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Hello,

We are opening our practice August 1. I am looking at using AC and have several questions and hope someone with more experience can lend a bit of their wisdom.

First of all, I'd love to know if people are using AC alone or in conjunction with paper charts?

If you are strictly paperless, what happens is your system/network goes down?

Do you use paper charts for some things and not for others? IE, labs, consult reports, etc.

Are you maintaining your own system or have you hired some sort of IT support?

Thanks, I'm looking forward to the discussion.

rainy

We arent paperless yet, but we'll begin moving in that direction when we purhase the scanner.

We haven't had any problems with AC going down. It has a "soft crash" that prompts you to continue what you were doing if it crashes while you are working on a chart.

Get a nice, big portable HD to back up your data in case your drive fails.

I'm fairly computer literate, but no IT person. I read some info on the internet on how to set up a wifi network, and now we have several computers that access AC via our peer-to-peer wireless network. The only problem we've had is when the router doesnt act right and the laptops cant find a network addresss. Rebooting the router has worked to fix this so far.

AC does not yet have a working interface with Quest labs. But when they are HL7 compliant (i think) then we should be able to import labs. They are supposed to be working on a Quest interface.

Fresh out of residency, I will be starting my own solo practice in Family Medicine the first of August as well. I have been leaning toward Amazing Charts, but it just seems too good to be true compared to all the other programs that cost 10-20 times more. One of my big concerns is that the billing side is not fully integrated and it seems like you really need to use their billing service to make it worthwhile. Otherwise, you may be stuck using/switching to another EMR/PM software to do in-house billing. Is anyone here using AC's builling service and is it any good at optimizing the little guy's collections?
Any comments would be most appreciated since I still don't think I have a clue.
Thank you! :?

Thanks for the responses posted thus far.

Will, there are actually a couple of companies that seem to have an interface with AC for billing purposes. This is something I'm actively looking at. One company is www.mtbc.com. So far, their references check out well. If anyone can add to that, I would love to hear something soon as I will probably sign with them sometime in the next two weeks.

BTW, these references that have been called thus far all use AC and all felt it was great. One did say, it's a good entry level but you will want to upgrade as you expand your practice. The others said it was great for a smaller office.

It's been an amazing search for billiing companies. Many of them never get back to you in the first place and others just don't follow up. Guess I am either too small or they are not hungry enough :shock:

Good luck to you Will.

rainy
(NP in WA State)

I have been using an EMR for almost 10 years now. I was previously using another program which I liked very well at first because it was reasonably priced and satisfied my needs as a solo Internist. I started out printing off all my records and used the EMR basically as an alternative to transcription. I had intened to move to a totally paperless office but, I quickly found that I can actually find and review paper reports more quickly than I can when they are scanned into an electronic system. When my hospital went paperless and my time finding reports and dictations doubled, I reaffirmed my desire to keep my office notes printed out. When my system crashed about 2 years ago and I learned my IT guy had not set up the system to adequately back up the data I was left with corrupted electronic data but I still had all my printed notes!! When I went to update my server and my EMR software I found the EMR program I had been using was now trying to compete with the big boys...the annual user fee had almost doubled, it was loaded with bells and whistles which were of no use to my small practice, and they were unwilling to try and recapture my corrupted data. So, I ditched them and scoured around until I found AC. I have been very pleased for the most part in this program. I think it is well-adapted to smaller practices like mine and I hope it continues that way. I continue to print off my notes because who knows what the future will bring. No one will hold my records hostage should I become unhappy with this program!! The benefit of an EMR to me is that I can produce a legible record of my encounters, use templates, and have a searchable data base. I do use another PM program and have for about 10 years also and unfortunately they do not interface. But, we get along fine and the cost of these two programs together is still much less than what one would have to pay for an integrated program. In this day of disappearing reimbursements, I think we practitioners have to put our feet down and make it clear we cannot afford to be bilked any longer nor made to feel like we have no choice but to stay with a program into which we have invested years of data because it is difficult to transfer to other programs. JMO.
Anyway, I personally think AC is great for us common-folk, day in and day out practitioners.
Leslie Strouse, M.D.

