PEDIATRIC AND ADULT PROMPT CARE€¦ · IT Strategic Assessment Hopson PAGE 1 Executive Summary...

IT Strategic Assessment PEDIATRIC AND ADULT PROMPT CARE

John Hopson | CIS 410-02 | 19 April 2018

Table of Contents

Executive Summary................................................................................................................... 1

The Problems ............................................................................................................................ 2

Software ................................................................................................................................. 2

Hardware ............................................................................................................................... 3

Security .................................................................................................................................. 4

Web Presence ........................................................................................................................ 5

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s Environment ....................................................................6

Industry Competitive Analysis .................................................................................................9

Mission Statement ................................................................................................................9

Organizational Structure ......................................................................................................9

Porter’s Five Forces ...............................................................................................................9

Threat of New Entrants .....................................................................................................9

Threat of Substitutes ....................................................................................................... 10

Bargaining Power of Suppliers ........................................................................................ 10

Bargaining Power of Patients ........................................................................................... 11

Intra-industry Competition ............................................................................................. 11

Stakeholders ............................................................................................................................. 12

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s Doctors ........................................................................ 12

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s Staff ............................................................................. 12

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s Patients ....................................................................... 13

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s Competitors ................................................................ 13

Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 14

Software ............................................................................................................................... 14

Effect on Stakeholders ..................................................................................................... 14

Effect on Stakeholders ...................................................................................................... 15


Hardware ............................................................................................................................. 16



Security ................................................................................................................................ 18



Web ...................................................................................................................................... 20


Appendices .................................................................................................................................i

Appendix A: Additional Resources ........................................................................................i

Appendix A.1: Upgrading to Windows 10 .........................................................................i

Appendix A.2: Networking Windows 7 and Windows 10 Machines ................................i

Appendix A.3: Securing Your Domain ...............................................................................i

Appendix B: Hardware and Software Inventory ................................................................. ii

Hardware .......................................................................................................................... ii

Software ............................................................................................................................ ii

Appendix C: Works Cited ................................................................................................... iii

IT Strategic Assessment Hopson

PAGE 1

Executive Summary

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care should be aware of a number of issues related to the

clinic’s information technology in areas like software, hardware, security, and web

presence. The top concerns include:

1. Use of unlicensed software

2. Mismatched Windows operating systems

3. Lack of an integrated system for patient and clinic management

4. Hardware purchasing methodology

5. Computer networking

6. Lack of digital auditing

7. Securing hardware and data form theft or damage

8. Lack of official business continuity plan and disaster recovery plan

9. Not owning the clinic’s domain name

10. Lack of professional email tied to domain

There are solutions available for all of these issues by doing things like purchasing

licenses, upgrading the clinic’s hardware to a lite client network, switching to a fully

integrated management system for billing, patients, and clinic operations, hiring a third-

party auditor, purchasing security equipment to lock computers, creating detailed plans

for continuity and recovery, and purchasing your domain when it becomes available again

at the end of May. It is up to you to weigh the risks against the benefits and decide the

best path forward for Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care.


PAGE 2

The Problems

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care have a myriad of concerns. As a small healthcare clinic,

information technology seems to be treated as a secondary concern instead of an

integrated solution for running the clinic, providing a more integrated experience to

patients, and connecting the offices for communication and patient care. This is not

unexpected but viewing the technology in this way potentially limits the effectiveness of

the clinic.

SOFTWARE

Software is an important component of any organizations information technology. The

Microsoft Office products used at Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s clinic are all

matched, as Office 365 is used. The problem is that the office product is not owned by the

clinic, but rather a student’s Office 365 account is utilized provide access to the software.

This is problematic for a number of reasons. Therefore, the most important issue is using

unlicensed software, or software outside of its licensed use is illegal. Software trade

groups like BSA The Software Alliance, which includes Microsoft, regularly perform

software audits. According to an article on Tech Crunch, “the overwhelming majority of

companies targeted by these associations are small businesses, with limited technology

and legal resources” (Scott). The BSA, which has collected more than $81 million in

settlements, estimates 22% of all North American software is unlicensed, making it the

4th most common information technology mistake made by small businesses (Dadian).

