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Leslie Witkin Physicians First Leslie Witkin, Physicians First, Inc.

     The road to becoming a physician is a long and arduous process; but when it is over, physicians look forward to finally establishing or becoming a part of a medical business and taking care of their patients.

     What they don't expect is the burden of a healthcare environment where coding, compliance, regulation, and payer issues seems to occupy an ever increasing amount of their time. The ability to determine if the business is financially successful seems to be an elusive prospect.

     It doesn't have to be that way. With the right planning, resources, and education for both physician and administrative personnel, a medical business can be financially successful and efficient…..BUT most of all, the business can allow the physician to be a physician first….the way it should be.

     Physicians First, Inc. has been providing the professional services necessary to the success of medical businesses for over fifteen years both in Florida and nationally. The results are more than documented in the references from those who have chosen the company to provide immediate as well as long term solutions to the management of their organization.

     Lasting relationships are created with clients through a commitment to quality service.

 

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..the way it should be

FYI - For Your Information

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May 26, 2009

Article: FTC Requirement for Red Flag Rules for Identity Theft Protection Compliance Date Now Moved to 8/1/09
The federal trade commission originally published the Red Flag rules in the federal register 11/9/07. Click here for link to rules
Much disagreement has occurred as to whether physician practices are considered “creditors” under the rule and are required to comply. Unfortunately, the consistent answer from the FTC has been “yes”. As the FTC has stated: “When a physician submits a claim to an insurance carrier first and then bills any remaining unpaid amounts to the patient – whether he/she does so as a courtesy to the patient or because he/she is required to do so as a matter of contractual or state law – the physician is deferring the consumer’s payment of his or her share of the claim (i.e., the physician is billing the patient after having provided the patient with medical services).”
Your practice will be required to develop an identity theft prevention program that contains "reasonable policies and procedures" to achieve the following goals:
     1. Identify relevant indicators of a possible risk of identity theft (“Red Flags”)
     2. Detect Red Flags
     3. Prevent and mitigate identity theft
     4. Train employees on detecting the Red Flags
     5. Update the identity theft prevention program on an annual basis
Even with your HIPAA Privacy compliance plans in place, Identity Theft rises to some different areas for compliance with the new Federal Red Flag Rules.
The FTC website has a great deal of information you may find helpful including a step by step process for completing your plan: Click Here for the FTC website for Red Flag Information and Compliance Plan Tool.
The AMA has also posted helpful information and resources to their website: Click here for the AMA Resource site