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#24116
08/30/2010 4:23 PM
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As of December 1, 2010, Amazing Charts pricing is going up. Our new pricing will be: - Amazing Charts EHR License: $1995 per provider (one time charge) - this now includes the first year of our Guardian Angel Support & Maintenance (if the practice has this service.)
- Guardian Angel Support & Maintenance: $995/year
We recommend all existing practices, and those in their trial period, purchase the correct number of provider licenses before Dec 1. We understand that nobody likes to have prices go up, but we feel this is necessary if we are going to continue to advance our software and services to remain in line with the new government regulations relating to the ARRA/HITECH stimulus money and continue to add the features our users want in the time frame they need. And just to keep it all in perspective, here are pricing grids from the Maryland Health Care Commission comparing EHR pricing. Even at our proposed new price, Amazing Charts remains not only the highest rated EHR according to a number of independent EHR user surveys, but we are still - by far - the least expensive EHR - whether calculated for a solo or multi-provider practice and regardless of whether the other EHR was delivered as a full client/server system or leased as an ASP. Let us know your thoughts and any questions or concerns you have regarding this upcoming price increase. Jon
Last edited by Jonathan Bertman; 11/10/2010 3:10 PM. Reason: Delayed price increase from 11/1 to 12/1 as discussed in this thread.
Jonathan Bertman, MD, FAAFP President Amazing Charts
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#24133
08/31/2010 12:04 PM
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To be faire to current and new users the level of support has to improve to give more help to daily operation to justify the increase in the price of angel support. Also a user manual become imperative.
Mohamed Salem MD, FACS General Surgery Northwest Ohio
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I also feel that if you are going to stay competitive we need to see the products that are required and promised on time. We have been delayed numerous times for products ie. PM and 5.1 and these are months long, not days!
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Thanks for the input. The purpose of the price increase is to do just what you are saying - increase the Help Desk and the development team to be able to speed up the time to resolution for any support issues, and be able to add the new features no matter what new requirements are introduced. For example, PM was significantly delayed as we had to develop a more usable ePrescribing, get CCHIT certified, etc. Now we have to get a whole new certification required by the government and add new features and reports to satisfy meaningful use legislation. But this is just the nature of the EHR industry, and I know that all EHRs are struggling with the same issues. The price increase is being instituted just for this purpose - to allow us to hire the additional people needed to support our growing client base (>3500 unique practices) and successfully complete parallel development projects in a timely fashion. I agree that there is certainly room for improvement regarding these issues, but many users who have come to us from other systems to Amazing Charts have reported these same type of issues ( other users, feel free to chime in here with your prior EHR experiences) - and those other EHRs charge significantly more for their product. Here are some of their published 1 Physician 5 Year Client-Server Projected Costs presented by the Maryland Health Care Commission (see link above): - Allscripts EHR costs $53,483 for a solo physician and $6,034/year thereafter.
- eClinicalWorks EHR costs $18,150 for a solo physician and $2,400/year thereafter.
- e-MDs EHR costs $16,332 for a solo physician and $3,442/year thereafter.
- GE's EHR costs $36,000 for a solo physician and $4,000/year thereafter.
- Greenway EHR costs $51,626 for a solo physician and $7,884/year thereafter.
- McKesson EHR costs $27,857 for a solo physician and $1,800/year thereafter.
- NextGen EHR costs $11,150 for a solo physician and $9,900/year thereafter.
My point here is not to deflect your valid concerns, but rather to put these concerns into perspective, as I firmly believe that Amazing Charts provides a much more usable product with generally terrific support, at a price many thousands of dollars less than the competition. - Amazing Charts EHR: $1,995 for a solo physician and $995/year thereafter.
In other words, our pricing is literally 1/2 to 1/10th the price of other EHRs - and I doubt that anybody would say our support and development cycle is 1/2 to 1/10th the level of these others. In fact, according to FPM's 2009 EHR user survey study of >2000 docs using EHRs, the AAFP's Center for Health IT ongoing survey of EHR users, and Medscape's most recent EHR User's survey, our support is actually better than nearly all other EHRs on the market (FYI: e-MDs training and support was rated slightly better than ours, but look at the price difference), and our customer satisfaction in all these studies was rated higher than everybody else.
