Turn Key Solutions on LPB for Small Business

When:  March 27, 7:00PM

Where:  LPB

The LPB program “Louisiana Public Square” (http://www.lpb.org/publicsquare) topic will be “Tax Reform 2013” and will feature an interview with John Overton.   John is one of the owners of Turn Key Solutions, Chairman of the Small Business Council of BRAC, Chair-elect of the Leadership Council of the NFIB, and serves on the Small Business Advisory Council, BRAC board of directors and BRAC Executive Committee. 

From the perspective of a small business owner serving other small business across the state and a leader in several small business groups, John sees pros and cons of the Jindal administration’s tax reform package.  Turn Key Solutions’ commitment to the communities we serve is to advocate for the success of fellow small businesses—both in terms of the technology they use and the legislative environment in which businesses operate.  We encourage small business owners to run the numbers on how the package will affect them, and join us in working with our lawmakers to preserve the parts that help small business grow and modify the parts that could be impediments.

Additional airings of the LPB program featuring Turn Key Solutions will be as follows:

03/27/13, 9:00 pm LPB2
03/31/13, 12:00 pm LPB
04/09/13, 9:00 pm LPB2

Advocate for your Success

Turn Key Solutions and Turn Key Health are more than just technology companies.  We’re your advocate for success.  Our core competencies are summed up by our motto, “We make technology work for you!”  However, our commitment to our clients is also demonstrated by our dedication to affecting the legislative environment in which both we and our clients operate. 

With this legislative session getting off to a fast start, there are numerous bills that represent threats and opportunities.  A prime example of both is the Tax Reform package.  Much media ink has been devoted to speculating on what will be in the package and how it will affect various demographics.  Long before the session, the leadership team of Turn Key has been meeting with leaders in the Jindal administration and numerous small business groups to make sure the interests of our clients are protected.  As a partner and the CFO of Turn Key, I also serve as chairman of the Small Business Council (SBC) of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (www.brac.org), a member of the BRAC board’s Executive Committee, chair-elect of the Louisiana Leadership Council of the National Federation of Independent Business (www.nfib.org), and a member of the state's Small Business Advisory Council.  In these roles I work to protect the interests of small business, provide resources to small business, and build coalitions with other business groups to amplify our impact. 

There are numerous provisions of the Tax Reform package that will affect small business.  A few of the positive pieces will centralize tax collection(making it easier for businesses to collect and remit sales tax), eliminate corporate income tax, eliminate inventory tax, and eliminate franchise tax.  Those are all very small business-friendly.  However, there is also a potential down-side in the expansion of sales tax to include many of the services that we provide our clients.  Repair services are already taxable, but we believe that taxing consulting services will add an unnecessary burden on our clients. 

Turn Key has not raised our service rates in many years, despite constant increases in operating cost—especially with the rising costs of the healthcare benefit package we offer our valued employees and the increase in fuel and insurance costs.  Although we are being forced to seriously consider a moderate price increase on some services, we are also evaluating the potential increased tax burden on our clients.  And more importantly we are fighting FOR beneficial legislation and AGAINST harmful legislation.  It’s all a part of our mission to serve YOU, our valued clients and our community. 

If you have concerns about a particular piece of legislation and/or want to know how to make an impact, please contact John Overton at 225-751-4444.

HIPAA COMPLIANCE IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION

So are most things that are really worthwhile - wouldn't you agree?

I just googled "hipaa compliance process" out of curiosity.   My browser says there's "About 5,570,000 results."

That's fairly daunting.   How do you do HIPAA compliance CORRECTLY with the time you've got every week,  and the thousand or so other responsibilities you've got?

Here's my simple, easy, solution for you:    Get started.   Do something.   And then keep doing something, regularly.

But please, please, please - don't stick your head in the sand.   Audits are coming faster every day now, and PHI breaches seem to be almost inevitable, no matter the size of your practice.

And what's the first something to do?   

I would suggest that you begin with the practical guidance from the HIPAA law itself - start with implementing a Risk Analysis Process.

Looking at the HHS's guidance on how to start compliance with the Security Rule here - http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/securityrule/radraftguidance.pdf - their guidance is clear:

"In Summary 
Risk analysis is the first step in an organization’s Security Rule compliance efforts. Risk analysis is an ongoing process that should provide the organization with a detailed understanding of the risks to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of e-PHI."

This is why, at Turn Key Health, we follow this Risk Management Process with our clients:  

Step 1: Identify Risk Areas

Step 2: Assess Risks

Step 3: Create a Risk Management Plan

Step 4: Implement Risk Controls

Step 5: Re-evaluate & Measure

Step 6: Go to Step 1






I truly believe that Step 1 is the most important - take the time to thoroughly draw out EXACTLY where your ePHI is stored, where it travels, where it can be accessed, and draw the lines between those systems.    This is the one time in your  whole HIPAA compliance journey when you have my blessing to be really pessimistic and let your mind dwell on everything that could possibly go wrong.