Leslie, (and All AC users), Here, Here. That's why we use Dr. Jon's AC as well. Tired of being seen as an endless source of revenue for other people's greed. As I tell everyone; "Everyone wants to be my friend, because my wife Nancy is the PCP who starts the foodchain for everybody else, but nobody really seems interested in helping to feed us".
As part of standing up together, we need to insist on a true form of standardization, that allows "our" data to easily migrate across platforms. Without such a thing, then half the reasons for EMR go out the window and are rendered moot. The reason your DVD made in LA plays in NYC is because of a concession to a mutually needed standard. But, I think us AC users can sort of help, by assisting a good ethical company like AC succeed and become market dominant. I call AC the QuickBooks of EMR. It's simple to use, easy to learn and priced for the average Joe. What we need is for an AC like product to be so common that is it the "Word" or QuickBooks of this field. It maybe wishful thinking, but I'm trying to assist in my own little way.
First off, I love watching this product grow and watching my feedback getting intergrated into the final product, so we are beta testing the new versions of 3.0 as Jon releases them. But I also tell all my vendors that they need to work with AC if they want to work with me. Midmark and the labs Labcorp and Quest are getting on board. I tried to get Welch Allyn to bite (they are local here just 20 minutes from us) but so far no luck. Let's just hope that sucess helps this product get better instead of outgrowing it's originally intended market. But I must say for the most part I'm very happy with where this product seems to be going. I've talked with the guys back at AC and they say that a few really neat things like a PM module and the Hotsync are about or at least 6 months out. I think having a fully intergrated, single vendor combined EMR/PM is really the only solution. Too many problems trying to get things to work together properly with bridging softwares. Again, I see this as part of being in "control and possession" (pardon the hockey rule talk) of our own data. But you are very right. It's our data and we should be able to take it and do with it as we see fit. But, These are the two features I'm really interested in now that the state specific Rx's are in this new 3.0 release. Those Rx's work real well and save Nancy alot of wasted time in entering and then hand writing them. This forum is part of taking back control as well I feel....And it's nice that Jon empowers this type of exchange. He sees his users as a resource to be appreciated and listened to instead of the "enemy at the gate" or just the sucker that was born for him to use to his advantage....Paul

We are largely paperless. We scan in insurance cards and signed documents as well as outside records. We have not scanned in our old paper records but as each person is seen I summarize the information from the old record and then we file it away for good. Once a note is in AC for a patient we rarely have to pull the paper chart.

We found it easier to have someone upstairs just fax in the documents we would usually scan in if there is a lot. The fax answers and stores the documents onto the computer from there we import them into the chart. The new beta gives a lovely tree for the imported documents. My only problem with that is it is hard to get the offsite backup to work when we include imported documents. We will be doing our own backup to a local removable storage device in the future.

While the AC program is fantastic, the billing service through sure data is a nightmare. Send me a private message if you want details. I would encourage you to carefully consider exploring other billing options.


Lois Freisleben-Cook, M.D. Pediatrics

Thanks everyone for your response...it's much appreciated.

It's good to hear/see the support for AC.

Re Sure Data - you are not the first person I've heard this from. Actually, I had called them...they never returned my call. Seems they are local too...right in Seattle.

Oh well.

PM sent.

rainy

I use MTBC in conjunction with AC and it does work well. They do a good job at cleaning up A/R. It is the 3rd billing co. I have used, and by far the best. We did it in-house also, but it ends up costing around 7-8%. When it was time to pay big coin for the software upgrade, we decided to outsource. It was an excellent choice for us and has reduced stress within the workplace.

Fell free to email me for more detailed questions.

my suggestion would be to get an external hard drive to scan into. we scan recent documents such as labs or radiology reports into AC but leave all the old stuff including old chart out of AC. this makes AC run alot faster and yet through folders listed first by Letter of last name and then in each folder we have a folder for each patient by that letter. when we scan we put the new stuff in AC and in the external hard drive. then when we delete it from AC in 6 months it is still saved in the patients old chart. this probably sound complicated. but it is really easy to set up. feel free to email me and we can set up a time to call if you want. dale

I am a Pediatrician and I am planning go to open a practice in a couple of months, I am researching for an EMR and I do like amazing charts, I would like to know specific comments and rates from 1(Very poor) to 10 (Excellent) on the following aspects:

Installation of the software
Networking
Scheduling
Growth charts
Immunization entry
Prescribing
Coding
Billing: Overall
Billing using of superbill:
Billing using of interface with other billing software
Interface with EKG and Spyrometry
interface with Instant Medical History
Referral letters reports
Use of AC in a tablet pc:
Help support
Overall rate for AC: :?:
Any other topics for evaluation are welcome

Thanks in advance for your help

Installation of the software 10
Networking 10
Scheduling 9
Growth charts n/a, im a surgeon
Immunization entry - what is that? see above
Prescribing - 8
Coding - 7
Billing: Overall - n/a internal billing with separate software
Billing using of superbill: 8 (we do use the superbill)
Billing using of interface with other billing software, dont use
Interface with EKG and Spyrometry - dont use
interface with Instant Medical History - wondering about it, might look into it, im thinking of putting a box in the waiting area, but issues of security make me squeamish about it.
Referral letters reports - acceptable. 7 (i wish i got some from my referrals)
Use of AC in a tablet pc: - just got one. My advise, get a light tablet easy to haul around. I got me a heavy monster that needs a wheelbarrow for wheeling around
Help support - 11
Overall rate for AC: Question 11
Any other topics for evaluation are welcome

