Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Jon, are we there yet?

I have beta tested many versions of AC and always had good luck, but I was a little nervous using the alpha version. The way I see the releases by Jon is that on this same line of posts he advised everyone they could use the alpha version on 11/10/08. Since that time he has made 1 or 2 incremental new versions and they are now alpha while the alpha version at that time has been moved to the beta site.

I am nervous about jumping in - I actually played with version 4 alpha on a backup server I was no longer using on my network. I downloaded the most recent 3..7.... and then installed it with a copy of my current DB from my real network. I played quite a while just making sure it wouldn't crash, etc. before I put it on my real machines. It seems about as stable as my old 3.7... but it still crashes sometimes when importing labs, etc.

I have sent some error reports as well as suggestions to AC, but overall it is working okay.

I have a lot more testing to do. I am not sure I would have released alpha or even beta to the world until more testing was done.

I am a little baffled that there would be a post that V4 is best for XP and Vista as the DATABASE site. Many of us are using Microsoft Servers whether they be 2000, 2003, SBS 2003, SBS 2008. It is not playing well so far with the native SQL on SBS 2003. I am not the SQL expert by any means.

Again, the alpha testing should have been done by a select few -- possibly even the beta. I never knew anything about the alpha version and, frankly, don't know why.

Jon let me play with a copy of V4 at the AAP conference in Oct. He even helped me to load it on my laptop. I played with it quite a bit and found a few bugs, but it was very stable.

He intimated it was on the website, but never told me about the alpha site. I actually found it when I was messing around. It had a version later than the one I had on my laptop and I upgraded it without problem. Most of the bugs I had found were gone.

I will probably put it live soon, as I think it is about ready. Jon's betas have been amazingly stable.

I am prepared to revert the entire system back if need be. You should to be an adverturesome sole if you want to work with beta's. You should be prepared for dire consequences. It takes time to upgrade 7 computers, but I guess I don't have much of a life because I think it should be interesting.

When will the practice management module/upgrade be available? I am unhappy with my current billling service and wondered whether this function would be included in the upgrade, how soon it might be available, or should I look for another billing option?

I would look for another billing option. But, emailing Jon directly would probably be a better answer than mine.

@Wendell I agree Jon's betas are rather stable. Still haven't gotten Microsoft SQL 2005 Express Edition to work well with Microsoft SQL 2005. Keep getting an error message I can't figure out.

But, I am also still working with my AmazingMeds database. I have converted it to .mdf and it works fine in the new version, but it seems to cause a crash when I do a certain thing.

For me this is not even a question. If my database or Brian's database doesn't work with V4, then I can't use it. I just can't stomach that old and horrible medication database. I don't even know why such a thing exists.

But, I know you have more of a life than I.

Bruce, no billing is not part of this Version 4. In talking with Jon, it appears that SQL will be stabilized first and then he will proceed with other major changes. I recently went with MTBC the internal company (meaning the one that will accept output directly from AC). THey are only OK, we are still sorting things out since July.
I did upgrade and there are some connectivity problems at this time. Sometimes a windows account will work, sometimes it won't. On some machines most accounts work on some only administrator accounts. Actual functioning is good, including my win 2K 400mHz machine.

I still wish Jon would just focus on making AC the best little EMR. Building a PM application will take a lot of resources and may take away from further updates and upgrades for AC.

Just my opinion.

I thought the PM has been a project for at least a year and a half. Things would be so much easier if it is integrated. I agree it takes time, but when it is done then it will be a much more attractive program.

Bert:

1. Re: EMR updates and upgrades, is there an end point for upgrading or you think the possibilities are endless/always there to keep improving?

2. Re: same EMR part - how much benefit the users will have after certain point as I have read that 90% of users use the same xx% (whatever that low number is) features of EMR and not use the major XX% of features?

Regards.

Those are good points Joseph.

My belief is that there should never be a time when a program should stop updating and upgrading. I guess I can't think of any application out there that doesn't. Granted some of these upgrades are for the bottom line. A lot of upgrades are to keep compatible, i.e. my backup program's newest upgrade is compatible with SBS 2008 whereas the current version is not.

The percentages is an interesting point as well. A little like 20% of your patients take up 80% of your visits or time. I certainly don't use more than 5% of Word, but I do always like the newest versions.

The perspective on here gets blurry, because everyone is either used to or expects Jon to listen to and try to implement the suggestions they have. I can't think of any other major application where you can do that. You can email Microsoft and Adobe and whatever, and they will even email you back, but NO feature other than Service Packs and security patches and bug fixes will be changed until the brand new version, i.e. 2007 for Office. That was four years. But, that being said, Jon could work well over a year implementing things that have been suggested. I also think he could be the only EMR (I know of) that is pseudo-open source. Not truly open source, but where the EMR is constantly changed and shaped based on not only his vision but the needs and vision of the users as well.