The cost of getting caught using unlicensed software far outstrips the cost of purchasing


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legitimate licenses. In one case, a small business was ordered to pay more than $200,000

when the BSA found them using unlicensed software (Scott).

With only three computers and one server in the clinic, there are two different operating

systems on the network. Two computers are running Windows 7 and the third computer

and server are running Windows 10. Windows 7 machines can be networked with

Windows 10 machines, but it takes a moderate level of technical skill and knowledge of

Windows networking difficulties between these two quite different operating systems.

Because these computers aren’t networked properly, it limits how easily files and

applications can be share amongst the four computer systems in the office.

The clinic’s current electronic medical record software, AltaPoint, has only been in use

since 2015, but is no longer providing the service the clinic requires. What is needed is a

fully digital patient and practice management system for tracking patients from check in,

to diagnosis, through billing, all the way to follow up. The clinic is still using a paper sign

in sheet and doesn’t utilize a digital scheduler.

HARDWARE

Hardware is also an important piece of an information system. The main concern is the

inconsistent manner in which hardware is purchased and the age of some of the systems.

Purchasing decisions for hardware don’t appear to be a part of long-term planning, as the

clinic doesn’t have an annual budget, so information system acquisitions are not

budgeted for either. Investments in information technology infrastructure are not

insignificant purchases, even for a small clinic. This is why it is important to include in a


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monthly budget for future hardware purchases as part of a long-term strategic plan.

Choosing at purchase how long you want to use a piece of hardware before replacing it

allows for precise budgeting and planning for the replacement of hardware.

The computer network, or lack thereof, is another concern. The third computer is in a

back room and is neither connected to the Internet or the office’s local area network, in

fact, all of the computers are not properly networked together due to the afore mentioned

operating system compatibility issues.

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s hardware is somewhat mismatched in age and

specification, but are all PCs, so doesn’t include computers that are unable to be

networked together. At the moment the mismatch isn’t critical, as the specification of

each system is close enough together and compatible.

SECURITY

The clinic’s information security is lacking. While all computers require logins and

passwords to access them, this is the bare minimum in security. There is no auditing of

event logs to help track who is accessing what systems and what they are doing when

they are on the system. This means there is also log auditing looking for anyone probing

the network looking for patient data.

The hardware is not secured in a way to prevent theft and there is no security system to

protect the clinic when it is closed. There is a security camera, which is connected to the

network via Wi-Fi, but it only streams a live feed, it doesn’t store historical footage, which

is vital in enabling police to track down criminals. A further concern with the security


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camera lies in its potential vulnerability to hacking. For instance, hackers once hacked a

casino’s aquarium thermometer which was connected to the casino’s network via Wi-Fi.

They then used the thermometer’s network access to gain entry to the network and

eventually was able to extract the casino’s high-roller database (Williams-Grut).

The clinic lacks a formal disaster recovery plan or business continuity plan. A business

continuity plan is a strategy to help ensure that business processes can continue during a

time of emergency or disaster. They can include solutions for things like backup

generators, uninterruptible power supplies which can continue to provide power to

computers systems during short power outages.

WEB PRESENCE

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care has a very professional looking website. There is little

interactivity built into the site, but it probably is best used as a way to market the clinic

online. A contact form would be nice but isn’t necessary. The key problem with the clinics

online presence is that it doesn’t own its domain, and the people that built their site

won’t return phone calls about it.

The clinic does have a domain but doesn’t have professional email associated with the

domain. Having an email associated with the clinics domain projects a professional image

to patients, suppliers, and other medical institutions.


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Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s Environment

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care is an urgent care clinic that opened in January of 2008.

The clinic caters to the health care needs of both children and adults served by its two

doctors, Dr. Abdul Haq and Dr. Akasha Haq, part-time nurse practitioners, the help of

various medical students, and part-time front-desk support staff. The clinic is located in

downtown Louisville, at 219 E Broadway and specializes in after-hours care, with hours of

4:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and are open 365 days a year. This means Pediatric & Adult Prompt

Care is most suited for treating those injuries and illnesses that need immediate attention

but are not serious enough to require an emergency room visit. The clinic’s specific

services are treating sore throat, allergic reactions, rashes, pink eye, asthma, fever,

gastroenteritis, sinus infections, cuts and lacerations, sprains and simple fractures, coughs

and colds, cysts draining, earaches, flu symptoms, minor burns, sports injuries, vomiting

and more. Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s clinic is open to all but has developed a

niche market segment in the Muslim community, especially amongst Somalis.