I'll fill in where he left off:
1)Growth Charts, easy, just add the data and the program makes a graph with it that you can click on.
2) We've got the ECG and Spirometry and are using it all the time. To quote Nigle Tufnail,"this one goes to 11"!!! Very sweet. If you have old ones saved in the midmark format (.car files) you can import those old ones too and attach them to the patients chart, although so far I've had to do them one patient at a time. A bit tedious but they look great and now everyone in the office can view and print the stuff and ANY laptop that has a USB port that's properly on your network can run a test.
3) Jon has said to me and at least one other person who posted it that he is going to release his own Practice Managment Module this winter (I remember 6 months about 2 months ago now, so we can hope) this would remove most if not almost all of the last billing and PM type of issues your concerned about, if he designs it well. Time will tell.
4) Over all rating of support and product "this one goes to eleven". How many software companies can you write and post like this on the vendor's dime as well as write the President and owner of the company with suggestions and concerns, and half the time, he actually writes you back?? Great product, great folks.
Paul

What about collecting money from patients?
I am planning to start using Amazing Charts + billing company very soon, but what about co-pays and cash paying patients?
For example, if patient doesn't have money to pay a co-pay, does Amazing Charts allow to track negative balance on each patient and collect money next visit?

I dont think so. AC is really primarily an EMR, with a few features from a PM module thrown in. Like scheduling. Some other "pure" EMRs (SoapWare, for instance) do not include a scheduler, but their EMR functions might be considered "more robust." I tried out SoapWare, but it scared me a little. After installing it , I was getting error messages left and right. I think its because it is a modular program, and since our trial was only for a few modules, the errors were from trying to access capabilities that we hadn't asked for. I still found it disconcerting and eliminated it from consideration. However, it seems to be a popular EMR.

Currently, we are QUITE happy with AC though.

Actually, this was my question in another thread. I finally called support and this is what I learned.

The whole issue with copays and the like is what would be part of the missing Practice Mgmt Module that everyone has been waiting for.

You can add the copays AFTER you create your superbill, but there is no way to montior you receipts for the day, no way to monitor who still owes you money etc.

We will start using MTBC (once we figure out how to export and account for copays) for billing and they do all of this. However, the downside to this I would have to enter information into to BOTH AC and MTBC...and that's just duplicat work. Makes no sense to me.

Other solutions?


Barbara

Actually there is no duplicate work. The demographics are exportable from AC to their sysytem. Then you enter copays into MTBC's client web based software, but not into AC. MTBC has a "virtual cash register" which works pretty nicely. After you see patients, you export your superbills to them and by then next am, they import into theirs. you view your daily billing and confirm it. all the copays and balances are viewable through their software when your pts come in. I agree, ideally it would be all in AC, but at least it is not duplicate work.

Well, may be it is feasible to install an inexpensive billing software compatible with Amazing Charts and track co-pays usinng this software in addition to using a billing company for rest of the money?

For example EZClaims seems to be an option, although I have never used it. They claim to be compatible with Amazing Charts and charge $295 + $195 for the program and the transfer module. Is it too much investment for co-pay tracking?

I gather that you are aware that EZClaims is a full function, all be it a bit simple PM/Billing software. The Higher level version looks especially useful to a small office. For a little more, I've been looking at Altapoint from the x-link, interface link. Many of us are trying to wait Jon out while he works on his own PM module which if properly designed, would be the ideal solution. Jon has told a few of us insistant squeaky wheels that is should be released sometime in the winter....Meanwhile I've been setting up patients as customers in QuickBooks, just as EZClaims and ALtapoint would sort of do. My items are the lead code of the visit, 99203 or what have you, and I collect co-pays as a seperate line item, recieve payment and type in a little description like BC/BS Co-Pay or PIFATOS for self pays (Pay in Full at Time of Service) and the charge and the payment equal out. You can assign payments as you see fit into different accounts like petty cash or checking account. It is double work, but it's the price I pay right now to track our A/R while trying to find the "right" one choice, never again solution. Switching systems is probably the worst outcome of all. I'd rather "choose wisely".
Paul

I downloaded the new version and its asking to tune up the database, I click on the link but it comes up a web page only for users who had bought the program, so I cant download the tune up, I need help ASAP :x