Home Forums Discussions Problems V6 released

Has anyone had success installing v6 with Windows 7?

6.0.9 Beta / XP machine slowness. The speed is very slow on my XP machines. I even turned off AVG antivirus with no help. The speed to the database is 1 second - same as it ever was. The XP machines are Pentium 4 with 1 GB RAM and no other programs running. At least 225 MB free physical memory. WHen the program tries to look up meds or diagnoses the program slows to a crawl and the meds pop up one at a time like every 1 second. Utilization of the CPU by Amazing charts jumps to 99%. I simply can't believe that Amazing Charts exam room computers now need a dual core Windows 7 Machine with 4 GB of RAM. I've got Microsoft Office 2010 bloatware running on similar machines (not the same machines) with no speed issues.

Something is very wrong with Amazing Charts 6.0.9. I know this has already been reported as an issue. I went ahead and upgraded 5.2.9 (and was having no speed problems with 5.2.9) to 6.0.9 as I just didn't think the problem could be that bad. It's that bad. It would be my advice to hold off on downloading 6.0.9.

I'm going to rollback to 5.2.9 this evening.

The only thing slow for me is the medication module...I wonder if I turned off the interaction check if it would speed this up? I don't really care that much about meaningful use incentive. We could turn it ( interaction check)back on later when it is working better.
We are using Windows XP.
I think I will stick with it and not go back to 5.2.9.

Deborah, turning off the med interaction check didn't speed things up for me.

6.0.9 is better than earlier versions. Thjs, I believe is one of the reasons they held off releasing it. Interestingly, if you remote by logmein, the speed increases to acceptable but somewhat slow speeds, whether working directly or remotely. Stupid workaround, but it might help. Med checking did not make a speed difference.

Wendell,
Thanks for the insights. I enjoyed seeing you in Providence. I was able to successfully roll back to 5.0.29. Took me a couple of hours. I only lost 2 days of data (however, no imported items as I was able to re-index those and no progress notes as I am a dinosaur and still print those out). Now rx writer speed is back to normal and Star TSP prescription printer works again. Life is good. I did not call guardian support as I knew they were busy with the office move and busy with people that got totally hosed on the upgrade.

If you scan the progress notes for those 2 days, you have a complete day with no loss. This happened about 4 years ago when we unexpectedly lost a day. We printed encounters back then, not now but much better backup procedures.

I downloaded 6.09 to a test machine--XP and also had problems. I think I'll wait for >6.1. Despite the frustration with having to wait for V6, I was reminded this past weekend with what a joy AC is compared to the alternatives. I was on call at our local hospital which has just launched CPOE for its EMR (Meditech). What a mess! Come Monday morning I was SO GLAD to get away from Meditech and back to AC!
_________________________
John
FP
Massachusetts

It's been too long to edit my posts from yesterday, but I feel compelled to correct the version numbers so as to hopefully prevent someone else from making a dumb error like I did.

Briefly, I was using 6.0.9. A few days after starting it wasn't working out for me so I decided to rollback to a previous version using an *.enc to restore.

Unfortunately, I rolled back to version 5.0.29 but used a version 5.1.7 *.enc backup file. This created a few problems. Today I had to uninstall 5.0.29 and reinstall 5.1.7 in order to use my data (and I thank guardian support Anthony for helping me with this task).

So the moral of the story is to make sure if you restore from a *.enc file make sure you use the exact version of Amazing Charts that created it.

I made the suggestion to Amazing Charts, through the suggestion portal, that the version of the program be appended to the *.enc file, just like the date and time are.

Is anyone having positive results with 6.0.9? All we are hearing are the horror stories, which is not all bad, but........

I haven't had any bad things happen so far. not much. Things generally seem better than 5.029, but nothing to shoot fireworks about. We don't need 'meaningful use". eRx is better and we are transitioning to it. still needs some improvement.
There are some things that I hoped would be corrected which are not, or are only partially corrected. So while I don't have any horror stories to tell (yet) I don't have alot of "yippe kie yay" either. Oh, one. You can eRx to Medco, and there is some ability to track if your eRx went through.

I like 6.0.9 There are speed issues on P4s but I am mostly using dual cores I picked up cheaply. Some of my machines are P4s and it is tolerable on them too.

Speed issues are only with Rxs and presumptive diagnosis lookup. Otherwise works well.

