Home Forums Updox

I have been using Updox for about a month, and it has made a big difference in reducing the amount of paper, but also in making documentation easier.

What I like about Updox, that I don't think you can do with something like Paperport, is import items directly into a patient's chart without having that chart open at any time. So I use it to put stuff into a patient's chart that I want to have there more for documentation than anything else.

For example, I fill out a surgical pre-op clearance form for a patient, and fax it along with labs and EKG to the surgeon and/or hospital. I fax all these things from Updox, but also send it to the EMR at the same time (under a heading 'correspondence'). Having done this, not only is the fax sent, but everything I have faxed (including any remarks on the cover sheet) is now automatically filed inside the patient's chart and I never had to open the patient's chart at all.

If I scrawl a note to a patient on letterhead and mail it, I used to scan it in, then open the patient's chart and import it. Now I scan it to Updox before mailing. Then, possibly later, when I look in my Updox inbox, the scanned note is there and I can just send it to the patient's EMR, again without opening up the patient's chart in AC. I believe, though not sure, that the number of mouse clicks to do this with Updox is about the same or less than the number of clicks to do it via opening the chart in AC. But what I like best is that I can do this sort of thing while in another patient's chart, without having to finish or save the chart and open up the one I'm sending to.

Haven't used the portal yet. I have the feeling most of my patients would probably turn up their hearing aids and say "Vat's a portal?"


----------------------
Michael Jacobson
New York, NY

Michael,

You are correct. You cannot import directly from Paperport into a chart. But did I mention Paperport is free?

Michael,

We did experience some user acceptance issue about the portal. My line was "we are being forced to go electronic; if we suffer, you get to share the pain". We also held the line. I just pointed out that we can't do electronic for some and telephone for others, that we can only do it one way. Eventually everyone caught on. We do have a handout we give that shows how to use it.

That is just kind of how it is now. Everyone assumes you have an email address. I can't manage my investments any more other than online. You can no longer fill out a paper form to obtain an FAA medical certificate.

But, boy, was it worth it. No more phone calls to report a lab that morph into long discussions or telephone " office visits." I think the portal is my personal favorite part.

It all depends on your demographic. Eventually these technologies will need to be implemented. I'm hoping AC will make their own portal. Having a checkbox in a chart that sends the record to the portal and lets you decide what you want to include with more checkboxes. Then there won't be an intermediary in the process. Much quicker and much more consistent.

Even as an avid Updox proponent (surprise, surprise), the AC hub is of great interest to me. Jon B has been surprisingly silent on exactly what the initial release of it will do. This is especially unusual given his enthusiastic tendency to share new features pretty early in their development. Keep in mind, the initial hub release is not in V7; it is part of the upcoming beta of V6.2 or 6.3, which is imminent. The website says "Added secure communication channels and HUB client backbone to core." That may have no initial practical impact, or it may immediately be significant.

Meanwhile, Bridget, come back and tell us what the problem is. If you have not done so already, you should email Updox support and ask them to spend some time with you so that you are clear about how the program works which will enable you to teach others. I promise your staff will love it.

Sandeep, you are correct. As to the checkbox straight from AC, I am of two minds. One, it would be great if the goal is to just send a chart note or raw data to the patient, but I don't do that; I need to send an interpretation with anything I send, so the checkbox would not help. Second, it seems to me that AC has plenty to do to finish debugging their own product as it is without diverting resources to another project. And, I would hate to see AC pull the rug out from under UpDox and more or less start competing with them when Tobin and crew have done so much to make AC usable by offering their product and support. However, if AC made more effort to make the interface better, like install a checkbox that would seamlessly send through UpDox, they could concentrate their development efforts on getting AC to work flawlessly and instead use a great system that already works.

Updox needs a PRINT button too, can't believe they don't have one.

Michael,

I have to agree with David the secure portal has become my favorite feature of Updox. and like David my nurse prints up the email address and passwords, and if the elderly patient doesn't have a computer a son or daughter usually does. I ran the numbers the other day and I was surprised but had a 41 % portal rate on my medicare patients.
But the best is sending out the summary to the portal after I dicatate an office visit and attach the handouts (diabetic diet, advance directives, exercise...) that are templated on the Updox site--which my wife created. Also have demographic, med request, office appt request, medicare wellness forms on my Updox website patients can access anytime. I have my medicare patients fill out the horrendous 2 page medicare wellness handout before their annual wellness visit so i can peruse it before the visit. And I tell my nurse, any message from a patient over 4 lines deserves an appointment--the messaging is being treated like a voice mail--but better, my nurse just copies and pastes the message to the chart and doesn't have to listen on voice mail and retype everything--saves her time too--jimmie

You have to select the document, then choose Edit, and then Print under the File menu.

Or "view as PDF" then print. But I agree, a one step print button is needed.

Is there a hotkey like CTRL+P?

It is a window running under Chrome, so Cntrl-P just serves to print the window.

Thanks, all.

Jimmie, David and Jon (get well!), your remarks have given me new impetus to work on the portal. I revamped my original web page and sign-up form which left it up to patients whether they wanted to use the portal or conventional email, and weighted them much more strongly towards the portal. I hadn't really gone live with this yet, but will now probably do so.


-------------------
Michael
New York, NY

I am back to say I have implemented Updox, and I have no regrets.
I am pleased that Updox partnered with AmazingCharts.
It took 14 days to port our fax-line over to updox. That was about the only stressful period. Everything that was shared in this forum was very helpful. Yes we are using the portal now, but it is only one sided at this time.Our consumption of copy paper has gone down. The best thing is that I can respond to a fax and send it from anywhere without first going to the office to pick it up. There are so many other nice things that can be done that have already been dealt with on this forum. Thanks a million to all contributors on this forum!!!