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Everyone: Ask yourself this question:

What if in the next version, you actually could not use the script writer at all. Not buggy, but just couldn't even open it to write a script or ePrescribe and you HAD to hand write scripts. What would you do?

And, Chairman Leslie, I do recall all of those be careful what you wish for.

Use the free version of Allscripts eRx. It works fine.

Watch out--rant coming: While I appreciate that many posters have said that AC is the victim of MU, IMHO, this eRx fiasco is 100% Amazing Charts fault. I don't care what the government tells you to do, you look out for your customers first! I can think of many ways AC could have rolled out version 6, as an optional add-on for instance. I am still using ver 5.029, but I am very PO'ed that there has been no update of the med database, even when 5.029 was still the final version and 6 was still beta.

And the lack of communication & information on how to address the obvious problems with version 6 is very disappointing also.

It was only this week that I started using AC ERx, I did not use it in Version 5 so I have no comparison, but it is not bad (with acceleration turned down - thanks, Sandeep - it did crash with it on full). I have held on to my beloved free Allscripts. The ONLY advantage to using ERx in AC is the automatic updating of the meds list. Perhaps I should stay with Allscripts for now, and continue the double entry. I am going to continue to play with it.

Backup workaround to continue to use V6 for now may be:
Notes in AC
Rx via Allscripts
Reports continue to be placed in paper charts (since I am new we have not gotten rid of any yet) for quick access.

Sounds ridiculous, but it would work around the V6 issues.

Donna, I am not sure about everyone else, but my eRx has worked flawlessly. It is the opening of the prescription writer that has been an issue and loading the meds. For me, it doesn't take that long so not an issue. But, once open, it is fine. So, I would not use Allscripts. My workaround would be:

Notes in AC
Rx via SureScripts (works perfectly)
Reports in File Assistant Pro (always super fast -- no need to sign off, etc.)

Not sure if this is a rant, but I would not be happy using a 3rd party program with double entry for scripts.

But, I think my question was not taken in the way it was supposed to be.

My point was how many things would have to go south before enough were enough.

I do know now through trial and error and crashing my program that Crystal Reports mainly checks to see if the incoming refill matches the current one in the chart. Wouldn't even need it if you used Allscripts . But, if you uninstall it, crash!

Bert,
You are right, my wording was not correct, it is the rx writer that has the problem.

I get them mixed up all the time too.

Hey I just had a bad joke idea pop into my head!!!

Q: What College did the creators of Meaningless Use attend????

A: MU!!! Meaningless University!!!!

Or Goucho's and Chico's College, "Whatsah Mattah Uuuuu"

But seriously folks (yeah like we're ever serious around here...)

The idea of a PM as a seperate module with a seperate fee or that as a great addition to AC for folks to have control at the Admin level to turn on or off as they so choose would Unto itself probably would have been fine and worked out OK.....

But as a first stab at retaining or attracting (probably some of both and I wouldn't be suprised if some sort of market research was conducted on this) users AC, Jon did CCHIT like 5.0 with all of the basic Metric Tracking stuff which we have yet to even try to play with... and when that was not enough, they redoubled their efforts, time, money and energy into this entire larger endevour chasing down the Meaningless use crap...

To their credit which I am very glad to have seen, in terms of the original CCHIT based CCHIT... Jon left the power to turn them on or off at the descretion of the user as I had requested a long time ago back as these changes were being considered and developed. And personally I am so glad it is that way. In many ways with them not used, 5.0 was just a new version of AC with some changes we use and some that we don't like most of us do with any of the updates and added features... So it's like AC not quite 4.0 anymore but not really 5.0 for us either... 4 and half????

But I shuttered to think what my wife would do to me, no less the entire State of Rhoade Island (and yes she could put up with my Stupid, self rightous Half Brother the Shrink out there in RI too, if she can take it... :-) if I was to install this new puppy on our system... I might be fighting the dog for floor space in Chateau Bow-Wow as J.D. used to say while working color commentary for the NY Rangers games....