Prescriptions, while slow are better. Of course you can do the 5.1 things like put in grams and things. It is easier to work with allergies as well. Rx box closes automaticaly after you eprescribe, don't have to do it manually.

The MU stuff is highlighted so you can see what you need to do. You can check a scorecard any time you want.

So, from reading through all your posts I am feeling like we may be in a jam. Just upgraded to 6.0.9 after being on 5.0.8 while waiting for V6 to be out of beta. When angels told me they were now out of beta I thought it safe to upgrade so we could do ERx.

Upgrade went smoothly but we are experiencing the extreme slowness with medications. Is the only option to replace our exam room and provider CPU's ?!! It's not useable the way it is.

We are a 4 provider clinic and have been happy with AC for 2 years, this is a bummer.....

We went on line to attest today, but you can't attest until you complete the 90 days.

But we are on are way

I have been using the beta 6.0.9 and have some issues. I am glad I am not the only one with the prescription module problem. Still, I generally like it a lot.
The meaningful use Wizard is amazing. There are more voice command with Dragon and there are a few minor bugs but it is workable.

The biggest problem is the prescription module, it is slow. I have 3 Dell computers that are 5 years old (with the Pentium 4 chips and 2 GB of RAM) and there is only so much you can do. Try and do all the Windows XP updates.
Update the motherboard drivers and make sure that your monitors have the right drivers. Get rid of any RAM sucking software that you are not using that is working in the background. None of these suggestions did much for my Dells.
For some reason, I have HP machines of the same vintage and they work a little better.

I did go through things in detail with Guardian Angel Support and talked to 3-4 techs at the User Conference. (see the above suggestions). Despite their advice, I got so frustrated, I replaced the Dells with HP laptops with core i5 processors and these are sweet machines and work well.


I have also noticed over time that the RAM on my server gets filled up with SQL.
I have no clue if this affects the prescription program but you might want to watch this if your server has limited RAM and your network slows. (Rebooting the server resets this)

We are currently working to start the meaningful use on July 5. The Meaningful Use Wizard and the explanation in the AC Help section are a great help to clarify the process.

AC over the years has increased its capabilities, needs more resources to function and I think the older computers cannot handle it on some level.

The beta works with Windows 7 Ultimate, I don't know about the other Win 7 versions.

Of course, it could be a programming problem . . . .

Hope this helps.

Rick Gobao
Internal Medicine
Pittsburgh, PA

I have V6.09 installed on 2 dell computers runing vista business, intel duo 1.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM (one of them is "server")and 5 fujitsu laptops, intel duo 1.8 Ghz and 2GB RAM runing windows 7 ultimate. No problems with upgrade and didn't notice speed issue even with using eprescribing. All computers will be 4 years old in november. Laptops were just recently upgraded to windows 7 ultimate.

How does it work on the windows 7?

I'm running V6 on Windows 7 Professional - no problems here

Marty- you did not experience any of the slowness that everyone else is commenting on? I was surprised to see that some had actually rolled back to prior versions!

I have updated to the beta V6 and I'm having the same problems with things slowing down also, especially with the medication window. I'm running XP Pro on all my machines, which are all 2.4 GHz dual core processors or better. I even upgraded the RAM from 2GB to 3GB and thought that may help, but it didn't seem to speed things along any.

I appears that those who are running Windows 7 are not having problems. Is this the case? Is it an operating system issue? Do I need to upgrade to Windows 7 to deal with this problem of running slow?

I have to say that I like the new version and some of the new features that it offers, my only 'problem' with it is that it appears to be slower, other than that, I like it. Still crashes about with the same frequency as the older version - on the average about once a day or so per workstation.

So my question to all: Do I need to upgrade to Windows 7?
Will it improve the speed and will it help to minimize crashes?

Thanks for your input.

I will say I really like the 6.0.9 Meaningful use wizard. Very well thought out. I was happy to see I hit >50% of the metrics without even trying.

However, there is no doubt a programming problem for the prescribing module. It works swiftly in 5.1.7 and drags to a crawl in 6.0.9 on XP machines. I suspect the only reason Win 7 machines work is the speed of the processor overcomes the faulty programming. I hope the programmers at Amazing Charts figure it out soon. I am not against upgrading to Win 7 if I need to, but I really don't think XP is the problem. Why would 5.1.7 work so well and fast and 6.0.9 tank - it's got to be an Amaz charts software issue.