The competition for Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care is not small and includes

emergency rooms as well as urgent care clinics linked to major medical facilities, and

chain urgent care centers. The top competition includes Kroger’s The Little Clinic, Baptist

Health Urgent Care, Norton Immediate Care Center, and KentuckyOne Urgent Care.

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care is a small, locally owned clinic competing with a

growing trend in healthcare with hospitals understanding the potential for growth by

expanding into the urgent care market. Urgent care visits rose 19% from 2010 to 2015, and


PAGE 7

urgent care clinics give hospitals the opportunity to service relatively healthy people at a

lower cost than opening a primary care facility (Sweeney).

This trend toward hospitals expanding into urgent care is worrying to private entities,

who have dominated the market. These private enterprises include single clinics owned

by a doctor or partnership up to major chains that specialize in urgent care facilities like

MedSpring Immediate Care of Austin, and Concentra Urgent Care, as well as many

others. Private clinics still dominate the market nationally owning about three-fourths of

the more than 7,000 urgent care clinics in the country. The concern is with hospitals

elbowing their way into the market, patients will be encouraged to visit hospital-owned

in-network clinics for their urgent care needs, which flip the model, leaving private

operators on the outside looking in (Sweeney).

The urgent care market started in the 1970s and has grown to more than 10,000 locations

in US in 2017 and the urgent care clinic market continues to grow rapidly. Kalorama

Information published a report detailing this growth and stated the market grew from

$11.8 billion in 2011 to $15 billion in 2017. They estimate the average urgent care clinic in

2016 saw 294 patients per week and had around 15,300 patient visits throughout the year

(Kalomara Information). As of the end of 2016, the four largest private companies

operating in the market were Concentra, U.S. Healthworks, American Family Care, and

MedExpress, but none of them are expressly large themselves (Cison PR News).

Each operator may utilize different approaches to running their clinics, the business

model they employ is quite consistent. It involves providing basic health care services at


PAGE 8

as low a cost as possible. The care provided is intended to supplement care provided by

one’s primary care provider, especially for common illnesses and injuries where diagnoses

and treatments are relatively simple and clear cut. The business model also includes

convenient hours of operation. The typical urgent care clinic is open from 7:00 AM to 8:00

PM Monday through Friday, and eight-hour days over the weekend. Only about 31% of

primary care doctors, on the other hand, have similar hours. This schedule is much more

convenient to most patients that traditional physician’s offices. Another key feature of the

business model is service time, with most visits taking 10 to 15 minutes.

High visibility and adequate parking are another part of their business model, so centers

are often located in freestanding buildings, though they can be located in strip malls, and

sometimes within a hospital complex with a separate entrance. On average, and urgent

care clinics footprint is between 3,500 square feet and 12,000 square feet. The difference

being common practice and the extent of services offered by the clinic (Cison PR News).

According to PR Newswire, a 2010 Health Affairs report found 27% of emergency room

visits could have been handled by an urgent care center, which has the potential revenues

of around $4.4 billion. A separate report by the Urgent Care Association of America

pointed to cost saving to patients who utilized urgent care facilities could be as high as

$18.5 billion, which is a major factor in the industries growth.


PAGE 9

Industry Competitive Analysis

A competitive analysis is a critical part of a company’s marketing plan. The purpose is to

understand factors that impact on the performance of the industry, and as well the

performance of firms within the industry.

MISSION STATEMENT

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care is an urgent care clinic catering to the health care needs

of both children and adults operating in a cost leadership strategy due to the low

switching costs of patients moving to other providers and the relative undifferentiated

nature of the industry.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

There isn’t a traditional business organizational structure for Pediatric and Adult Prompt

Care, but most closely resembles a functional organization with duties split based on

their function.

