Home Forums Discussions Problems Email and how to connect AC & Outlook Express

I note that there is a link to "check email" on my message page, but when I click on it, nothing happens. How do I receive and send emails (not just within AC). I read in someone's post that they checked their email while in a room taking the pt history. I also don't find any insruction on help page. I receive emails from pts and would like to incorporate this into their chart. Right now, I copy/paste the email to a message window and save to chart. As always thanks for everyone's help.

I think that "check email" button is only for checking messages internally from within your office. So for example, another user in your office, can send a message to you. Or when you forward a chart to the doc, you can attach a message to that. Ofcourse, for this to work, you all need to have seperate AC accounts.

Peggy,

To change that a little. The "Check Email" button as kaps stated is simply to "refresh" your inbox. That is all it does. That is an entirely different story as most people here wish we had auto-refresh.

I on one post did say that I check my messages while taking a history. But, not my email. Although, I have been known to do that as well.

I use Outlook. Still is and always has been the best email editor out there, but it isn't free like Outlook Express. Vista does have a nice free email program called Windows Mail or Vista Mail or something.

Anyway either Express or regular Outlook will work in the following way, which I suggest over your method of cutting and pasting. This way gives more options AND keeps an audit trail as you really can't change the email in my method as you can with cut and paste.

When using Express or Outlook, simply open the Imported Items window in the patient's chart. Then, drag and drop the email directly into the left pane. That's it. The actual email is now in the patient's chart. There is really no need to name it or anything. It will have the tell tale .eml or .msg extensions anyway. But, you can right click and rename and categorize them.

So, you have actual emails that can't be tampered with AND you can open, reply, forward or do anything you could do with that email when it was in the original application.

Thanks Bert, this is GREAT! Gets better every time.

Did it work?

Will let you know next week when I'm in the office.

OK, I tried what seemed to easy to be true and got the following response from AC: CAN'T FIND FILE "A file couldn't be found on the hard drive and was skipped. Please check the imported files to see which one didn't make the cut." I am doing this from my office which is networked to main server in front office. Please advise.

OK. All over that. I had the same issue, and I thought it was due to the mail being on Exchange Server. So, technically, when I was moving my email it was being moved from the server, and it wouldn't go there directly. Not sure if yours is set up the same way.

If you have an email application and are using POP3 (downloading directly from your ISP) and are still getting the message, then I guess that is not the issue.

Soooo....what you need to do is an intermediate step. First, drag the email to your desktop. Then drag it to the left pane of ImportedItems. An extra step, but not one that should keep you from using that method I wouldn't think.

Let me know.

Ya!!! worked great, thanks Bert

You're welcome Kathryn. Were you able to drag it directly in or did you have to drag it to the desktop first?

Dragging from desktop works for me now. However, "AND you can open, reply, forward or do anything you could do with that email when it was in the original application." while you can also send and forward this as an email from the Imported Items area, it does not note or record what you did or also save the reply. I guess you would then go to the Outlook sent file and do the same procedure.....this will get a little "tasky" (is that a word?) Am I expecting too much?

Wow. You are expecting a lot, lol. No, the imported items inbox isn't an email program. If you open it from there, you have all the options. If you reply or forward, it will show up in the sent items folder (at least in Outlook). It won't have an error on the email in your inbox to show you forwarded that particular email or not.

But, it's just nice to play with. My guess is most of the things you do with the email will be when it is in Outlook, etc. I don't see you working with it a lot from AC. But, you can. Same thing if you get a reply back, it will go to Outlook and not to AC. You would need something like UpDox to do that.