Let me interrupt this hi-tech party long enough to make a couple of points. I realize that most of the people to whom this is directed are unlikely to be reading it; if it were the second post in the thread, maybe it would reach them. This far in, they have likely left already.
1. Vicki, this thread started with you talking about reluctantly leaving AC because ?we don't have money to buy the kind of server we want or need?. In my opinion, your answer is clear-cut and brief: you don?t need a new server; you need to upgrade. If that doesn?t work, you can consider alternative hardware. While that point was made, I am afraid it is easily overlooked in the flurry that followed.
2. To the majority of the users considering AC, or those currently using it: you don?t need a server. You don?t need to buy expensive hardware or master a server operating system to use AC. If you don?t believe me,
Originally Posted by Bert
Peer-to-peer is just fine. AC works fine and you don't spend as much time tweaking it.
This is especially true if you are a one or two doctor practice, or if you have a single office (or have additional offices and can use Logmein or Remote Desktop).
3. There are benefits to a client-server setup. You can read about those advantages described in great depth above. Some consider it to be fun to work with, and that is why they have it.
Originally Posted by Bert
Where client/server IS needed is for someone who wants to take advantage of the benefits of a domain (at the expense of some increased technicalities) BUT wants to have fun with a client/server.
Keep in mind that if you do want a server OS installed and a network set up, at least the first time, you should plan to hire an IT person to do it.
Originally Posted by Bert
I know of almost no one who can install a server OS correctly the first time. I have to say this, but I consider myself very sophisticated, and I didn't even consider setting up my server or network the first time.
This is not true of a peer-to-peer system.
4. Tom?s experience has provided a perfect example of the reason why I think it is so important to keep emphasizing the above points. Tom is someone who might want to have a more complex system. Bert and Sandeep have provided a wealth of useful expertise and help in achieving this. One of Tom?s points is ?mostly it's just hands on and trial and error. I don't quite understand why it has to be that way. It's what drives my wife (and all my non-tech nerd friends) crazy about computers. And the principal reason why only one of the two of us is ever going to use an EMR.? There are many people like Tom?s partner out there; many more people are like that than like Bert and Sandeep. Tom, Bert, and Sandeep should have a system that is as fast and complex as they would like; the average physician who is not on an EMR should understand that none of that is a necessary part of successfully running AC.
This may make me seem like a Luddite or a wet blanket, but I think it needs to be said. Especially so when the board is filled with high tech posts that may overwhelm or turn-off the average viewer.