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#24153
09/01/2010 7:52 PM
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I believe that Jon made his post an announcement, therefore, one can no longer post there. I am not sure if that was his intent, but I do think it would be good to be able to post about it. I am going to start this thread and then contact Jon to see what his intent was and whether he wishes for his thread to stay closed or not.
See below. Let me know if this is something we should not be talking about.
Bert Pediatrics Brewer, Maine
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OK, first it is ironic, because I am under the impression that most people agree that AC is under priced. The irony is that this has become less the case as the more things that have been added and, therefore, caused more bugs and the more things that are in the works but not running on time, the less people are in agreement on this. I am not agreeing or disagreeing, just stating what seems to be true especially based on the very small sampling of those who did get a chance to post on Jon's thread.
My thinking is that the likelihood that users will take the new prices in stride are based on five areas, three of which are not satisfactory. The two areas which are succeeding are the following.
Certification. I think AC has moved forward rapidly and is doing everything possible to make AC ready for certification and meaningful use. This is something that has to be done to be competitive.
Version 5: which includes ePrescribing and other health maintenance features including a faster and more robust vaccine entry program.
Things that are not satisfactory are the following:
New Versions: The timing of when things are being developed vs promised, e.g. PM and 5.1. I think users are fine with PM coming out in 2011 as long as they have a rough idea of when that will be. Users make decisions on upgrades and new installs based on these. Of course, it is difficult for AC to nail these down. I am writing this based on what I have read on the board.
FYI: As Microsoft has so clearly demonstrated, it is difficult to predict with any certainty when a new version or upgrade will be available.
Support: While it is well and good and completely understandable to state that the increased income is to allow better support, in a way, this is putting the cart before the horse. I think one needs to anticipate growth and the increase in support it will need and possibly even look at increased support without compensation as an investment. I do understand how those who have had difficulty getting timely support being frustrated with paying more even if the amount being asked is not unreasonable. It still looks like paying more for something one has been unhappy with to begin with. So many companies now are adopting an alternative strategy to email and phone support when one goes that route. They will almost always say, it will be quicker to go to our knowledgebase, FAQ or manuals first. It does take time to develop robust knowledgebases, FAQ, and manuals, but once done, it can free up two or three calls per week. An example in FAQs might be:
Question: When I print a lab order, the diagnosis does not appear on the requisition.
Answer: Make sure that you enter the ICD-9 code first before selecting a lab below.
Even if one person a week read this, it would be helpful.
FYI: I have never had issues with support and based on my experience, they are top notch. There are areas where they can be deficient such as working with SQL. But, I do not wish to convey that support is not good. I am basing some of my comments on threads I have read on the board.
AC is getting much too big and complicated to not have a comprehensive manual and user guide including how to install. To install a new version is not straightforward and moving an install from one PC to another can be daunting. There should be a step by step user guide. Again, a knowledgebase and FAQs are a must on a new well-designed support section on the website.
Forgetting The Past: This is an area that has been frustrating to many people especially long time users. As I have said often, I am not a businessman, and I do not know if it is wise to dance with who brung you and continue to make a product which no one else can duplicate. This ensures you a niche market that no one else can touch. Or, is the axiom that you can't rest on your laurels the more important factor and, therefore, your business will left behind to languish if you do not adopt what other EMRs have such as a PM.
Most of us who were attracted to AC in the first place did so after months of research and looking at expensive and bloated EMRs that we found would hinder our work flow rather than improve it.We loved the simplicity of AC, how quick it was and the price. But, I must say, ironically that was a time when I thought it was worth twice the amount. Many of us (again possibly clueless in business AND in coding) have maintained that keeping what we have but tweaking it here and fixing it there would make a good thing great. There are some things that are so small yet screaming for fixing.
Not only do some of us feel that the rapid movement ahead is causing AC to lose sight of v4, but it would be helpful to get updates on the newest plans while told what things in v4 may change or maybe I should say the main body of AC. To clarify, when I say v4, I am referring to AC prior to HM and other major changes. Fixing the AC that has been the best product on the market going back to 2001.
I do not think there is one distinct place that users feel comfortable sending there ideas. I have emailed them and sent them from the program. I think most of us put them on the boards if, for no other reason, to have them validated.
