Officials fighting ID theft at Libertyville nursing home

Lake County officials are taking steps to further protect the identities of residents and employees at the Winchester House nursing home in Libertyville.

The procedures are part of a national program designed to fight identity theft. The effort mandates "red flag rules" for hospitals, automobile dealers, government agencies and other professionals or companies that bill customers for services rendered.

"It's an overall trend to guarantee you keep your records secure," Winchester House Administrator Anne Wagner said.

The Federal Trade Commission, federal bank regulatory agencies and other organizations are heading the program, which was created by a 2003 law. Qualifying organizations must have rules in place by Aug. 1.

As many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year, FTC spokesman Frank Dorman said. Thieves can drain bank accounts, damage victims' credit and even endanger their medical treatment, he said.

"By identifying red flags in advance, businesses and organizations will be better equipped to spot suspicious patterns when they arise and take steps to prevent a red flag from escalating into a costly episode of identity theft, Dorman said."

Under the rules, securing medical information, Social Security numbers and personnel records will be a top priority for medical facilities such as Winchester House.

Facilities can protect such information by not using Social Security numbers for employee identification or by not identifying patients with Medicare numbers, Wagner said.

Winchester House officials already have adopted some of the requirements, Wagner said.

"For us it's a relatively easy transition," she said.

The county board's health and community services committee will discuss the proposal at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the county government center, 18 N. County St., Waukegan. The county's finance committee is set to review the plan at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The full board could adopt the rules on Tuesday, July 14.