As an FYI on upgrades, the biggest reason for Jon to put out upgrades (from 3 to 4 to 5 -- the actual new numbers) is to insure that users continue to pay for them otherwise, he would have no way of receiving continuous revenue short of the infamous subscription service. Oops!! There's that dirty word again.

Hey Guys. I'm just wondering how V4 has been performing for the folks that are beta-ing it (so far). Is it ok? Do all the old features work?

I've been a little nervour about beta-ing this one.

So far in testing it has worked great.

How about go to one of your work stations and transfer your AC folder there just for testing. Run SQL there and then connect to that database when testing and connect to the Access database during the day. Just a thought.

Initially, I had problems logging in from accounts other than administrative. This appears to have been resolved with 4.0.48. There have been a few bugs but it seems to be good.

Well, I only have 1 extra workstation-- the receptionist desk pc.

I could try it on a laptop though.

But it takes 2 hours or more to convert.

Even if you have only one desktop that is not committed to the database, you could use it. Just set it up for SQL, but just browse to the V3 database when you aren't testing.

How many patient visits do you have? Or better yet, how many MBs is your AmazingCharts.mdb?

My converstion took ten minutes.

Do we need additional software to make ver 4 work? How much will that cost in money and time? I don't have the luxury of either right now.

No additional software. For me, the whole setup took less than 15 minutes. Some have said two hours. Depends on the amount of data.

Basically, it is just like a normal version 3. install. Just at the end, when you go to run it, it sees that the databases are Access and NOT SQL. It's not like there is this huge change. The Access databases are now SQL, which means the last part of the install changes them to SQL. If you didn't know, you wouldn't know.

So, you will get a wizard (which are little installers that make the process very simple because it walks you through it.

The key is, to take your entire AC folder that you are using as the database and COPY and paste it in another location. Personally, I make two backups. Then, you can install it using the real database in case there is an error.

If you have an extra machine lying around (always a good idea to have a "sandbox" to play in) you can copy and paste the original folder there. Then install version 4 on your play machine to your heart's content without worrying about screwing things up. Then, you can test it.

Any questions, ask Jon or any of us who have done it. I am available any time.

HTH

If anyone is ever interested, I can give information on Virtual Machines. Microsoft has free ones, but VMware makes better ones. (I think).

They install on any machine, and it is just like have an entirely different computer. You can put on as many operating systems as you want, I know one tech geek who has over 25 OS on one VM. Granted, you tend to run one at a time, and you have to have a license for each OS, but you can bring it up at the same time you are running your actual computer and do anything in it. It's just like having a separate computer.

Again, if 10 = High Geek (no life at all) and 1 = Don't know where the start button is, then you probably need to be at least a 6 to install one WITH networking. I can help if you want, but so can Al and many others on here.

Virtual Machines are the coolest thing to come along since the Hula Hoop and Frizbees.

For me, who is about a 7 on the Geek Meter (please don't confuse me with the Circuit City's Geek Squad or is that Best Buy's), it is the most amazing thing I have done with a PC. You can even RDP into it. How cool is that?

PS VMware's workstation is the best, but is not free. About $175 but well worth it.

PPS I think a 7 is where you start to not have a life.

<Looked up my invoice. It was $189, but there is a new version out, so who knows>

My amazingharts.mdb is 70,948KB

vm has a free ver u can test out, or there's also sun's virtualbox, which is free and works well for me and doesn't require too much tweaking (on a linux box running win xp). it does take some time investment, whether you go virtually or set it up for real (either reinstalling windows or running ac4 and db converters, etc). so if you don't want to fiddle with it too much and ver 3 is working for you now, then i'd just leave it.

but if you're adventurous and got the time, then there's alot of cool improvements you can do w/ ver 4.

Which would be 71Mbs.

OT


I'm going the other way. I'm running Debian in a VMware VM. My only problem is the misconfigured resolution, causing a small viewing window.

I concur.

Is "signing off" on imports any better in v4? I am wanting to switch to amazing charts but this is the one aspect that looks like it will really slow me down. With 50+ imports a day on average, I miss not having one central location to review them, type up a comment with orders, and then forwarding the instructions to my staff.

Any improvement in v4 to streamline this process?

Okay, ignore my last message. I just found the video on version 4 enhancements and let me just say... Wow! It looks fantastic.

Ia getting ready to go live with AC in a couple of weeks. I have an existing practice and am converting to emr.....
What suggestions do any of you have re: scanners to import paper data... ie consult letters, test result etc.

Also, can you recommend a program that will allow the faxed data to directly import into AC. We will most likely be doing the manual method for awhile until all of the staff are comfortable using AC for the patient encounters....

