Indy was very special and quite a generous and helpful guy, without a doubt. None of the above stories surprise me in the slightest. I could list a number of people in the Baltimore area alone who have similar tales of Indy's unselfish outreach to solve their tech problems. Personally, I could give numerous examples of the times he dropped everything to help me out with office and technical issues. After helping me out, I would literally have to fight with him to convince him to accept some compensation for his expert help. He didn't just have the knowledge to help; he was extremely generous with it.

At the AC user's conference in Providence in 2011, I heard Indy's talk. In the plane on the flight home, I heard someone a few rows up talking about AC. Seeing that Indiana Jones hat from the back, I knew it had to be Indy. Ultimately, he connected with a group of us who were lost in the wilderness of trying to understand and implement an EHR, with all of the stress that entails.

Indy's idea was to get together with docs and have "meet-ups" in fun places to discuss technical and practice management issues, bond in the recognition of our shared battles, and at the same time, form friendships and have fun in a pleasant setting. He was a driving force behind small group meetings in Lake Tahoe, Laramie, Wyoming, and San Diego. Each event was a success in its own way. That combination of helping docs through learning, camaraderie, and fun was Indy's vision.

And it was truly a vision. The first meeting, the one in Tahoe, was terrific. For one thing, it was notable for a knock at the cabin door which turned out to be Jon Bertman who flew in to spend a day with about 12 of us, discussing our concerns about AC and his plans to remedy them. I also remember that a small group of us, including Indy and his wife Lori, stayed up late in a conversation that covered a lot of ground. In subsequent years, Indy often referenced that meeting as the genesis of his plan to spend his career helping docs. He saw us as "people who are trying to do good" and wanted to find a way to make a living, using his own personal expertise and experiences to help us. This alone is just one reason I miss Indy; we all should appreciate him for this. And don't think for a minute this was just talk, or an act. Organizational skills were not his strong suit, so he sometimes struggled to implement this personal vision, but there is no doubt that he believed in it, and "walked the walk" of helping us out whenever he could.

Indy, I miss you, respect you, and I thank you. I will lift a glass in your memory. Others here in our Maryland user's group will do the same, as will those from New York to Cumberland to Utah to Montana to Chicago to Indiana to LA. In fact, it is safe to say that people all over the country are mourning your loss. May you rest in peace.

Jon
GI
Baltimore

Reduce needless clicks!