Just some thoughts.
Bert Pediatrics Brewer, Maine
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Excellent post Bert. I too wanted to comment on Jon's announcement but couldn't.
I appreciate Jon comparing the prices of AC to other big EMRs but it's not comparable. You're comparing apples to oranges in some ways. Some of those EMRs are quite excellent programs but I didn't go with them simply due to the price, not because AC was better. I really like eMDs a lot. It worked with my workflow and had an integrated PM system. I felt it was well thought out and quite adaptable to my practice. But the upfront cost was tough to chew.
As far as costs though, we should compare the price of AC plus my PM software/clearinghouse with eMDs. I spend an extra $2500/year on the PM software. So really, I spend $3500 on my EMR/PM which is comparable to the ongoing cost of eMDs and more expensive than several. So the savings on AC is upfront costs but not ongoing costs in my office.
Now if the PM system is awesome and I drop the cost of my current PM system, the cost of AC will still be quite inexpensive. If not, my ongoing costs are comparable to other EMRs. The initial cost is still quite cheap which is good for new customers.
With increased costs come increased expectations.
These will include: 1) less bugs, or rapid fixes of the bugs. Although the major ones should be fixed quickly, fixes to the ones that interfere with day to day use will keep your customers happy 2) fixes to the simple things like the letter writer and scheduler which are not nearly as good as the "bloated EMRs". You keep customers by changing the things they gripe about most and this is it. 3) of course CCHIT (I despise it and wish I could turn off every single part of it but need it to recoup some money in the future) 4) good support (I've never actually had a problem with the support) 5) some knowledge of future upgrades is nice 6) a really good PM system (I know Bert could care less but if we are going to compare it to others, they have it included in their cost)
There are others that I have posted on these boards in the past that I would love to see addressed.
That being said, I'll pay $995/year for eRx, future upgrades (that's a biggie), and the ability to use support (although I rarely need it). Larger offices won't appreciate if the $995 is per provider but it doesn't effect me so I don't know.
Travis General Surgeon
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I agree with the above - obviously the cost of purchase does not affect me, but I think it is good that Jon finally just put support in the first year - it makes it 1,000 to buy and 995 for the first year of support. I do think it will make it less attractive for offices with extra providers, but only time will tell. As far as support I do not use them a lot, but they have always been able to help quickly and if I have an issue (have had a few with installs of updates) they have got right on them and managed to solve them. I have done many, many upgrades having been one of the earliest users (right after a magazine article talking about Jon starting in 2001).
I have a few interfaces and paying for support to keep them working and Erx is okay.
Last edited by Steven; 09/01/2010 9:37 PM.
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No one wants to pay more in this time of uncertainty, but if the company can't make a profit and grow, it will not survive to provide us with a great product.
I for one, need and want the PMR. I e-mailed Jon about this.
Anyway, after I get my $44,000.00 from President Obama, it will be worth it.
If you believe that:
The check is in the mail.
and
I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you.
Frank J. Paiano, DO, FACOI Internal Medicine of Central Florida, PA The Villages, FL
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I have two ???opportunities to enhance my reimbursement because I am up and using AC and eprescribing. Have even been called an early adoptor in my neighborhood. In both instances, there is something that needs to be done by AC in order for this to happen. Not sure if the increase in price will help me in these situations but I'm hoping so. I trust that AC will give me a return on my investment more reliably than any of these other entities making promises. All I really care about is being able to stay in business and work for myself, take care of my patients and keep my little family happy. ?Pipe dream?
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So I guess our annual support fee wasn't locked in when we purchased....huh?
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I am going to guess I am WAY in the minority here, but certification has no relevance for us. Price of the program was also a secondary issue... by the time all the hidden expenses like lost revenue, equipment, IT support, etc. have been figured in, the cost of the program per se was a small factor. We went with AC because it was straight forward and did what we needed in the most precise manner for our practice. I prefer to solve a problem with a rapier, not a hand grenade. I'm still glad of our choice. I am not disturbed by the price increase.
David Grauman MD Department of Medicine Commonwealth Health Center Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
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Thanks Travis,
David, I think you may be misunderstanding what I have said. I don't think you are in the minority at all. I am hoping you can explain your "rapier, not a hand grendade statement," because I didn't understand it.