It's really this entire Meaningless piece of CCHIT that the vendors are chasing because the doctors were blinded by the $$$$ infront of them.... All falling all over themselves to get inline for the cash not totally understanding just what they were setting themselves up for or what they were going to get with it... Ha, Ha, look before you leap you Lemmings

Or did Non-Doctor owner related Practice Managers and High Paid, try to take their money and look good while doing it Consults con many of them into doing this because it made them look like they were doing "Something" big and important???? Much like all the states are ruining our schools chasing the newest Dept of Ed Money in exchange for similar levels of Meaningless change and Metric collecting on students and teachers via those dump@$$ tests. "Those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" right????

I have been almost a lone voice back at the IMP list serve railing against this CCHIT especially in terms of the Regional data exchanges and centralized medical records that can never go away no matter how bad a diagnosis or set of notes are one day put in a patient's chart... One labled Personality Disorder, instead of an intelligent free thinking created type with a bit of a quick temper, always labled such forever more... Sure an "Addendum" can be added... but NO patient will ever again be able to walk away from a doctors office and say to themselves, "Well that guys a Quack.... I'm never going back to the moron again" and leave a chart untouched and unrequested to eventually die and fade away while that patient acts on their own best interest and behalf in searching out a new and better doctor who better understands them and their issues... Instead they own and have a Scarlet Letter to wear.... But I digress here.

The point is that having something ala AC 4.0 or at least 5.0 with the option to use it the same old AC way you always have was not a big deal and allowed us older, attached to the AC we know and loved (past tense, gosh that hurts....) to basically keep right on trugging along as we always did... Heck after the usual bugs to get past, adding the SQL back end probably really did allow AC to be better behaved and more stable for the most part until all of this Meaningless crap got piled on.... Personally I love having a real "Back-Up" button and program to run that makes nice tidy compact files to be restored in just the fashion AC likes and wants as opposed to copy the db folders over every night... I know I'm so easy to please... Just ask my wife... Haaa!

In all honesty I wonder if Jon might reconsider taking me up on a suggestion I made a very long time ago when all of this originally started..... It's almost certainly a larger PITA for him and his staff, but to keep, maintain and support, some high functioning version of AC that is NOT CCHIT or now today even worse Meaningless Use as we are looking at today.... now I have not seen it yet as we are a completely XP Pro, most NVidia carded office and as much as I might like to start trying to play with the E-Rx functions (we're presently on 5.0.26, missing the last pre-6.0 release unfortunately) I am not very motivated to start dealing with the kind of heartaches some of the other users have been experiencing and having so much trouble with like the E-Rx thing itself no less...

But, like 5.0 does 6.0 have a means of disabling the MU drop-down parts and all the check lists and to continue using Our Favorite Old Girl, the same way we basically have for many years??? Now that would be awesome...

Lastly, my newest gripe and soapbox issue over at the IMP side of things is the problem with Meaningless Use now actually being part of Board Certification to re-up as though that is in anyway a part of what any of our Boards should be using as a standard with which to judge any given doctor's level of Continuing Growth, staying abreast of changes in their field, and their high level of general knowledge of the things that are part of their regular practice.... And how does that make or prove that Doctor A is better than Doctor B who does NOT caputulate and give in blindly like some Lemming over a cliff???? As I posted over there basically, Perhaps the best thing that compliance with Meaningless Use is that it is a great predictive measure of a lack of free, critical and independent thinking skills, so that docs who comply and submit MU data should NOT be granted renewal of the Diplomate status.... and those that disagree and refuse to, they should be the only ones to remain board certified.... how 'bout them apples???

Anyway, I have gone on here way too long... But I still feel that a nice easy to use straight forward version of AC with a nice tight little Practice Managment module that was seamlessly connected in data sharing would have been a great and very Meaningful Product to the many small and solo practices that were in the market looking to get started with making good use of what such a tool can do so well... Chart, collect basic demographics and then apply those same demographics to a billing, PM side of the program.... I'm willing to bet had Jon attacked that with full force many years ago when I and a few others started suggesting, requesting, and got it out within a year or so like it originally seemed he would.... That product would have "Sold Out" gone Gold or Platinum for sure... now you could purchase and offer for sale the best of both worlds.... just what a small, solo, solo IMP would love and want....

Paul