The American Medical Association (AMA), American Osteopathic Association and the Medical Society of the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for defining physicians as "creditors" under its Red Flags Rule, HealthLeaders Media reports. Beginning June 1, the Red Flags Rule will require the verification of patient identities before providing treatment. The physician groups contend that the requirement to set up identity theft prevention and detection programs is unnecessary because they are already bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. They argue that the FTC acted beyond its authority because physicians are not creditors and patients are neither accountholders nor customers under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, the report states.
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