287 lines
12 KiB
Markdown
287 lines
12 KiB
Markdown
# STTIL Shield — Product Architecture
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**Design date:** 2026-06-22
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**Design by:** Pi
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**Status:** Draft — review by Kisa before sharing with Claude Code
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---
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## 1. Product Definition
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**What Shield is:**
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A standalone compliance automation platform for small healthcare operations and SaaS companies that engage with PHI and AI and need compliance — without paying enterprise prices.
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**What Shield is NOT:**
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- Not DMEPOS-specific (that's Signal's lane)
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- Not a replacement for Vanta/Drata (different tier — Shield targets smaller orgs)
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- Not a consulting service (self-serve compliance tooling)
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**Target customer:**
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- **Small healthcare ops** — clinics, therapy practices, home health agencies, DME suppliers of any type who handle PHI and need HIPAA compliance
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- **Healthcare-adjacent SaaS** — startups building AI tools for healthcare, digital health apps, telemedicine platforms, patient communication tools
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- **AI companies handling PHI** — any company building AI/ML products that touch protected health information and need to prove compliance to customers
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- **Shield + Signal bundle** — DMEPOS suppliers who need both documentation readiness (Signal) and overall compliance (Shield)
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**Core value proposition:**
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"Get HIPAA compliant in days, not months. Pre-built policies, automated evidence collection, audit-ready reporting, and a free open-source AI Consent Engine — starting at less than any competitor."
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---
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## 2. Competitive Positioning
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| Competitor | Price | Frameworks | Target | Shield Advantage |
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|-----------|-------|-----------|--------|-----------------|
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| **Vanta** | $10K-$100K+/yr | SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO, PCI | Enterprise | Overkill for small ops |
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| **Drata** | $7.5K-$100K+/yr | SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO, PCI | Mid-market | Overkill for small ops |
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| **Secureframe** | $7.5K-$80K+/yr | SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO, PCI | Mid-market | Overkill for small ops |
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| **Dash ComplyOps** | **$3K/yr flat** | HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI, ISO, NIST | Small teams | **Direct competitor** |
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| **Shield** | **TBD (target $1.2K-$2.4K/yr)** | HIPAA-first, SOC 2, expand | **Small healthcare ops + AI SaaS** | Cheaper + Consent Engine lead magnet |
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**Differentiation strategy:**
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- Price under Dash (target $100-200/mo instead of $250)
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- AI Consent Engine is a unique open-source lead-gen asset no competitor has
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- Purpose-built for small healthcare operations and AI companies — not enterprise compliance repackaged
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- Optional Signal bundle for DMEPOS suppliers who also need documentation readiness
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---
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## 3. Feature Set (MVP)
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### Core Features (v1)
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| Feature | Description | Why |
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|---------|-------------|-----|
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| **Policy Templates** | 12+ pre-built admin policies (HIPAA-focused) | Instant compliance documentation |
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| **Evidence Collection** | Manual upload + API integrations for cloud infra | Prove controls are active |
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| **Audit Reports** | One-click SOC 2 / HIPAA evidence bundles | Answer auditor requests fast |
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| **Risk Assessment** | Simple asset register + risk scoring | Foundational HIPAA requirement |
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| **User Management** | Unlimited users (team collaboration) | Match Dash's offering |
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| **Framework Support** | HIPAA v1, SOC 2 v2, expand to PCI/ISO | Start narrow, grow |
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### AI Consent Engine (Open-Source Lead Magnet)
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**What it does:**
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An open-source tool that lets any healthcare organization generate HIPAA-compliant AI/healthcare consent forms for their patients or end-users. A client (clinic, SaaS, AI company) takes the Consent Engine, brands it with their logo and custom language, and serves it to their own patients so patients can generate consent documents.
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**How the client uses it:**
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1. Fork or clone the open-source GitHub repo
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2. Edit a config file (JSON or YAML) with their logo URL, company name, clinic name, custom consent clauses, and branding colors
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3. Deploy via one-click to Vercel/Netlify, or self-host
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4. Their patients visit their branded consent page, fill in AI tool name and data types, and receive a formatted HIPAA-compliant consent PDF
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5. The footer includes: "Powered by STTIL Shield — Need full compliance? Learn more."
