – are a set of regulations that were authorized under the 2003 Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, which requires the establishment of identity theft policies for individuals and businesses who provide credit.

The FTC has stated that the deferring of payment for medical services means physicians meet the definition and must meet these regulations.

The regulations state that physicians (and, subsequently, their practices) must work to identify identity theft warning signs (the “red flags”), establish policies to address any warning signs, and provide adequate staff training on the policies.

The American Medical Association and other medical organizations are currently appealing the FTC’s decision to include physicians in the regulation.

More information can be found at the following link:
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/05/18/gvsa0518.htm

DocuTAP customers who have additional questions may contact Medical Director Michael Pekas, MD, by calling (605) 275-8069.