Veterinarians are not exempt from a new federal rule to prevent identity theft. The Red Flags Rule, which the Federal Trade Commission will begin enforcing May 1, requires creditors to develop programs to prevent, detect, and mitigate identity theft.
The FTC proposed the Red Flags Rule in late 2007, and it took effect in 2008. The commission delayed enforcement until this year because many organizations did not consider themselves to be creditors—not in the same sense as financial institutions, which also fall under the rule. Nevertheless, the rule applies to most organizations that make arrangements to defer payment of debts, including almost all health care providers. Health care providers are creditors under the rule, for example, if they bill clients after completing medical services.
The FTC has offered guidelines for creating identity theft prevention programs that satisfy the requirements of the Red Flags Rule
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