Home Forums USER FRIENDLY ICD-9, CPT, MEDICATION DATABASES

Vinny,
I noticed what we can share medication databases.
I would like to edit the medication database -- there's a lot of misspelling and silly entries (Oxycontin-Brazil, Oxycontin-Portugal)which just gums up efficiency.

So, if there are other physicians interested in setting up a streamline medication database (with one entry for lisinopril rather than 50 entries), I'd be interested in participating. However, I see that Amazingcharts will not readily allow changing the medication database (and I don't know how to go about this safely).

The same is true with the ICD-9 codes. The non-specific codes when used accidently results in rejection from the insurance carrier. Removing non-specific codes would save time picking and choosing appropriate acceptable billing codes and speed up the billing process. Also eliminating codes that are rarely used by any physicians would be helpful (Legal execution, Nuclear warfare, Injury from falling debris from orbital spacecrafts, death by cannabilism, etc.)

It would be nice to eliminate CPT which I would never use as a family physician. There appears to be no mechanism to make this possible.

An Amazingchart technician warned me to not remove/delete ICD-9 codes as it can make the program unstable. Is this true?

Roy

Roy, I'm VERY interested in this! It drives me absolutely NUTS every time I write a prescription to have to look through all the ones with similar names to find the dose form that I want, etc.

V.

It is very easy to change the medication database. Basically, I started from scratch. It certainly isn't risky, i.e. you won't lose anything. You simply make a copy on your desktop and keep the old one in the folder. (Remember, if worse comes to worse, you download AC again, and you have all your databases -- of course AmazingCharts.mdb wouldn't be helpful).

I played around with the database and got rid of columns that weren't necessary, which is basically almost all of them. Download my pediatric database to see the format you need. Then you simply start with the A's and progress through the alphabet. I used Harriet Lane and Lexi-Comp and added every single pediatric medication. I add new meds that I use which may be adult medications on a daily basis such as Plaquenil, etc.

The trick is this: In the table for the mediction database, you will see four tables: Formulations, Listings, MedNames and MedsDetails. You will need all four tables but no others. When you add or delete a medication, you HAVE to actually delete the tables, MedNames and MedsDetails. These will rebuild when you restart AmazingCharts and then include the data necessary to see the medications you added. Also, if you look at my database, you will the necessary columns. These all have to be there.

When I first made the medication database, it had less columns. These was version one. When version two came out, I had to change the formatting, but I simply based it on the formatting of the new medication database.

Also, as you will see in my database, medications such as Amoxicillin 250 mg/dL, must be written as Amoxicillin in the trade name column, then 250 in the strength column, and then mg/dL in the units column. This is true no matter how long the strength, i.e. Bactrim suspension in one column, the 40 in the strength column, then 40/200/mg/dL. Weird but that's the ONLY way it will work. I worked on this database for man hours, weeks actually. But, it has saved me more than that in hours and mistakes.

The weird thing is I offered it up on the message boards two years ago and I got three takers.

Once you are finished, change the name of the old database in the folder to AmazingMeds.old and then add this database. Then you always have the old one to fall back on, but who would want to? Unfortunately, as I have said, my database may only work for pediatricians, BUT...

I would suggest getting five people to work on the database: A - G, etc. Then, after you could copy and paste into the database, and it will alphebetize automatically. You could use the pediatric ones to get started, but I don't know how that would work.

Oh, and Roy, my favorite CPT code of all time is: Fall Into Other Hole...no lie, and there is no code to fall into hole.

Roy, I could have sworn this went through hours ago. Must have eaten too many cookies.

It is very easy to change the medication database. Basically, I started from scratch. It certainly isn't risky, i.e. you won't lose anything. You simply make a copy on your desktop and keep the old one in the folder. (Remember, if worse comes to worse, you download AC again, and you have all your databases -- of course AmazingCharts.mdb wouldn't be helpful).

I played around with the database and got rid of columns that weren't necessary, which is basically almost all of them. Download my pediatric database to see the format you need. Then you simply start with the A's and progress through the alphabet. I used Harriet Lane and Lexi-Comp and added every single pediatric medication. I add new meds that I use which may be adult medications on a daily basis such as Plaquenil, etc.

The trick is this: In the table for the mediction database, you will see four tables: Formulations, Listings, MedNames and MedsDetails. You will need all four tables but no others. When you add or delete a medication, you HAVE to actually delete the tables, MedNames and MedsDetails. These will rebuild when you restart AmazingCharts and then include the data necessary to see the medications you added. Also, if you look at my database, you will the necessary columns. These all have to be there.

When I first made the medication database, it had less columns. These was version one. When version two came out, I had to change the formatting, but I simply based it on the formatting of the new medication database.

Also, as you will see in my database, medications such as Amoxicillin 250 mg/dL, must be written as Amoxicillin in the trade name column, then 250 in the strength column, and then mg/dL in the units column. This is true no matter how long the strength, i.e. Bactrim suspension in one column, the 40 in the strength column, then 40/200/mg/dL. Weird but that's the ONLY way it will work. I worked on this database for man hours, weeks actually. But, it has saved me more than that in hours and mistakes.

The weird thing is I offered it up on the message boards two years ago and I got three takers.

Once you are finished, change the name of the old database in the folder to AmazingMeds.old and then add this database. Then you always have the old one to fall back on, but who would want to? Unfortunately, as I have said, my database may only work for pediatricians, BUT...

I would suggest getting five people to work on the database: A - G, etc. Then, after you could copy and paste into the database, and it will alphebetize automatically. You could use the pediatric ones to get started, but I don't know how that would work.

Oh, and Roy, my favorite CPT code of all time is: Fall Into Other Hole...no lie, and there is no code to fall into hole.

V, and other FPs
I'm using every spare moment cleaning up the medication database of 47,000 items. I got it down to 37,000 items, and there is a ton of editing that needs to be done. Ultimately, I could pare it down to 20,000 entries just on duplicate entries alone. I probably use a maximum of 3,000 entries in my practice. I'd like to make the edits as usable for others by being inclusive with medications.
Does anyone out there use "USP" on their prescriptions, prescribe dental fluorides.
Unfortunately, I don't know much about Access except for what Bert has taught me. Is there an easy shortcut to eliminate duplicate descriptions?