Home Forums Discussions General Discussion 5.17

Almost ready to upgrade from 5.029. A question to the forum: Anyone with problems or regrets updating to beta?

As I mentioned in another thread, 5.17 has broke some of the Star TSP-800 printed prescription formats that were ok in 5.029. If that is important to you I would wait.

Also, the intermittent "message sent without attached chart" problem is a concern (for me).

I finally set up 5.17 on a sandbox computer, and I have not had any issues with the TSP. I am using the first default format.

Others on here have stated something about its not being able to print multiple scripts. I have to admit ignorance here, as I have never known you can use it that way. I mean I know I can, but it would just print a sheet of scripts which would then need to be cut manually or am I missing something?

If you print multiple prescriptions at a time, the header (practice address and such) is only printed once.

Another issue (which I have already submitted a bug report on), is that 5.1.7 won't let me add new patients on certain computers. Says the First name, last name, sex, and DOB are required (even though all those fields are filled in. Really strange bug.

Ken,

Good stuff.

1. Can you fill that in on the "main computer" or another computer and have it show up correctly on the other computer? If so, that doesn't seem like a big issue.

2. If you enter it in on the "main computer" and it works, but you are in the room and the patient tells you it is Greene and not Green for the last name, can you change it and have it work?

3. Do any of these two issues occur in 5.16? I could live with the demographics but not with the TSP.

Bert,

Yes, you can only enter a new patient on the main computer. And you can only change patient demographics on the main computer. Seems that the secondary computers are "read only" for that part of the database. The secondary computers can create progress notes just fine.

I went from 5.029 to 5.17 directly so I don't know about 5.16.
...Ken

That was my next question. But, you can read/write on the PNs

Since you are looking only at the demographics, and they have to connect to the database over the network, have you tried any of the Amazing Utilities such as Optimize database, etc.? I have no idea why that would work, but it can't hurt. Strange, but there must be an answer.

Makes me wonder if there is an issue with DB table permissions, or the main computer taking exclusive control of the subject table.

I have taken one installation to 5.1.5 so that they could resolve some pressing issues with eRX. Ever since then, a dialog pops up that alerts that AC isn't running on the main computer, but the application starts and connects. Makes me wonder about what is going on in the SQL stack. [FYI - YMMV]

I would also note in passing that there was intermittent issues with prescription printing (I think that some others have mentioned); the solution in this particular installation was re-running/repairing the installs, and that seemed to resolve he registry problems that the CR stub sometimes produced.

Is anyone else uninstalling the Bonjour web-server from individual machines in those cases where the users aren't using the iPhone app?

So SQL, as I thought. Figured I couldn't fix that, so try something else.

So does YMMV stand for your method may vary or your mileage may vary?

Are you saying the TSP printing problem is fixed?

YMMV - your mileage may vary - I realize that in moving a client to a beta, we accepted a risk of running a non-final version, so that approach isn't for everyone.

TSP - "The Script Printer"? The original solution offered was editing the registry keys having to do with Crystal Decisions, the report printing stub. That solution wouldn't stick, so I worked with AC support for several hours until we eventually just re-installed, and that seemed to take better.

I would add in passing that one comment I got in one of my support calls was that AC runs best as an administrator account and that otherwise it can be quirky. I refuse to accept that as an operational concept, and so I am hoping that was a legacy concept from some ancient past.

Bottom line, each of the versions I have installed show progress, but if you don't need specific functionality, and doing the upgrade process is large task for you, I would hold off until v6 goes gold and other folks have installed it.

I am a firm believer in the Penguin rule of upgrades - let others jump in the water first ... [and find any lurking Great Whites!]

It's crazy to have to run in admin.

No way would I wait for 6.0. I am not quite sure if 6.0 will be a better EMR or just have the PM, in which case I wouldn't upgrade.

No 5.17 just has way too many new features to pass up. Not sure what TSP. Probably Thermal Star Printer. Definitely not The Script Printer, especially since that is just two models out of many.

So, we have to make sure it works with the TSP800 and if it is having issues with adding demographics, that needs to be fixed.

5.17 has too many helpful features comapared to which version? What version were you using before you went to 5.17? I am on 5.0.29 and have a couple of quirky bugs that I have been ignoring waiting for 6.0 to come out. I was figuring that the little bug I know is preferable to the little bug I don't know is there.

Bert,
I tried the database utilities (reindex and optimize). Still can't add or change demographics from anywhere but the main computer.
Indy,
I am running as a computer admin on my Windows XP Sp3 Professional non-main computer (yes, I think that is a legacy thing, many eons ago, amazing charts wouldn't work on a peer to peer network unless you ran as admin)

I wouldn't have upgraded to 5.17, but I needed to move my database anyway to a new Windows 7 Pro computer, and figured it would be better to get any networking issues worked out before version 6 came out.
...Ken

Ken - what permissions do you have on the share that contains the AC directory?

Since it sounds like the network has changed, I'd suggest that the limited account that users run under - say "examuser" - be also created on the main computer, so that the user and share credentials are the same. That is one less thing to get goobered-up.

Indy,
"everyone" on this Window 7 Professional network has "Full control, change and Read" permissions for the shared Amazing Charts folder on the main computer.

http://amazingcharts.com/support/i-want-to-help-myself/current-beta-version/

I think it has the most new features and fixes of any version to date.

Indy, his permissions must be correct as he can write progress notes and such.

I having some problems with incoming e-prescibe corruption in 5.1.7, just letting everybody know in case you are thinking about upgrading to 5.1.7. I have alerted tech support. Incoming requests missing patient name, med name, sig. Date conversion errors.

KenP,

Give 5.1.6 a shot. I am not trying 5.1.7 given all the issues. For me, it's not worth the TSP800 problem, but I will see how that works.

Bert, do you think I will be able to use my current 5.1.7 database with program version 5.1.6? Obviously I would make backup and try on only one computer first.

Ken,

Without looking at the internals of two different versions you can never be sure, but I would caution that you may very well run into problems that will not be immediately evident.

When we do minor revisions (1.1.X) to releases, there are always changes to the code base, but there may or may not be DB changes as well. Because the change may be in a supporting table, you might not run into it right away, but it is lurking out there like a data landmine.

If you have been on 5.1.7 for some time and need to go back to 5.1.6, realize that unless specifically documented otherwise, code isn't tested for backward compatibility, and you could be fine, or run into unexpected results.

Sorry I don't have better news for you.

Indy and Bert,
OK, sometimes bugs are caused by the littlest things. The following problem broke both my ability to add new patients and e-prescribing:

I had (and have had for years) my Windows XP Professional Regional and Language options (in the control panel) to display dates as
08-MAR-2011
rather than the default
03/08/2011 on the affected computer.

(this was because I do international clinical pharmaceutical trials, and the dates must be displayed in that format)

Apparently this was enough to break Amazing Charts e-prescribing and somehow the add new patients page.

I have restored the Windows Date Setting to DD/MM/YYYY.

Things are now working (Except for TSP800 multiple prescription printing and the loss of the Florida Format (where in FLorida we have to say MAR/08/2011 or 08/MAR/2011, but not 03/08/2011- pharmacies do kick back prescriptions if one doesn't write out the month).

Thanks for everyones help.

Awesome. Mainly because I think Indy was right on the database. On the site I go to, they always say no matter how weird the problem, there is always a reason.

That could definitely help someone else.