None of my staff are technophiles. And Bert if you are reading I am a 3 on your geekieness scale but a wannabe 7 (LOL)

Re: scanner... I know I, and many other users, really like the Fujitsu Scansnap S510. It is currently $345 (after $50 rebate) at www.ctistore.com. The good: fast scanning speeds, double-sided scanning, small/compact desktop unit, comes with Adobe Acrobat 8 Standard that can install on 2 computers. The bad: not a TWAIN scanner, so can't interface directly into AC. Instead, you save the scans as PDFs which you then import into the chart.

Re: importing faxes. Check out www.UpDox.com. I haven't upgraded to the newer version of UpDox which works with AC v4, since I'm not up to AC4. UpDox is a program like a email client (Outlook, Thunderbird). Assuming the faxes are coming in digitally (I use Onebox, but pfax is a cheaper alternative if all you are doing is receiving inbound faxes), it can read these and it interfaces with AC, so they can be directly imported to the charts... you just have to assign each page of the fax to the patient with a few clicks of the mouse.

My staff members are not computer savvy, but have really had no problems with any of this.

chris

Chris is all over this. I would have mentioned both ScanSnap and UpDox. It is interesting, because I have heard at least ten users talk about UpDox and then not use it for a myriad of users, but it is still worth checking into.

I have never heard of pfax. Sounds rather interesting.

Only place I would disagree on is that UpDox seems to do more than just an email client.

But, other than that, I think even a 3 on the geek scale can follow Chris' recommendations.

@ Chris, thanks for the info on the scanner and UpDox. Scanner ordered and on its way.

@ Bert, thanks for all the helpful tips. I feel an upgrade coming on....

Jen version 3.1

PS Hope all you easterner are ready with shovels and snowblowers, Ohio just got blasted... (with snow that is) the weekend is going to be ugly

i know you got your gear already, but another way is to get one of those brother (or prolly other brands too) all in 1 type fax/printer/scanner. the cheaper one i got doesn't do double side, but it can scan a stack of papers. they're usually not as hardy, so it's a good idea to buy 2 of the same thing (keep one at house for light duty as backup), but it's twain compliant and can scan directly in w/ ac4.

it also has a fax-to-pc program (or if you have a windows server type OS, then i think there's a built in program for that) that automatically saves your faxes onto a computer (without need for printing faxes onto paper).

only thing is when i'm scanning color images (ie. gi pics, etc), the file sizes come out huge--i'll save that for a posting in the prob section.

Another thought:

I know that I have recommended Brothers, etc. and you can't go wrong with the ScanSnap for lots of scanning, but if you are starting fresh and thinking of an MFP (Multifunction Printer), you may want to go a bit more high end with something like a Muratec, Xerox and Toshiba -- even HP. You could go with a local distributor who could warranty it for you. It's nice to have someone out within two hours to fix it.

I'll chime in.

We use a Brother printer/scanner/copier. It has worked flawlessly for the past 2.5 yrs My only regret is that I did not purchase the one with the fax as well. My previous experience has been that faxes were always too busy and I did not want it slowing down the other functions. Since we are more efficient - I really didn't need to have that fear.

It's almost impossible to find them separately now. I thought when I first started I would. I will say that even though MFPs usually come with Copy, Scan, Fax and Print; I usually will get a much faster networked printer.

The Brother MFC-8460N is networkable. As I assume all the MFC-ijklN printers are.

Yes, a good many of them are networkable. And a lot of users have them on here. I posted a post once with all of the networkable ones.

I had the opportunity of working on a network with two different Brother machines. They didn't have good Fax to PC capabilities. It would only send faxes to an attached PC while you could access it over the network. I am sure there are ways to do it.

I am just saying that if you are going that way and are wiling to spend the $400 to $700, consider leasing something that is a bit better.

My Brother MFC 7820N, which is networkable was only $185.00 on Amazon.com

Sorry late to respond to the posts. I was at a HIPAA class... or more rightly a HIPOO class. Yes, I do plan to upgrade my current printer/copier/fax/to onethat includes scanning.... but to break my current contract is $$$ so will wait a couple of months. I still have a fair amount of stuff that comes in via snail mail.... recerts for home health care etc that and consult letters/tests done at outlying facilities that the stand alone scanner will still be quite useful.

Sorry late to respond to the posts. I was at a HIPAA class... or more rightly a HIPOO class. Yes, I do plan to upgrade my current printer/copier/fax/to onethat includes scanning.... but to break my current contract is $$$ so will wait a couple of months. I still have a fair amount of stuff that comes in via snail mail.... recerts for home health care etc that and consult letters/tests done at outlying facilities that the stand alone scanner will still be quite useful.

BTW, how does one know if a device is twain compliant.... is it listed somewhere for us folks lower on the geek scale....
And what is it anyway.... a method to transmit data?

TWAIN Compliant devices are usually standardized so that a twain compliant scanner can be used with most hardware and software. Non-twain devices need proprietary or specific software to interface.

If you look at the specifications whether online or in the manual, it should tell you plus you may be able to tell in the settings.

Thanks Bert, I needed that.