Quoting again from the above HHS paper: 

"The following questions adapted from NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-66 are examples organizations could consider as part of a risk analysis.  These sample questions are not prescriptive and merely identify issues an organization may wish to consider in implementing the Security Rule:

• Have you identified the e-PHI within your organization? This includes e-PHI that you create, receive, maintain or transmit.  
• What are the external sources of e-PHI? For example, do vendors or consultants create, receive, maintain or transmit e-PHI? 
• What are the human, natural, and environmental threats to information systems that contain e-PHI?"

If you take your time and do a thorough job at this step, it will make you WAY more effective in the ensuing steps.

We've all heard the quote "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", right?  (Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher)

Let's get stepping!  You can do this!

If you want to find out how we can make HIPAA compliance painless, visit us at www.TKSHEALTH.COM

When Isaac came to town, were you 100% confident in your backups?

When Isaac came to town, were you 100% confident in your backups?

Let me ask you a tough question: 
When Isaac came to town, were you 100% confident in your backups?

Every year during hurricane season, we evaluate hundreds of business networks’ security and backups.   This year, I have noticed that an alarming majority of Louisiana businesses are missing a critical step that could be implemented in a single day, saves money, and could literally make the difference between staying in business after a disaster or not.

Here Is What We Are Recommending...

Thanks to major advancements in backup technology, you can now have your choice between 2  incredible protection solutions against Hurricanes, fires, and accidents:

Solution 1: Basic Offsite Data Backup: For as little as $10 / month, your files can be securely backed up, automatically.   NO business should be without some sort of Offsite Data Backup solution.

This simple concept of backing up just your most critical files and databases could literally keep your doors open after a disaster.     This works great in environments where you have just a few gigabytes of data that is really important to you, and/or in environments where your upload speeds are limited.

Simple, fast and cheap, this backup solution doesn't prepare you for every disaster scenario, but it can be used to cover you in these:

1. Accidental data loss (Such as: "Oops!  I deleted the quickbooks database!", or "Oh no, the computer that had the quickbooks database on it died!"
2. Accidental data corruption (As seen on: "Oh nuts!   I think we made a mistake a week ago on this project.   Can you recover the file back to the way it was 2 weeks ago??"
3. Total disasters (Like: "Our office is destroyed, we know it's going to be a rough few days, but let's restore our accounting files, our customer database, and our collections reports so we can at least keep up with customer needs and our collections...")

Solution 2: Business Continuity Backup Solution: For a complete, automated, managed and monitored solution that will keep you UP AND RUNNING DURING the next disaster, we offer the ultimate "Business Continuity Backup Solution," often for as little as $200 / month in many configurations.   

Configured correctly, here's just SOME of what this solution provides you:

1. The Business Continuity Backup device takes an image (snapshot) of your server many times throughout the day, automatically. That means you wouldn't lose an entire day’s worth of work if your server crashed or melted down; just a few minute’s worth.
2. You don’t have to swap out tapes or drives every day or lug them around in your car.
3. We will monitor the system 24x7x365 and notify you immediately if your server fails, and be ready to make the Business Continuity Backup Server TAKE OVER for your server if you need it to.   This means you’ll be up and running within minutes instead of potentially being down for  DAYS.
4. Your data and server image get replicated to another data center far away from  Hurricane Alley to make sure your backup has a backup! This is FAR MORE secure and reliable than old tapes, USB drives, etc.

In either scenario you don't have to worry:
• "Is my critical information safe?"
• "Could I really restore my files if I had to?"
• "If I lose these files, will I go out of business?"


Call us today, and KNOW that you're prepared for the next disaster.


There's simply no excuse for being worried about your backups.

Don't delay - call us at 225-751-4444.   

Small Business Day at the Capitol--Our voice for you.

Did you know that most legislators never hear from their constituents, even on key legislation?  According to Renee Amar, Louisiana State Director of the national Federation of Independent Business (www.NFIB.com) if a legislator hears from 4 or 5 constituents "it is like the world is on fire" – your voice—yes YOURS—can make a difference. 

The Small Business Day at the Capitol on May 3rd connected small business owners with our legislators and gave us an opportunity to learn about legislation that affects our operations.  Getting informed is the first step to making an impact. 

Turn Key Solutions is committed to serving not only our clients but also our community.  Because most of our Clients are small businesses (defined by the SBA as under 500 employees), we believe that advocacy is essential to the success of all of us.  It is a challenge for me to take time away from running my businesses to get informed about legislation, serve on the Baton Rouge Area Chamber's Small Business Council (www.BRAC.org) as Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee, and serve on the NFIB's Leadership Council.  But it is a commitment that my partners, Henry and Harold, and I have made because we cannot stick our heads in the sand and just let legislation and regulations happen to us. 