I think everyone above is glad of their choice as they stated and by virtue of the fact they and I have kept it so long.
I have no issue with the cost increase. I just think that Jon announced the price increase AND gave reasons for doing so. I think that either all of those reasons either aren't enough or there are other things that could be done that AC is letting slide.
I can not agree MORE with Travis when he states that you keep customers by keeping them happy. AC may get more by moving forward, but in doing so, I feel they are somewhat alienating those that have supported them in the past.
The scheduler and the letter writer are two huge things that could be improved. If I had a dollar for every post about the letter writer, I could give up medicine. I do find it frustrating that so many users come on here everyday and come up with ideas. I guess you could call it complaining, but I tend to think that bringing up faults while offering solutions isn't the same.
A lot of companies are motivated by their stockholders and feel they have to keep them happy. AC hasn't gone public. In a way, AC's stockholders are its customers. Look at all the advertising for AC. I don't see much. AC is spread by word of mouth more than any product I have seen in a long time. And, a lot of that comes from the board. This board is so helpful to potential users, new users and older users alike. It is a vast resource for AC. I think, in return, the users could be listened to.
I just spent the last five hours sitting here with my programmer pouring over fixes and improvements for two of our programs. These small fixes are going to make a drastic improvement in both. It is very helpful to be able to work with a programmer who is so responsive and able to fix bugs and add enhancements and respond to the ideas I have so quickly. Sure, he has only five to ten users to worry about, but he also is one person who doesn't paid. I used to say that Microsoft will not come out with a new OS or Office Suite until they are ready, and they don't listen to much to their customers, although I do get emails back when I suggest some. I used to think AC was like that.
But, I think this is different. It is a much smaller company with very active, enthusiastic users. It really is a very tight knit community.
I am wholeheartedly behind AC and would never switch EMRs. I have no issue at all with the price increase. I just think that it has brought to a head some of the issues about fixing some of the old problems and tweaking the program so it does fit the work flow of the physicians better.
Bert Pediatrics Brewer, Maine
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Anyway, after I get my $44,000.00 from President Obama, it will be worth it. If you believe that: The check is in the mail. and I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you. At least with AC, you can afford to feel that way. I look at it is now as a no lose state. If I get money great, I think they may have already put the check in the mail, yeah, that's the ticket. To St.Lawrence: I might be wrong but I think as long as your credit card is kept current the price is fixed. This had been his stated policy, I don't know if he changed it. To Travis: Actually you should have looked at the others more closely, they take a lot more time and time is ??? That being said, there is another program called practice fusion that is free (too simplistic, but fast) but claims to be planning on being reimbursable (where's that check again) but you get ads, or pay $100/mo and no ads. When you compair AC's current price with theirs AC is cheaper (with maintainance) than the $100/mo after 2 years. To Steven: I didn't look closely enough to note that the first year now includes maintainence (at an increased rate). That is fair, since that is probably when you need it most. It should include 1 year of maintanence. To David: Apply for the rebate anyway, I'll pay the postage if you send the check to me (or is it already in the mail?) To Bert: Totally agree with every thing you just wrote.
Last edited by DoctorWAW; 09/02/2010 2:36 AM.
Wendell Pediatrician in Chicago
The patient's expectation is that you have all the answers, sometimes they just don't like the answer you have for them
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I do remember there being an advantage to keeping your credit card current to keep the reduced rate, but it doesn't seem to indicate that in Jon's announcement. It appears it will be $995 annually regardless. I hope I am wrong.
Bert Pediatrics Brewer, Maine
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I don't know how the credit card thing worked, because the first time I came up for refnewal my card had expired and that created an issue. I just asssume I am going to pay 995.....not thrilled but considering Microsoft wants $$ every time Office or Windows changes I figure I can live with it.