Slowness of the system could be related to memory leak. We have setup on the server that it reboots every night after being off for 60 seconds. So far it has worked well. We saw a slowing at the end of the week. We will see what happens on Fridays

Mukesh

I do believe it is an AC problem. I went back and noted that there is a pause in 5.1.6 with Rxs and presumptive diagnosis lookup as well, it just isn't as severe. This is in 2.4-2.8 P4 machines.

My dual cores (1.8) run 6.0.9 well but there is still a pause, almost like 5.1.6 in the P4s.

Again, what is really weird is there is no delay if you remote to logmein (whether you are running remotely or at the main computer!!!) Don't have a clue why.

Not to offend anyone, but there is no such think as a "memory leak."

I hope it is still in beta. I am definitely not putting it on a production machine. I haven't done it, but I don't know why it would be difficult to uninstall 6 and reinstall 5.

From reading everything, it sounds like it works with 5 or 6 and there are differing degrees of slowness.

If you want to make it work less efficiently, then reboot your "main computer."

If you are putting it on a "main computer" or "server" then buy an appropriate virtual machine and have an extra OS around. Sure, you will have $200 invested in each, but you can always use them. How helpful would it be to have a VM on the computer running Windows 7 and AC 5.029? Then just change over.

Also, if you have 8GB of RAM, you can allocate RAM to and from the VM.

If you don't know if it's the program or the network or whatever, try it on a normal standalone machine and see how it runs.

Bert
Here is what I mean by memory leak

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_leak

Mukesh

Another possibility is that there is additional programming being run that causes the delay. The GUI (visual interface) may be exactly the same, but you could have five methods called (because of MU or whatever) where there was only one method before.

One way to assess the possibility of a memory leak (without actually using a stack analyzer to watch program memory activity) is to take note under the task manager of the program running memory right before you do a script in this case. Then do the script and compare the numbers. If the memory grows each time (on the local machine or the server) then a memory leak is possible. The script may be entered into a memory array for good reason, but prat of the issue is the additional memory consumed comparable to the info in the transaction [script]. If it is larger than that, then something is being allocated memory that probably shouldn't remain.

We could go with the classic software developer defense - it's not a bug , it's a feature! It is giving you extra time to talk to the patient, rest your typing hands (ala repetitive stress), or to finish the chart in your mind since the machine won't let you chart right then.

Take your pick.

After about a day of using V6.0.9 on a "sandbox" computer, I decided to install it in the office today. It all went with barely a hiccup...5 machines in about 40 minutes. 2 running Win7 and 3XP. No problems with installation. At first glance, all machines run at V5 speeds (though the one Pentium 4 running XP has always lagged a little).

Thank you Jon B., AC programmers, and IT gods. No complaints from me today.
Give me a couple of days.

I will be anxiously awaiting how tomorrow goes for you. I have downloaded and looked at it. I have run some reports. I meet tomorrow with a meaningful use consultant.

Nancy, I will be happy to report back on how things go. My initial reaction is that you won't need that consultant...

JBS: 2 running Win7 and 3XP. No problems with installation. At first glance, all machines run at V5 speeds (though the one Pentium 4 running XP has always lagged a little).

Is the server with win7
or the workstation?

Thank you.

We downloaded V6 over the weekend and I played with it. It will be fun to run reports as I've been tracking data ever since the user conference last year.
The consultant does not seem very knowledgeable but is provided free through the HealthENY connection that is the REC for my area. We attested today that we are "live". I think we've probably been "live" for over a year. I'm not worried about needing him but I don't want to be slowed during my busiest time of the year. I'm in a resort community and get very busy in the summer. Things have been very smooth and efficient for the past year and it would have been perfect to make a leap 2 months ago but I'm a little nervous doing it now.
How did today go???
Nancy

I have a peer-to-peer network. The "server" is Win7; 3 workstations are running XP and one is Win7.

Any idea when the final 6.0 version is going to be released? Not the beta version.

One striking thing to me with initial use of V6 is how little it differs from V5. Yes, all of the MU stuff is there, but in terms of the interface, note-taking, scheduling, etc, it is much the same. There is no need to worry about a learning curve if you are not ready to delve into the MU portion. This seems to be especially true for your staff.