There are so many bills and regulations that threaten the success of small businesses, especially in the controversial area of healthcare.  Because of our experience in serving the healthcare industry in everything from HIPAA/HITECH compliance to servers and network security, we have seen first-hand how legislation and regulations can turn an entire industry on its head. 

Amar, one of the keynote speakers at the Small Business Day at the Capitol, went on to describe how legislators often only hear from lobbyists—and they have their place (who else is going to keep up with thousands of pieces of legislation?!)  But when our lawmakers are being pushed and pulled from opposing lobbies, the voice of even one business owner can make all the difference in how they vote.

Turn Key Solutions is your advocate—not just in getting you the technology that helps you meet your business goals, but also by fighting for your interests as a small business.  BUT you too can make an impact.  If you want to learn more about the issues threatening your success and how you can get involved, comment on this blog.  Together our voices are louder; together we help each other succeed.  Don’t risk your future by letting legislation and regulations just happen to your business.

Turn Key Solutions Takes a “H.I.T.” for Small Business

Business owners, what’s more frustrating than your healthcare premiums going up 15% again this year? Not getting any meaningful information WHY!

Turn Key Solutions is in a unique position to help Louisiana small business owners. We are leveraging our expertise in Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) to push through House and Senate bills that would give small business owners much more control over one of our biggest expenses—healthcare insurance benefits.

Currently at annual renewal time, Louisiana small business who ask why their premiums went up so much (again) receive scant information—just a claims-to-premium ratio. As co-owner and CFO of Turn Key Solutions, I recently testified at a House Insurance Committee meeting in support of Representative Huval’s HB989. A simple ratio is not enough to go on to make business decisions about such a significant business expense! HB989 forces providers to disclose much more information so owners can make sure they are getting the coverage that best fits their employees’ needs and at the most competitive price.

Insurance providers have vigorously opposed this and similar legislation that shift some control from the powerful providers to small businesses. Often their opposition has been hidden behind misleading claims that the release of this information would either violate HIPAA and HITECH rules regarding disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI) or put small businesses and their employees at greater risk of privacy violations.

Turn Key Solutions (www.tkshealth.com) specializes in Healthcare Information Technology—we help our clients comply with HIPAA and HITECH. I testified in front of the House Committee that this bill does not require disclosure of any of the 18 components of PHI and that similar, more expansive legislation has been on the books in Texas for 5 years without a single HIPAA violation suit.

HB989 passed through committee without objection.

In addition to serving the technology needs of our clients, we are also frequent advocates for small business on issues that affect our ability to operate effectively and profitably. I am co-chair of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Small Business Council Advocacy Committee and serve on the National Federation of Independent Business (www.NFIB.com) Louisiana Leadership Council. I will testify again in support of similar legislation in the Senate, SB283, in May.

If you are a small business owner and want to support this legislation, call us and join the fight.

-- John Overton

THE AUDITORS ARE COMING!! (HIPAA / HITECH series continued)

HHS & the OCR may or may not be gunning for you.  
How prepared are you?

In warning that up to 150 organizations are going to be audited this year, the OCR just fired a big fat warning shot across your bow.

A short summary of the deal is found at their website, as follows:

"... OCR is piloting a program to perform up to 150 audits of covered entities to assess privacy and security compliance.   Audits conducted during the pilot phase will begin November 2011 and conclude by December 2012."

What does this mean for managers, owners, and other leaders at Covered Entities and Business Associates?

Simply enough: the audits are real, the audits are under way, and it would be in your best interest to at least take the whole concept seriously and start the simple, cheap steps to prepare your organization for compliance.

Quick reminder about why you care.....  the law requires from $100 to 1.5 million dollars fines to be levied this year.   Read this summary from the AMA for more details.



So, what do you do to prepare?    What simple steps will go a LONG WAY towards keeping your money in your pockets, and keeping your business in business?

Quite simply, as Turn Key Solutions & Turn Key Health (and a lot of other educated organizations) have been preaching for some time now: START WITH A PERIODIC, ANNUAL INTERNAL AUDIT.


A great summary from Chiroeco.com of what needs to happen next is as follows:


1. Get your documentation in place
2. Get your business associate agreements in place
3. Evaluate your compliance (periodic internal audits)
4. Implement a training program
5. Assemble your internal subject matter experts as relates to the HIPAA / HITECH laws
6. Prepare for a timely response 



If you need help with any of these steps, call us at 225-751-4444.    As the Gulf South regions' premier Healthcare Information Technology services team, we're helping clients every day run their practices and their clinics more efficiently, building HIPAA & HITECH compliance into every piece of their business.

And we'll be honored to help you, too.

Find out more about Turn Key Health here: http://www.tkshealth.com