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**Why open source on GitHub:**
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- Builds community trust and brand credibility
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- SEO magnet for "AI consent form healthcare HIPAA GitHub"
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- Low friction — any developer can try it in 5 minutes
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- GitHub stars = social proof for Shield
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- PR contributions from the community improve the tool
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- Client owns their instance, no data flows through STTIL
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---
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## 4. Consent Engine — Delivery Options
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### Option A: GitHub Template Repo (User's Suggestion) — RECOMMENDED
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Create a GitHub template repository that clients can use with one click.
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**How it works:**
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1. Client clicks "Use this template" on the GitHub repo
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2. Their own copy is created with all the code
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3. They edit a single `config.yaml` or `config.json` file:
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```yaml
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organization:
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name: "City Family Clinic"
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logo_url: "https://clinic.com/logo.png"
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primary_color: "#2563eb"
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website: "https://clinic.com"
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consent:
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jurisdiction: "US-HIPAA"
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custom_clauses:
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- "I consent to my data being used for AI-assisted diagnosis"
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- "I understand I can revoke consent at any time"
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footer_text: "This consent form is managed by City Family Clinic"
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```
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4. Deploy button (Vercel/Netlify) — one click to production
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5. Client gets a live, branded consent form at `consent.clinic.com` or a Vercel subdomain
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6. The form is ready for their patients to use
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**Pros:**
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- True open source — client owns the code and deployment
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- Developer-friendly — uses familiar GitHub workflow
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- No data flows through STTIL — privacy advantage
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- Community contributions via PRs
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- Huge SEO value for "HIPAA consent form GitHub"
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**Cons:**
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- Requires some technical ability (fork, edit config, deploy)
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- No usage analytics for STTIL (can't track how many consents are generated)
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- Client self-manages hosting costs (usually free on Vercel/Netlify free tier)
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### Option B: Hosted Multi-Tenant (SaaS)
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A hosted version at `consent.sttilsolutions.com` where clients log in, upload their logo, customize language through a UI, and get a branded page.
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**How it works:**
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1. Client signs up (no payment needed)
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2. Uploads logo, sets colors, writes custom clauses in a WYSIWYG editor
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3. Gets a branded URL: `consent.sttilsolutions.com/city-family-clinic`
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4. Links their patients to that URL
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5. Or embeds via iframe on their own website
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**Pros:**
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- Zero technical skills required
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- STTIL controls the full experience
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- Can track usage, collect emails, measure conversion to Shield paid
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- Can A/B test CTAs and optimize lead generation
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**Cons:**
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- STTIL hosts the service (potential PHI adjacency concerns)
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- More operational overhead
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- Less open/community feel
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- Client doesn't own their instance
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### Option C: Hybrid (Recommended as Final State)
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Start with Option A (GitHub template) for the developer audience and open-source community. Later add Option B (hosted) for non-technical clients who want a simpler setup.
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**Phased rollout:**
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1. **Phase 0a:** GitHub template repo — config-driven, deploy button
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2. **Phase 0b (later):** Hosted version at consent.sttilsolutions.com — for clinics without developers
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3. Both share the same rendering engine (the GitHub repo is the source of truth)
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**Best of both worlds:**
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- Developers and open-source community get the GitHub experience
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- Non-technical clinics get the hosted experience
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- The rendering engine is MIT-licensed on GitHub regardless
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---
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## 5. Technical Architecture
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### Standalone Codebase (Not Signal Module)
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Build Shield as a new, independent codebase. No shared infrastructure with Signal.
