Have you ever noticed how soothing the sound of waves washing up on the beach can be? But, when the wind is high that soothing sound becomes a menacing and snarling sound. Physicians and hospital administrators have – pretty much – found HIPAA compliance to be like soothing waves lapping at the shore. They’ve had years to adjust and little, if any, punitive actions taken by regulators if HIPAA is breached.Many experts are warning that HIPAA violations will soon be taken more seriously and violations will become more costly. The HIPAA violations that revealed Hollywood celebrities’ health issues may have been just the spotlight regulators and legislators needed to move forward.To revisit the beach, the first wave, HIPAA, established privacy and security requirements for medical information. Now, another wave is coming in, the “Red Flags Rules,” that require many businesses – including most healthcare providers – to implement a program to detect, prevent and mitigate instances of identity theft. The rules go into effect May 1, 2009.The “Red Flags Rules” apply to creditors. However, the Federal law defines a creditor as any entity that regularly extends, renews or continues credit; any entity that regularly arranges for the extension, renewal or continuation of credit; or any assignee of an original creditor who is involved in the decision to extend, renew or continue credit. As such, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has stated that most healthcare providers including physicians are required to comply with the rules. And, the FTC has noted that medical identity theft can have serious – even deadly – consequences.I don’t know about you but, I’m going to ride on top of these compliance waves by using the most robust privacy and security system using our SHAPE Card™ with biometric authentication right on the card. And, since our SHAPE solutions are easy-to-install, affordable and easy-to-use, they make compliance a “day at the beach.”I invite you to learn more about the SHAPE Card and how our SHAPE™ System (Secure Health And Privacy Environment) can address your HIPAA and “Red Flags Rules” compliance needs. SHAPE, the difference between a “day at the beach” and a wave that engulfs you and your practice!SHAPE – Secure information at the tip of your finger.