PORTER’S FIVE FORCES

Analysis of Porter's Five Forces is a vital tool for understanding the influences that mold

and shape competition within an industry. Overall, Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care

operates in a moderate to high risk industry sector.

Threat of New Entrants

The threat of new entrants is low to moderate in the urgent care clinic, as new entrants

have to have the time invested in a doctor’s education, attract nurses in an industry

perpetually short of qualified nurses. Financially, a startup needs an initial capital outlay


PAGE 10

to invest in buildings, equipment, medications, information technology infrastructure, as

well as bookkeeping, office productivity, patient tracking, and medical processing

software. A key concern is the low switching cost to patients moving in moving to a new

provider.

Threat of Substitutes

The urgent care clinic market has a moderate to high risk of substitutes from other

healthcare providers such as primary care clinics and hospital emergency rooms, as they

are already capable of providing the same services. These alternatives already maintain

relationships with patients either by being their primary care managers or via their

insurance providers. This gives them an advantage in customer relations, but it comes at

the cost of expediency and in the case of primary care clinics patients often sacrifice

immediate access. Unlike with new entrants, there is a concern over the relatively

moderate switching cost to patients moving to an urgent care facility with no familiarity

with their healthcare history from their primary care facility or an emergency room that is

part of the healthcare system they are already members of.

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

The bargaining power of suppliers is quite high, as clinics are highly dependent of drug

suppliers, proprietary medical equipment, and other healthcare related equipment and

tools necessary to do their work. The smaller the clinic, the less they are able to mitigate

the strength of suppliers’ bargaining power.


PAGE 11

Bargaining Power of Patients

Urgent care clinics face significant hurdles in the bargaining power of its customers

because there is little to no switching costs for a customer to go to a different healthcare

provider, and in some cases going to an urgent care clinic they’ve never been treated at

may produce higher switching costs to the patient. The very nature of urgent care needs

also means patient are more likely to take their business to the nearest and/or most

convenient location for them to be treated.

Intra-industry Competition

Intra-industry competition in the urgent care industry is stiff, with more than 7,000

clinics across the country and more than 40 locations spread out amongst the Louisville

metro area. Because the switching costs for patients to go to any urgent care facility are

relatively low, and the nature of the services required when one seeks urgent care

treatment it is likely they will patronize the closes facility. Pediatric and Adult Prompt

Care’s chief rival is Norton Immediate Care Center. Recently, however, the clinic has

begun to see an influx of new patients from Norton due to complaints of wait up to five

hours to be seen and the lack of doctors on site.


PAGE 12

Stakeholders

A review of the people affected by Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s decisions produced

the following set of stakeholders.

PEDIATRIC AND ADULT PROMPT CARE’S DOCTORS

Decisions made in the purchase and implementation of information technology impact

the doctors of Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care in two ways. New technology presents a

relatively high effort expectancy in learning new systems but also carries with it a

potentially high performance expectancy by making the clinic more efficient and

providing better care to patients. A fully digital patient care system has the benefit of

easing the burden of paperwork and can ensure patient data isn’t lost during

emergencies, while also ensuring patient records are fully digital. The doctors also bear

the financial burden as the owners of the clinic, so when an information system is

purchased that doesn’t function as intended, the hit to the clinic’s bottom line is also a hit

to the owners’ bottom line.

PEDIATRIC AND ADULT PROMPT CARE’S STAFF

The staff’s stake in information technology changes stem from the potential for it to

enable them to become more efficient with their time. This efficiency coupled with

helpful technology solutions will help staff offer the best customer service possible to the

clinic’s patients.


PAGE 13

PEDIATRIC AND ADULT PROMPT CARE’S PATIENTS

Patients of Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care stand to benefit by having their visits

become shorter and more efficient. Systems that could enable easy sign-in and prompt

notification to doctors there are patients waiting can shorten patient wait time and the

time necessary to carry out examinations.

PEDIATRIC AND ADULT PROMPT CARE’S COMPETITORS

Implementing better information systems to aid the clinics doctors and staff has the

potential to provide competitive advantage over Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s

smaller competition and could help them compete with clinics backed by big healthcare

systems.