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**Stack:**
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- Frontend: Vite/React (same stack as Signal — reuse patterns)
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- Backend: Python/FastAPI (same stack — reuse patterns)
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- Database: Supabase (separate project from Signal's DB)
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- Auth: Clerk (separate instance or same with org separation)
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- Hosting: Railway (separate project) + Vercel (separate deployment)
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**Why standalone:**
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- Clean separation — Signal issues never affect Shield or vice versa
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- Independent pricing and scaling
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- Can sell standalone without bundling concerns
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- Easier to spin out or sell separately later
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### Consent Engine Architecture (GitHub Template)
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```
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shield-consent-engine/
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├── README.md # Quick start, config guide
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├── config.yaml # THE config file — client edits this
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├── template/ # HTML/CSS/JS rendering engine
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│ ├── index.html # Main consent form page
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│ ├── style.css # Uses CSS variables from config
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│ ├── script.js # Form logic, PDF generation
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│ └── preview.png # Screenshot for GitHub social
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├── CNAME # Custom domain support
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├── vercel.json # One-click deploy config
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├── netlify.toml # Netlify deploy config
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├── LICENSE # MIT license
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└── .github/
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└── CONTRIBUTING.md # How to contribute
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```
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**Key technical decisions:**
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- Client-side PDF generation only (jsPDF or pdf-lib) — no backend needed
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- CSS custom properties driven by config — instant branding
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- Zero data storage — forms generate PDF in-browser, nothing is sent to a server
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- Deploy preview on every PR via Vercel/Netlify
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- GitHub Actions for CI (validate config, build preview)
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---
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## 6. Pricing Tiers (Suggested)
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| Tier | Price (monthly) | Features | Target |
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|-----|----------------|---------|--------|
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| **Free** | $0 | AI Consent Engine (GitHub template, self-hosted) | Lead gen, community |
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| **Starter** | **$99/mo** | 12 policies, evidence upload, audit reports | Solo practitioners, tiny teams |
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| **Growth** | **$199/mo** | Starter + API integrations, risk assessments, unlimited users | Growing healthcare ops, SaaS |
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| **Enterprise** | Custom | Growth + dedicated support, custom frameworks, Signal bundle | DMEPOS suppliers, larger orgs |
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**Rationale:**
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- Undercut Dash ($250/mo) at both Starter ($99) and Growth ($199)
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- Free tier = Consent Engine (zero cost to STTIL, drives organic traffic and SEO)
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- Signal bundle upsell to $299/mo for suppliers who need both Signal + Shield
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---
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## 7. Go-to-Market
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### Consent Engine as Growth Engine
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1. Developer or clinic ops person discovers "HIPAA consent form" via search
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2. Finds the open-source GitHub repo — stars, forks, tries it
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3. Impressed by quality → sees Shield CTA in the footer
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4. Signs up for Shield Starter ($99/mo)
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5. Upgrades to Growth when they need audit prep and evidence collection
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### Channels
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- **GitHub:** Stars, trending, HN posts about the open-source Consent Engine
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- **SEO:** "HIPAA consent form generator," "AI consent template GitHub," "HIPAA compliance for startups"
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- **Content:** Blog posts: "How we built an open-source HIPAA consent engine," "Shield vs Dash ComplyOps"
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- **Signal cross-sell:** When a DMEPOS supplier signs up for Signal, offer Shield bundle
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- **Direct outreach:** Small clinics, digital health startups, AI healthcare companies
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---
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## 8. Build Phases
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| Phase | Scope | Est. |
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|-------|-------|------|
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| **Phase 0a: Consent Engine GitHub** | Template repo, config-driven, deploy button, MIT license | 1 session |
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| **Phase 0b: Consent Engine Hosted** | Multi-tenant hosted version for non-technical users | 1 session (later) |
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| **Phase 1: Shield MVP** | Policy templates, evidence upload, audit reports, user auth | 3-4 sessions |
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| **Phase 2: Risk + Integrations** | Risk assessment module, API integrations (AWS, GCP, Railway) | 2-3 sessions |
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| **Phase 3: Signal Bundle** | Shared dashboard for suppliers using both products | 1 session |
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---
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## 9. Open Questions (For Kisa)
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1. **Pricing:** Does $99/$199 feel right for small healthcare ops? Too low/high vs Dash at $250?
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2. **Frameworks:** Start with HIPAA-only and add SOC 2 later? Or launch with both?
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3. **Consent Engine name:** "AI Consent Engine" vs "STTIL Consent Builder" vs "Open Consent"?
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4. **Consent Engine approach:** Go with Option A (GitHub template only), Option C (hybrid with hosted later), or something else?
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5. **Signal bundle:** A shared login/dashboard, or just a discount code for Shield customers?
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6. **Build order:** Consent Engine first (fast win) or Shield MVP first?
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7. **PHI concerns with hosted:** If we offer Option B (hosted), does the consent form itself generate PHI? (Patient name + health info in a form = potentially PHI)
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---
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*This is a design draft. Please review and adjust before sharing with Claude Code for build.*
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