Veterinarians exempt from Red Flags Rules

December 29, 2010 — 

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) lauds Capitol Hill for passing legislation exempting veterinarians from the Red Flags Rules.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation on Dec. 7. The Senate, led by Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), passed these revisions unanimously on Nov. 30. The bill exempts veterinarians and other health care professionals from having to participate in the burdensome Red Flags Regulation. The President will have the bill to sign before the end of the year; the enforcement date for the Red Flags Regulations is December 31, 2010.

"We're extremely grateful that Capitol Hill understands that these costly regulations are inappropriate for small healthcare professionals like veterinarians," says Dr. Larry Kornegay, president of the AVMA. "This bill will exempt veterinary practices from the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Red Flags Regulation, which would force them to develop and implement an identity theft program, which would have been costly and unnecessary."

The AVMA, within a coalition of 28 sister organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Academy of General Dentistry, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, lobbied to stop implementation of the Red Flags Rules for smaller health care professionals.

For more information, please visit www.avma.org. For a summary of AVMA's advocacy surrounding this issue visit http://www.avma.org/issues/FTC_red_flags_rule.asp