Transferring your SOS license

• You cannot sell/transfer your software and also keep it. 
       
  Your SOS products are licensed to you or your practice. While we are willing for you to transfer that license to another organization, in doing so you give up your right to use or keep the software, even for lookup. If you must keep a copy of your records (as is likely), you must print out everything you need. That printout can be on paper or to .pdf files. Please be clear; if you transfer your license, you will no longer have a copy of SOS products.
  
  
• We need your request to transfer your license in writing on your letterhead signed by the owner. Please include the date you want the transfer to be effective.
  
  It is not enough just to tell your buyer to be in touch with us. Your license is a legal agreement and we can only transfer it in a manner consistent with our contract. Once we have your letter, we can have your buyer sign new contracts and even change the name on the license if they would like.
  
  
• You must have a current Support/Update Agreement at the time of transfer.
  
  If you have allowed your agreement to expire, you will need to renew before we make the transfer. You may pass the cost of support renewal along to your buyer, but we will need to receive payment from you.
  
  
• Even though we do not charge a transfer fee, your buyer's pricing structure will likely change.
  
  Please do not lead your buyer to believe they will pay the same support renewal price or claim filing price you are paying. Over the years, we have done our best to keep prices of our customers low. If you have maintained your support each year, you may be paying on the basis of original SOS prices. When you transfer your license, all costs will be on the basis of our current pricing structure. 
  
  
• Please let your buyer know that we can provide training for them for a fee.
  
  This training is done by way of an internet connection, not in person.
  

• If you are a licensed professional in your state, there are probably legal requirements for maintenance of your records. You must become aware of them.
  
  Much as we would like to know the requirements for each profession in each state, we do not. We are not attorneys and cannot give you legal advice. As a licensed professional.....or as a licensed business......there are undoubtedly legal requirements about what records you must keep, for how long and in what manner. Many states consider the financial transactions of the patient with you to be part of the patient record, so even if you only use SOS Office Manager, you probably need to keep the patient's financials as part of the file you preserve. Once you learn what your state requires you to retain, we will be glad to help you determine what reports will gather that data for you.
       
  If you are selling your practice, it may be possible that you can contract with the buyer to store/retain your records for you. If you are entering into such a contract, you will need to find out just what is required of you and of the record custodian. While a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is probably required, there are likely other things that might be needed. The advice of an attorney familiar with the sale of healthcare practices would be useful.
  
  If you are selling your practice and the new practice is going to continue to see your patients and serve as custodian for your records, you may not need to print anything out. If they are just going to see your patients but not serve as records custodian, you will need to do that storage yourself.
  
  If you are a billing service, you probably need to provide records to your providers so they can meet their legal requirements to maintain the records of their patients. Speak to your attorney before destroying any data.
  
  
• You should consider two kinds of data for your records:
  
  
• your financial information
  
  Maintaining enough reports from SOS to file your taxes and archive the records of the business for the required length of time is advisable. Please speak to your accountant to learn what information from your software they will need for your financial records. Be sure to learn how long you must keep such information so you can print out the records for as many years in the past as necessary. SOS can advise you on which reports to print once you know what you need.
  
  
• patient information
  
  Information for each of your patients will likely need to be archived. Usually, it should be saved in a manner that allows you to print out just an individual patient's information, not mixed with the information of other patients. Once you know which patient information you need to keep, SOS can give you some guidance about how to save it.
  
  
• However you store your information, you must guarantee its security.
  
  Even if you are no longer a provider of services, you are still required by HIPAA to maintain the privacy and security of your patients' Protected Health Information. Please be sure to find out what your state demands of you. Is a locked file cabinet enough for paper records? Must the data on a DVD or a thumb drive be encrypted? Are you required to protect the records from fire, flood and theft in the same way you were while you practiced?