Home Forums Discussions General Discussion UpDox File Size

I am a new AC user, and still trying to work out procedures for my office. I had a brief introduction to UpDox from an experienced user (yes, you JBS), so I have started the free trial.I saw a previous thread about imported items file sizes and part of the discussion was about UpDox file sizes. I did not see a clear answer to this. Today, I directly scanned a test document at 200 dpi, B&W, then I faxed it and imported with UpDox. The UpDox file was nearly four times as large (549 KB vs 145 KB). Are UpDox users aware of this, and know if there is a way to change the file format?

Donna, my guess is the file size mis-match is a function of faxing - faxing is a process in which lots of graphical "noise" is introduced into an image, so the resulting image will be significantly larger.

If you are using Updox, the lowest file size would be via directly importing a file. The practices I am working with are encouraging other providers/practices to use UpDox, or an UpDox provided receiver account so that both their fax count and their total costs are reduced.

Indy,
Thank you. Most of our reports come in via fax, so that is why I was trying to decide whether to scan the paper and import, or fax to UpDox and import.
Can you explain what you mean when you say directly importing a file?
JBS showed me how he uses an electronic fax program to receive the faxes, then convert to email which go to UpDox for importing into patient files. Does this solve the file size problem?

Donna, I was referring to importing an item [local file of scanned doc] using UpDox. The reasons that I would use UpDox to do the importing is so that in the same step you can forward the information to the patient at the same time using the patient portal. This potentially saves several steps(printing it out, putting it in an envelope, stamp, mailing, etc.)

One of the choices that you can control is the resolution that you scan at, and what the level of contrast that you choose in the document. This will have a direct impact in the fle size.

Today, I was playing with UpDox again. I faxed a document to UpDox, and discovered that there are options on the left "More Options" where you can open the file as a PDF. I did so, it converted it,and reduced the file size. Perhaps UpDox users know this, but it was a discovery for me. The hardest part of learning to use AC and now UpDox has been the incomplete documentation. It has required a lot of trial and error to understand things.
I really appreciate all of the information users have posted here on the board; it has helped a great deal.

Hmmm.. my last post was incorrect. Opening as PDF gives the same file size as the original. (I think I looked at a different document by mistake for the last post)
My concern is not for the file storage, but the issue with backup size after many years of data are input. I have noted users here on the board whose file sizes have become unwieldy with reports of backup problems.
This would be more manageable if you could copy the imported items file to another medium for long term storage and then delete patients' imported items file in total for inactive patients, but as far a I can tell, you have to delete imported documents one at a time within AC.
Is there a way to delete an entire imported items file?
I can certainly do it in the file tree, but then when back in AC, it gives an error message that items are missing.