• NASE Members Hit The Polls
• Small Businesses Can Offer Big Money
• Health IT Updates

NASE Members Hit The Polls

In addition to foreign policy, the issues that are most important to micro-business owners during this election season are access to affordable, quality health coverage and the compliance burden and amount of taxes, according to a recent online member poll by the NASE. Respondents said they were ready to hit the polls because they know that important issues are at stake. Ninety-six percent said voting was either very or somewhat important, and ninety percent of respondents said in October that they planned to vote in the midterm election on November 7. “Our members know that voting is one way to make sure that politicians are aware of their concerns,” said Kristie Darien, NASE executive director of the legislative office. “These results show that small and micro-business owners are really taking this election seriously. They know the outcome could help significantly alter the way they do business.” While members said that a candidate’s personality and experience are important, it was not the sole basis of their decision. Nearly 2 of 5 said that the positions a candidate takes on business issues was an important factor in their voting decisions. For the full results of the survey, visit http://advocacy.nase.org/membersurvey/default.asp. Small Businesses Can Offer Big Money Just because a business is small doesn’t mean that their profits have to be, according to a study by Salary.com on the pay of top executives at small businesses. “A number of small and micro-business owners can depend on the revenue of their company to support a comfortable life,” said Kristie Darien, executive director for the legislative office of the NASE. “We have members that have quit a job cold turkey to start what becomes a successful business. Others start out with a hobby on the side that develops into a money making operation, and that allows them to leave a full-time job with a larger company.” The survey found that the median base salary for CEOs, small business partners or owners was $233,600. When bonuses and commissions are added in, that total rises to $290,300. Results also showed that executive pay varies by function, with those who head up the legal department receiving top billing. Mirroring trends in large companies, the survey also found that the pay scale in small companies tends to increase along with company size and revenue, as well as its geographical location. Health IT Updates Advances in the implementation of health IT took a step forward last week, as a group of standards were introduced by the American Health Information Community (AHIC) and the Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP). Earlier this fall, President Bush urged providers who worked with federal health programs to start adopting IT systems that would synchronize health data. Organizers say a set of widely accepted standards will help achieve nationwide adoption of certified electronic health records (EHRs). The standards revolved around clinical lab results transmission, maintaining personal health data and conducting biosurveillance. They would help cut down on the amount of paperwork patients would be required to fill out each time they visit a new doctor because the records would be stored in one place. The system would also help make sure doctors stay current on procedures for treating diseases and give reminders about when to order preventative care for their patients.