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Recommendations

The following section outlines some solutions you could implement to ensure your

hardware functions properly, your data is secured, and your customers get the best

service and care possible.

SOFTWARE

In a cost-benefit analysis, the cost of purchasing an Office 365 license for a business is as

low as $8.25 a month. That comes to a total $495 over the course of five years. In one case,

Microsoft became aware of a small business potentially using unlicensed Office products

and contacted the BSA. The company in question ran the audit software provided by the

BSA, which detected unlicensed software, after which the BSA demanded a penalty of

more than $200,000. The recommendation is the clinic purchase its own Office 365

product license. It is still possible to buy a license for Office 2016, which is a one-time

purchase of $399.99. This is a little cheaper than 5 years of an Office 365 subscription but

gives up the no extra charge upgrades when new versions of Office products are released.

You can also protect against licensing errors and penalties and help ensure the fastest

recovery times when failures occur, by carefully documenting and tracking all software

license purchases and deployments.

Effect on Stakeholders

The clinic’s doctors stand the most to gain from purchasing a Microsoft Office license.

There is a legitimate risk to the clinic if it is discovered using unlicensed software. If only

one recommendation is implemented from this assessment, this is the most critical. This


PAGE 15

issue also affects the clinic’s staff and patients if the software is discovered and a large

penalty is assessed as a result. A clinic closure would negatively affect everyone.

The operating system mismatch problem has a couple of fixes, both of which require a

little technical know-how. My recommendation is to upgrade the two machines with

Windows 7 to Windows 10. As of January 2018, it is still possible to upgrade from

Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free, though it isn’t as easy as it was up to the end of 2017

(See Appendix A.1). As an alternative solution in case the free upgrade no longer

functions, networking Windows 7 and Windows 10 systems is possible. The process is a

bit more technical and is a little more complex, though (See Appendix A.2).


The key stakeholders in networking the office’s computers are the doctors and their staff.

Networking the clinic’s computers will help the office to run more efficiently allowing the

sharing of files and interactivity between each computer or tablet on the network. If the

clinic is running more efficiently, that means greater service for its patients as well.

An integrated system of clinic and patient management would be extremely beneficial.

An example of such an integrated system would be CareCloud. This service company

offers a cloud-based software suite of business solutions targeted at medical practices.

There are different solutions for revenue cycle management, practice management, and

electronic health records. This suite combined with some new hardware would increase

the efficiency of the clinic by digitally integrating the clinic’s administrative processes,

billing, and medical practice.


PAGE 16


All of Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care’s stakeholders would be affected by utilizing an

integrated system of clinic and patient management. Doctors and staff’s efficiency would

increase, the likelihood of mistakes would go down, and the culmination of this would be

a greater customer experience by the patients. If Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care is able

to continue to grow its patient list while streamlining its operations to keep visit times

low, they will continue to siphon off patients form their competition.

HARDWARE

Business benefits of new computer hardware are numerable. Your hardware determines

everything from how fast you can do your work, to how well the computers are able to

interact with each other. You should view your computer hardware as an investment, but

one that has to be reviewed and reinvested as necessary. When analyzing your hardware

needs, you have to approach it as more than a financial business decision. To start with,

you have to consider the benefits new hardware can provide for your clinic. Some of the

potential benefits of computer hardware include: reducing costs by automating routine

tasks, such as record-keeping, accounting, and payroll, improve customer service, develop

more effective communication within the business or with customers, increase business

efficiency and staff productivity, increase employee morale, develop competitive

advantage by implementing the right business technology.

You have to analyze the business needs and benefits you are looking for before you decide

to buy new hardware. First, you should identify the key hardware investments you are

considering then perform a cost-benefit analysis for each piece of technology. My


PAGE 17

recommendation is when you are next ready to make an upgrade in your hardware, to

invest in a thin client system. A thin client is a lightweight computer that has been

optimized for remoting into a server-based computing environment. The server does

most of the work, which can include launching software programs and storing data. Since

you already own a server, this could be a cheap way to ensure all of your computer

systems are using the same operating system, because there will only be one system with

an operating system installed.