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I don't have a problem with the price increase, for a new user 1995 including the first year support. You may consider the actual softwere is 1495 plus angel support at $500. Sound very resonable. I belive the 995 yearly for angel support is bit pricy. Jon choose to compare the AC with the most expensive soft were. I agree with Travis we all selected AC because it is pricing. There is other EMR very competitve with the same pricing range for solo practice like Alta point and springcharts, and unicharts, not included in the price comparison. I would like to point also, that some EMR are now available for free, like practice fusion. I belive that Price competativness wil be the driving force for any EMR. AC has jumped quickly to 3500 user just because of its pricing. $ 500 a year for support is propably enough with increasing number of user will bring more money to AC. I hope that Jon will reconsider its decesion regarding the anounced increase in angle support.
Last edited by msalem; 09/02/2010 7:36 AM.
Mohamed Salem MD, FACS General Surgery Northwest Ohio
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Over and over and over.....these same things were said years ago. And I could not agree more with everybody. I still fear that AC will try to "run with the big dogs" and leave us in the dirt. Travis is so right...fix the frustrating things, PLEASE!!!! Bigger is not always better. Bert, "never say never".
Leslie Hospital Employed Physician Who Misses The Old AC
"It's a good thing for a doctor to have prematurely grey hair and itching piles. It makes him appear to know more than he does and gives him an expression of concern which the patient interprets as being on his behalf. "
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I was thinking that when I wrote it. Probably said never, more because of how difficult it would be to change than other reasons.
Mohamed, great post. I will point out a couple of things, though. Yes, more users will bring in more revenue for support. But, then there will be more users to support requiring more money. Also, would be careful of the free ones like Practice Fusion, as you get what you pay for, and I wouldn't compare a great product like AC with Practice Fusion.
As I have stated, I am not sure which practice model is the most sound, either run with the big dogs or get bitten you know where, or let the dogs run where they may and stay in your niche market. The ratings speak for themselves. As Mohamed said, "AC has grown to 3500 faster than any other EMR because of what it was and is. I am not so sure that growth will continue if AC continues to evolve into a larger program more similar with the more expensive programs.
But, I defer judgment ultimately to Amazing Charts and Jon as he obviously has known what he was doing since 2001.
Bert Pediatrics Brewer, Maine
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For me, the most important thing at this point is to assidously work on fixing the annoying bugs, quirky features and substandard parts of AC. These are constantly brought up by the veterans and new users in these posts. Don't add new features unless you can support what you have already. Fixing many of these issues would confirm AC's committment to quality.
John Internal Medicine
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I came to AC because of its low price for the software and support. Increasing the price of AC for new buyers to $1500 is not a bad idea. I very rarely use support except for upgrades and I think $995 from $500 is a steep rise for support. Grenville
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Bert, I agree with you that more users will need more technical support. But don't forget that older user will be almost out of the equation . I can hardly see someone like you, would need technical suppoert . At certain point, the number of users needed technical support will become fixed in some range. No more hiring will be needed. the extra money will be used for development and upgrading as well as increase revenue for the business owner.Do not discount the efforts of older users with their great input to new user to help fixing their problems and teach them how to navigate AC. This has to be considered a significant contribution to AC. Actually I am pretty sure that Jon is benefiting from our posts .Whether for identifying problems, or petential need for improvement and possibly new ideas. I am in great support for Jon as genius entrepreneur. I feel he is solo enterpreneur like us in solo practice .His main strenth is coming from his relation with all users. I am sure that AC by being competive price wise will bring huge growth the next few years . AC already passed the lag phase. I myself new about the product from one of my friend. I am also passing the recomendation to another one. This save a lot of money for advertising. I still hoping that Jon will reconsider to keep the Angel support at $500. I can only present my opinion.
Last edited by msalem; 09/02/2010 1:07 PM.
Mohamed Salem MD, FACS General Surgery Northwest Ohio
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Thanks Travis,
David, I think you may be misunderstanding what I have said. I don't think you are in the minority at all. I am hoping you can explain your "rapier, not a hand grendade statement," because I didn't understand it. I mean that I prefer to solve a problem by using the most correct and precise tool for the job, not necessarily the most powerful. Why do a CT scan when a hematocrit and a digital exam would solve the question as well? Why use e-clinicalworks when AC does EXACTLY what I need with less fluff?
David Grauman MD Department of Medicine Commonwealth Health Center Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
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Thanks Mohamed for your reply.
@David Thanks for the explanation. I agree with you.
@John Great post. Succinct and accurate.
