Home Forums Discussions Problems Printing Rx's on the newest version of AC beta is taking forever!

Is anyone else having trouble with printing? It seems that it takes 45-60 seconds before an RX will print. This was not an issue at all with prior versions...

joanna,

Which exact version? 6.1.2?

Hi Bert,

Yes, 6.1.2

Thanks!

So, is this true from every computer?

Is this true from the main computer.

How many doctors and practitioners?

Are you talking about "printing" or the entire process? Do you have all the interactions and allergy checks on?

When I go to print to default printer it is taking 45-60s to signal the printer to print. We are a small practice with 4 total computers each set up to a printer. With all previous versions aside from V6.1.2 the rx's were printing immediately.

Have you tried updating your print driver. It may not be compatible or as compatible with 6.1.2.

Hi there and Happy New Year!

Printing my chart notes from AC is still no problem and happens very quickly. It's only prescriptions that are the problem. Do you think if the drivers are the issue here that printing visit notes would be slow as well? How would I go about updating the drivers if need be?

Also, do you have a sense on how I would downgrade from V6.1.2 to V6.1.1? This might be our only option to fix the slow rx printing for now.

Thank you so much for all of your help!

I would not downgrade. Just my opinion. You're right, probably isn't the drivers then. But, to answer your question, you can go into device manager, right click on the driver, and click update. It may find it on the Internet. The more likely way to be successful is to go to the company that makes your printer. So, if it is HP and you have an HP1001 or something like that, go to HP.com, go to Support and Drivers or whatever it is named and use their wizard to find the driver. Make sure it is the right bit. 32 vs 64. Download it. Most install automatically. If it is just the driver, then you have to go back to step one.

But, your logic makes sense. Are you printing over the network. To a USB connected printer? What printer are you using?

We are using HP printers - a deskjet 1000, a photosmart 3050, and an all in one 6500. Two of them are connected directly via USB and one is wireless. The wait time is the same for all three printers. It's just so odd that everything prints so quickly save for the prescriptions. I work in chronic pain management and 90% of our rx's must be printed. It's driving me nuts! I'll look to update the drivers tomorrow and let you know if there is any improvement.

Any sense on when the next beta release will come through? I hope this is just a temporary thing...

What happens when you "print preview"? Does it show up immediately?

Not sure if there will be another beta release or not, although the fact that the check boxes next to the DEA#, etc. on the script writer doesn't stay checked. That should be an issue for you.

Are you not printing to the TSP800 for your narcotics and other CIIs?

Hi Jon and Bert

I hit preview prescriptions every time before I print an Rx to be sure my DEA number is on the Rx. The preview comes up pretty quickly with no problem. I'd been having a problem with my DEA # randomly disappearing on my Rx's, even when I had the box checked. Interestingly this has been happening a bit less with version 6.1.2 though it is still happening. This can be very frustrating because I then have to close out and rewrite all of my scripts again. I wish there was a way to just hit a back button when that happens.

We don't use a TSP800 - we use 8.5 x 11 DEA Rx paper. This allows us to put up to four scripts on one sheet which is quite handy, although we really miss the format that allowed for one signature at the bottom of the page rather than a signature under each rx on the page...

No, I wish they would just get it right.

1. Took too long to open
2. Didn't work with TSP printers (seems like it still may not)
3. Selecting DEA# along with license number, etc. doesn't stick (you may be fooled by the fact that when the check boxes are unchecked, when you set up the script, they fill in magically, but they still don't end up on the script
4. Scripts print too slowly

I'm sorry, but it's time to get the prescription writer perfect. Put one developer on it full time. It should just work. Hell, it worked perfectly in versions 4 and 5.

joanna, one fun thing about AC is the workarounds. I am not sure if I mentioned this to you or someone else.

I just had too many people with ADHD coming back because of a lack of a DEA number. And, it's hard for them to focus to come back. OK, bad joke.

So, I put my DEA# in my address. I still try to ensure that it is added on the line below, but now I don't have to check. It is always there.

Yes, it shows up in letters, etc. but it is worth it.

I agree!!! Although a back button option would be nice for those times when I screw up the sig and don't realize it until I preview the script.

I really liked your idea about putting you DEA # in your address (that was me before...)

One thing that I have started doing is to click the little put DEA # on Rx box a quick couple of times before hitting the prescribe button. When I remember to do that my DEA # has consistently appeared when I go to preview. Pain in the butt to do this every time though.

I have had the same problem with the new beta, it is also taking a long time to sign off on a chart and to add a diagnosis, I didn't have a problem with this before the upgrade. Any other ideas for this?

I saw somewhere that 6.2 will be out sometime. So, I guess I would email support or AC in general and let them know the problem. Or use the method in AC itself. That would give them time to look into that.

Sometimes these steps will help.

ryanjo

thank you so much for your post above. this did help to make logging in a little faster but sadly didn't speed up printing the prescriptions. *sigh*

Since this is not helping, my statement won't help, and it is just a tip in general. But, the irony is we all asked for the deleted items to not automatically erase when ANYONE closed and reopened AC. So, now they accumulate. But, this can be changed in User Preferences.

As far as the printing goes, if you move another computer to where that computer is, does it print OK. It could be a spooling problem from AC to the printer. I would STILL upgrade the drivers.

Even though the script is there and the patient is ready to be printed, I wonder if there is anything from SQL that is not being sent quickly enough.

I could ask my SQL person to take a look at it for you. Just a hunch. I would mess around with the settings in the print driver such as print directly to printer instead of spooling, etc.