An alternative suggestion would be to move from your current process of buying

computers and replacing them only when one stops performing well, to leasing your

infrastructure. A lease allows you to avoid the upfront costs of outright purchasing

hardware and by its nature lends itself to planning and budgeting for hardware upgrades.


Purchasing and installing a lite client network would have a positive effect on the clinic’s

bottom line, and therefore on the owners. It kills two birds with one stone. First, this

solution also relieves the need to either upgrade the Windows 7 operating systems to

Windows 10 or the alternative of networking the Windows 7 machines with the Windows

10 machines. Second it updates your hardware and ensures it is all of similar

specifications and will be completely compatible with each other. Even if you go with the

alternative solution of leasing your information system architecture, you will see the same

benefits. You can even combine the two and lease the entire lite client network and

ensure your network is updated on a periodic basis to ensure you provide the best

possible service for your patients.


PAGE 18

Part of integrating all aspects of the clinic’s business and medical processes would be

benefitted by purchasing a tablet that allows patients to quickly sign in for appointments

and walk-in visits. An integrated system would then update the doctor’s computer to let

them know a patient is ready. An alternative that would still allow for a more professional

image would be to purchase phones that have an intercom function. This would allow the

front desk staff to inform the doctors of waiting patients without having to yell.


Purchasing and tablet and using it to admit new patients is yet another way to streamline

a business process to the benefit of patients who can be presented with easy ways to enter

their information a choose why they are there. Once they submit their check in, an

integrated patient management system would update the front-desk staff’s and doctor’s

computers, making the entire system more helpful and efficient. Even if the previous

recommendation is implemented, there will be time patients will overlap in the

examination room and the waiting room. Buying a phone system with an integrated

intercom would allow for a more professional way of alerting doctors to ready patients

over yelling from room to room. I found an office phone with an intercom feature on

Amazon.com for $85.

SECURITY

Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care should consider having a third party audit their

computer systems periodically. This is crucial for detecting any potential data breaches as

soon as possible. This would be a first step in a layered defense of your data. An audit can

identify weaknesses in your network. If a breach does occur, these audits are the fastest

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000XTZXX2/ref=olp_f_new?ie=UTF8&f_all=true&f_new=true&qid=1524075316&sr=1-3


PAGE 19

way to detect them. This will also identify holes in your defenses and allow them to be

shored up. Paying for this service might not seem to be important, but if a data breach

occurs, you don’t want to deal with the financial ramifications or the loss of confidence

from your patients.

It is recommended that Pediatric and Adult Prompt Care secure their critical hardware to

help prevent theft. Hardware cable locks sell on Amazon.com for less than $20 and can

help prevent theft of everything from tablets, to desktops. It is probably best to locate the

server in a room that is not so accessible to the public as well. Not only does this help

prevent unauthorized access, it means the server could be overlooked during a burglary.

If you are running a light client network as suggested above, the loss to the clinic would

be significantly mitigated.


Strengthening the physical and digital security of your information systems is critical for

both the doctors and patients of the clinic. Loss of hardware or a breach of the software

could put patients personally identifying information at risk and expose the clinic to

liability for the loss.

Because things will inevitably go wrong, a business continuity plan and disaster recovery

plan are crucial to ensure you can reopen the clinic as soon as possible following

catastrophic events like theft of hardware, natural disasters, or breaches that result in loss

of data. A business continuity plan involves planning and analysis of your clinics primary

functions and should involve:

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PAGE 20

1. Analysis of organizational threats

2. A list of the primary tasks required to keep the organization operations flowing

3. Easily located management contact information

4. Explanation of where personnel should go if there is a disastrous event

5. Information on data backups and organization site backup


Ensuring the continuity of the clinic’s operations is essential to being able to serve your

customers 365 days a year. Equally important is having a plan for recovering your data

after any data loss so you are able to get up and running as soon as possible so Pediatric

Adult and Prompt Care can start serving its patients.

WEB

It is critical that you control ownership of your clinics domain name,

pediatricandadultpromptcare.com. Currently the owner and contact information of the

domain is masked by WhoisGuard. The good news is that the current registration expires

on May 24th of this year. If the vendor who built your website doesn’t renew the

registration, you should be able to purchase it back and manage control over your

domain. You can use any number of options for purchasing your domain with it becomes

available (see Appendix A.3).