Bert Pediatrics Brewer, Maine
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I have a physician who comes in and covers for me on Thursdays so I can take the day off. I did not mind paying the support for her one day of work when it was relatively affordable but now I am going to find it very annoying. I also agree that in some ways we are putting the cart before the horse. The comparisons that Jon made were all full featured EMRs that include integrated PM systems which AC is not. I don't think you should charge more for the promise of a better future. Once the product is delivered THEN you raise the price. Just sayin'...
Bill Leeson, M.D. Solo Family Medicine Santa Fe, NM
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My take is that V4 at current AC prices was/is a terrific bargain; by far the best product for the price on the EMR market. The major V5 benefit to me was e-prescribing. In coming months we will have a PM module. In my view, it is reasonable to expect the cost to go up with those additions to the product. They are well worth the added cost. Agreed, it would be nice to have PM before paying for it; in fact, most people will. The program will remain the best product for the dollars that is available.
From an unvarnished economic standpoint: 1. I doubt many current AC users will see the added cost as a reason to switch to another product 2. I doubt the higher price will deter many new users from choosing the product.
Does this excuse Jon from trying to keep his current customer base happy? Of course not. Attention to support (including a user manual, as well as maintaining excellent "acute" support) and product development (including improvements to weaker aspects of the program) will hopefully benefit from the added income to the company.
While I don't expect to see "my" 44k of stimulus money, I do expect to earn the e-prescribe subsidy this year. In another thread, John describes how easy it is to get a 2% bonus of your Medicare collections for 2010. I know this doesn't help you pediatricians much, but I would suggest that all who see Medicare patients plan to earn that bonus and fund (at least some of) the AC price increase with it.
Jon GI Baltimore
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I'm sorry . I forgot to add the medicare e-prescribing bonus to all the money President Obama is sending me.
When will that 2% be coming??
Frank J. Paiano, DO, FACOI Internal Medicine of Central Florida, PA The Villages, FL
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@Jon,
Couldn't agree with you more. My problem isn't with the price increase, it seems reasonable. The sticking point with me and others, I presume, is it only highlights the fact that AC does not seem to want to listen to its users and go back and fix the nagging issues we have talked about for so long on the board.
Bert Pediatrics Brewer, Maine
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Frank, I haven't been there lately, but isn't EVERYONE in Florida on Medicare? Just add the G code for 25 visits where an e-Rx occurs, and "the check is in the mail".
Jon GI Baltimore
Reduce needless clicks!
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It is 25 visits or 10% of medicare visits, I think. I have been told that I should be receiving PQRI meaningful use $$$ sometime between Oct 12 and Nov 22 of this year for doing a diabetes registry last year. Reporting benchmarks on 30 consecutive patients at least 10% of them medicare. Will soon see if that pans out. I've started "watching" for the money now.
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I have a physician who comes in and covers for me on Thursdays so I can take the day off. I did not mind paying the support for her one day of work when it was relatively affordable but now I am going to find it very annoying. Why not just put your covering MD in as a midlevel, and cosign the note?
John Internal Medicine
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Another option is to call AC and speak with Jon or Kathleen (VP) and see if they would discount support as obviously only one person is on at any time and they are covering for you (like a locums) and they probably would never call for support as it is your EMR and only do it......
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Jon (JBS),
We do see a lot of Medicare, particularly around "The Villages", the largest retirement community in the country. But the demographics of the Sunshine state are changing. I did see a 32yo female this week.I explained to her that my experience with neonates was limited as an Internist, and I wasn't sure if I could take care of her.
I do use the "G" code for my electronic submissions on the day of a visit for the Medicare bonus. I just wasn't sure when Medicare would "Show me the money".
I received a call from Sales yesterday, and was told that AC would honor the $500.00 support fee as long as there was no change in my credit card.