We have noticed only a couple minor issues (a problem with our back-ups, and a little bug in the templates). All else seems to work as before. I see no difference in the speed of eRx.

My preliminary view of the MU features of AC is that they seem to be pretty smart and functional (though there are a couple of links that don't work). At the very least, the program has allowed me to get a handle on what we will need to do to meet the MU incentive requirements. I understand that much better thanks to AC. While some of the requirements are annoying, some are pointless, and some will be a bit of a pain, none appear at this point to be too onerous. I suppose if I had a free consultant, I might take advantage of him or her...but you may spend more time educating them than vice versa. After all, how experienced or knowledgeable can that person be at this point?

My first post - here goes -

Our office upgraded to V6.09 last week. Have used AC x 5yrs.
After reading DoctorWAW's comment re working via 'logmein' somehow seemed faster - it's true !!
Want to share how this office used 'logmein' which definitely helped speed up eRx & MU for our office today.

We have in office today 2 front desk personnel, 2 medical assistants, one doctor, one medical student & one MA-student all working on separate computers (7 staff, 8 computers-desktop/laptops) .

Our IT person taught us to do the following:
We downloaded 'Logmein Free software' to all staff's computers.
We picked one unused computer to 'logmein' into the other 7 computers.
Using Mozilla Browser we opened up 7 discrete windows (DO NOT OPEN NEW TABS - MUST OPEN NEW WINDOWS) & 'logmein' the computer of each staff member.
We also had to make sure under 'LOGMEIN' PREFERENCES -ADVANCE to click on 'permit idle' 10 hours so logmein will not automatically disconnect during our office hours today.
Everything went smoothly.
We will repeat the logmein process every morning.
But it is worth the effort - it is a decent workaround until AC can fix the speed problem.
Thank you AC for helping me understand the MU criteria. Thank you AC for making it affordable.

Welcome to the Board after such a long time. I am glad to be of help. Didn't know about the 10 hour idle, that may help in the other office.

I do not understand what the above posters are doing with "logmein" -- especially opening 7 windows on an unused machine. What I understand from that comment is that the "unused machine" can take control of any of the 7 machines it is logged into -- but it doesn't work in reverse, so the "unused machine" is not functioning as a server. Is it just the fact that "logmein" is active that makes things speed up? Aren't the other 7 machines connected as usual (wired or wireless) to your AC server?

I use logmein (or Remote Desktop) to control my desktop machine from remote laptops in the exam rooms and from home -- that way I can also use Dragon Dictate (the standard Dragon version works somewhat weirdly, but usably from the remote -- maybe some day I will spring for the "medical" version." But I haven't noticed any speed difference in any AC function -- sometimes the ERX is fast, sometimes slow -- I imagined that somehow had something to do with internet traffic or maybe the Surescrips servers getting overloaded at times.

V 6.09 seems to work pretty well -- compared to any other EMR program I have had the misfortune to have to use-- and that is several. AC comes close to being usable and certainly is sensibly thought out. I have not noticed any major glitches except that the "batch print" function doesn't work in V6. It prints the notes ok, but every note bears the name of the first patient in the queue!

I have only been using AC for a few months, and I am pretty well through the learning curve. Staff members cry less than once a day on average, now!

On the other hand, my medical partner (also my wife) refuses to use electronic records in any form -- so we are running hybrid paper/electronic for now. Amazing Charts and Updox together seem like they will make that possible -- the printed notes from AC are quite good and make fine paper records (compare with the nonsense that comes out of most other EMR's where you get about 6-8 pages of froth for a case of pharyngitis.)

Thanks Tom,
I am probably one of the least tech-knowledgable person on board & your comments much appreciated. You hit it right on with your comment "when logmein is 'active' it makes things speed up".
As I read these posts- not all of us have the speed problem I have with V6.09 - I am glad you do not. This difference is very good, perhaps AC developers can call both our offices to catch the differences. I would ask my IT person to interact with AC developers if we can be of any help.
My IT person (he networks all our computers,etc) does not understand why - but he also observed it & devised this workaround which works for us.
Although today,as I used logmein, occas eRx or MU would suddenly be slow again BUT it correlated with me being disconnected from logmein. I suspect either my wireless connection was intermittent today & knocked me off OR Logmein Free is less powerful then Logmein Pro which has a charge? But my IT guy tells me to stay on Logmein Free.
Have a nice day,