Once you regain control of your domain, it is recommended that you add professional

email service linked to your domain. Creating an email address that looks professional

and official like, abdul.haq@ pediatricandadultpromptcare.com will project an air of

professional competence for the doctors and staff at the clinic and make it easy for

patients, peers, and other business contacts to reach you. There is the added benefit of


PAGE 21

separating personal and business communications. Adding this service usually costs

about $5 to $10 a month.


In the 21st Century, any organization’s best marketing is done online. If the clinic cannot

regain control of its domain name, it has no way to update its site with new information,

like opening a new location. Coupled with the fact there is no contact link to email the

clinic on the page and without domain linked email there is no info@ email address,

communication between patient and clinic is hampered. This could have a negative effect

on the number of potential patients that can reach out to the clinic and who have up to

date information about the clinic and its staff.


PAGE i

Appendices

APPENDIX A: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Appendix A.1: Upgrading to Windows 10

The following article details how to upgrade your PCs from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for

free. This method worked as of the end of January 2018. It takes a little work but doesn’t

require significant tech skills.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianmorris/2018/01/26/how-to-get-windows-10-for-free-in-

2018/#18a17a5f5145

Appendix A.2: Networking Windows 7 and Windows 10 Machines

This article explains how to properly network Windows 7 computers with Windows 10

computers on the same network. This is doable as well but requires more technical skill

and overall familiarity and confidence in dealing with Windows and installing operating

systems.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17145/windows-homegroup-from-start-to-

finish

Appendix A.3: Securing Your Domain

Once your domain expires on 24 May, you can use a number of different services to

reclaim your domain. Currently, Namecheap is the registrar for your domain. Some other

suggestions would be Google Domains or GoDaddy. All of these services will walk you

through the process of registering your domain.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianmorris/2018/01/26/how-to-get-windows-10-for-free-in-2018/#18a17a5f5145

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianmorris/2018/01/26/how-to-get-windows-10-for-free-in-2018/#18a17a5f5145

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17145/windows-homegroup-from-start-to-finish

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17145/windows-homegroup-from-start-to-finish

https://www.namecheap.com/

https://domains.google/

https://www.godaddy.com/


PAGE ii

APPENDIX B: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE INVENTORY

Hardware

• HP Compaq 600S Pro (front) Windows 7 Pro SP1 AMD Athlon II Dual Core

• PCQuest (back room) Windows 7 Pro SP1 Intel Pentium Dual Core

• Custom PC (exam room) Windows 7 Pro SP1 Intel i5 Dual Core

• Lenovo TD340 ThinkServer Windows 10 Pro Intel Xeon Dual Core

• Brother All-in-one printer

• POS terminal

• Television (used as a message board)

• CCTV camera

• Two phones

Software

• Team Viewer

• Google Drive

• Intuit Payroll

• Google Chrome

• Microsoft Office 365

• Foxit PDF reader

• Brother’s Control Center


PAGE iii

APPENDIX C: WORKS CITED

Cison PR News. "Urgent Care Market Reaches $15 Billion as Locations, Patient Visits Rise." 5 April

2017. PR News Wire. Web. 12 April 2018.

Dadian, Dina. "Is Illegal software going to cost you your business?" 15 March 2015. Power Solution.

Web. 13 April 2018.

Kalomara Information. "Urgent Care Market (Clinic Growth, Revenues by Procedure, IVD and

Vaccine Sales)." 23 January 2017. Kalomara Information. Web. 12 April 2018.

Scott, Robert J. "Software piracy claims can ruin your business and reward those responsible." 10

May 2016. Tech Crunch. Web. 13 April 2018.

Sweeney, Brigid. "Patients are flocking to urgent-care clinics. Now hospitals are, too." 15 May 2017.

Modern Healthcare. Web. 12 April 2018.

Williams-Grut, Oscar. "Hackers once stole a casino's high-roller database through a thermometer

in the lobby fish tank." 15 April 2018. Business Insider. Web. 15 April 2018.

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