Health Information Management

Small healthcare entities need Red Flags the most

HIPAA Weekly Advisor, November 2, 2009

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to HIPAA Weekly Advisor!

Small healthcare entities are more likely to have patients who are victims of identity theft. So why exclude them from complying with a mandatory identity theft prevention program?

Randy Berry, B.A., C.P.A., financial leader and Red Flags Rule compliance expert with Columbus Healthcare & Safety Consultants in Columbus, OH, asks that very question.

“The biggest concern that I have is … the smaller the practice, the less internal controls they have and the more apt the smaller practices are to have identity theft," says Berry, author of the Red Flag Manual and Training CD Package. "The most critical thing is protecting patients' identity. It's not about the doctor. It's about the patients' financial identity. The lobbyists forgot that this is not about practices; it's about patients and their customer's financial information."

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill October 22 that would exempt a healthcare practice with 20 or fewer employees from the FTC's identity theft Red Flags Rule requirement. The Senate is now considering the bill.

The Red Flags Rule, which was enforced starting November 1, requires healthcare entities considered to be "creditors" to implement an identity theft prevention program.



Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to HIPAA Weekly Advisor!

    Briefings on APCs

  • Briefings on APCs

    Worried about the complexities of the new rules under OPPS and APCs? Briefings on APCs helps you understand the new rules...

  • Medical Records Briefing

    Guiding Health Information Management professionals through the continuously changing field of medical records and toward a...

  • Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies

    Submitting improper Medicare documentaion can lead to denial of fees, payback, fines, and increased diligence from payers...

  • Briefings on HIPAA

    How can you minimize the impact of HIPAA? Subscribe to Briefings on HIPAA, your health information management resource for...

  • APC Answer Letter

    Get this informative 8-page newsletter filled with answers to readers' questions!

Most Popular

Related Articles