Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

PHYSICIAN NOTES:

FTC Offers Last-Minute Reprieve on Red Flags Rule Until June 1, 2010

Plus: CMS clarifies how you should bill procedures that are subject to genderspecific edits.

Right on the heels of last week's news that Nov. 1 was the drop-dead date for the FTC's Red Flags Rule, the agency decided to offer a lastminute extension, now making June 1, 2010 the date by which your Red Flags program must be in place. "At the request of Members of Congress, the Federal Trade Commission is delaying enforcement of the 'Red Flags' Rule until June 1, 2010, for financial institutions and creditors subject to enforcement by the FTC," an Oct. 30 FTC press release announced.

This means that you'll have an additional seven months to institute your plan.

Get your program in place:

For tips on how to get your own Red Flags program in gear, check  out the Vol. 10, No. 11 issue of the Insider. For more on the Red Flags Rule extension, visit www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/redflags.shtm.