Frank J. Paiano, DO, FACOI Internal Medicine of Central Florida, PA The Villages, FL
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Another option is to call AC and speak with Jon or Kathleen (VP) and see if they would discount support as obviously only one person is on at any time and they are covering for you (like a locums) and they probably would never call for support as it is your EMR and only do it...... John and Steven, Thanks for those thoughts. I will try one or both of those options. When I initially spoke c sales I told them that 1 or 2 weeks a year neither of us could cover and I needed to hire a locums. At first, they were going to charge me for THAT provider,too. They only relented because I told them that was ridiculous and I wouldn't accept that. Their quote was "well, I guess if your sure he only comes in 1 or 2 weeks a year we will let you get away with it". I hardly felt like I was getting away with anything being a loyal customer of AC. You can tell I am still a little miffed about it. I think speaking with someone higher up the ladder is a good idea. Like I said before, I was willing to pay it when the price was lower.
Bill Leeson, M.D. Solo Family Medicine Santa Fe, NM
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It is 25 visits or 10% of medicare visits, I think. I have been told that I should be receiving PQRI meaningful use $$$ sometime between Oct 12 and Nov 22 of this year for doing a diabetes registry last year. Reporting benchmarks on 30 consecutive patients at least 10% of them medicare. Will soon see if that pans out. I've started "watching" for the money now. I did 4 consecutive 6 month periods of the diabetes registry PQRI. I got one unidentifiable check for $1000. I could not tell which period it came from or why I did not receive a check for the other 3 despite multiple emails and phone calls. I no longer bother with the diabetes PQRI. BUT, are you guys saying that I can just send in a G code on 25 medicare patients on whom I send eRXs and get a 2% bonus. I suppose that might be worth trying, though I remain HIGHLY skeptical of the whole program. I have no delusion of ever receiving $44k.
Bill Leeson, M.D. Solo Family Medicine Santa Fe, NM
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PQRI and eRx haven't been publicized much so I won't hold my breath that I'll see those checks. Never saw anything from PQRI.
Now the HiTech stuff may actually come to fruition just because Obama spouts about EMRs and incentives and whatever on TV/publications. We'll see. Either way, the eRx requirement this year is pretty simple for a government thing so I'll give it a shot.
Travis General Surgeon
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I agree with most statements. Jon has a great reply on his original price increase post. I think he has all our best interests in mind, however, I think he needs to realize that we are all business people (as much as we hate to admit it!) and we need to understands the future of one of our most important practice solutions (EMR and PM). I am definitely not jumping ship, but concerned about my archaic PM system!
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I'm OK with the initial purchase price, especially since it includes 1st year of support and eRx.
I'm not a fan of a one size-fits all support arrangement (kinda like Henry Ford offering cars only in black). I can't remember last time I called for support. If there was to be an increase, I'd rather there be a couple options.
For instance, current $495 would give you updates and 3 incident calls/case numbers per year, $50 per incident afterward max of $1195 total. $995 would give you unlimited support for the year.
Eric Beeman Office Manager for Solo Practice Manistee, MI
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like everyone else, the low cost was a huge decision making factor in chosing AC. but, i am very satisified with the product, and must add that I have never experienced tech support as reliable and easy to access and helpful as the amazing charts team. I hate spending money. but for the service they provide and the responsiveness (and, bonus, friendliess) of the tech support team, it is an easily justified expense for me.
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Very sensible topic (money). Here are some thoughts. I love AC, I like upgrades, I will definately love PM module and compliance with Government Meaninful Use (you never know, maybe we could get something) but like any other business person, I don't like price increments. The price is going up, not a bit, it is going up double and basically for Angel Guardian Support (updades, upgrades, eRx and IT support.) As a 5 year user, I have witnessed the development of this great EMR. AC is so great and stable system that we have used Tech support in very few instances. I have to say, like most of you know that IT support is 5 stars. However, most of the answers for simple, and sometimes not so simple questions I have found them here in the forum. I have never been a fan of the per provider charge (not for the licence, not for support) However, I am not an expert on marketing or have an idea of the operating costs of AC. I do feel that the price for the license is still good around $2000/provider. Discounts considerations should be given for multiple providers. About Angel Guardian, I think that eRx and IT support are 2 different services and should be charged separate. eRx charge / doctor and IT support (everything else) / practice maybe with a formula as explained by Eric B. One question. Where there be discount considerations if we keep a Credit card automatic payment? Like the one is currently in effect? I don't post too frecuent, so allow me: Thank John for a Great Software which keeps on improving with time !
R. Arjona MD Internal Medicine
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