Home Forums Discussions General Discussion UpDox reviews needed b4 considering

I just got off the phone with a sales representative from UpDox -- they claim they now have 600-800 Amazing Charts subscribers. Wow! If this is true I would love to hear about peoples experiences with the product, whether it is worth it, reduces work flow, problems encountered/bugs, availablility of tech support, etc. I am also concerned about 'putting all my eggs in one basket' with a private company I know very little about, do not know how well they are funded, how much tech support they have available, how much budget allowed for improvements, fixes and upgrades.

I currently am using Medfusion for webhosting, patient portal and rx requests as well as ONEBOX for both electronic faxing (converts to PDF for ease of importing)and using their 800 number service for our after hours on call doc number. We do not use AC scheduler for patients as we use another PM program.

Any and all reviews and comments really appreciated.

Best,

James Clayton, M.D.
US Virgin Islands
www.redhookfamilypractice.com

James

We use Lytec 11 as our scheduler.
My nurse would kick me off the island if I got rid of Updox.
It plays well with AC.
I would have to hire someone else to help with the "e-paper shuffle" without it.
We rarely use the old time fax.
The scan snap scanner is much less used.
Also, the first month or so is when I needed support the most and Charlie at Updox was readily available, and I rarely ever need to call for support now, but the best way is to use the support@updox.com instead of phone and you get a response within 24 hours.

I have had great cusotmer support...almost too much..once I got on the radar they also began calling and emailing me to sell me again...anyway this is how I use it as I am new at this.

I was thrown for a loop in the beginning as always.

I have an 888 number that was supplied by updox. It took almost a month to get all pharmacies, PBM's, consultants, etc to use this number. I read them when the faxes come in, sign them off and e shuffle (I like that term above) the paper into AC. My nurses have less papers to file (I have a partner so yes I still have a paper chart as he may need to treat a patient for me when I am not here). I also use updox to send out records, faxes, etc. I was biying fax machines and paper constantly....I am happy so far. I am just starting to look at using the portal. Takes about a few weeks to get the hang of it....todd

I started reviewing UpDox on a Tuesday, installed the trial on the following Monday and have not looked back since. We receive/send over 6000 pages/month. Love the interface to AC. We have used the portal sparingly, but the patients who have learned about it LOVE it.

I have found support to be OK. I agree with the above, that once you get over the initial learning curve (not that big), you seldom need support. I had one person assigned to our practice from UpDox that I could email directly and it worked GREAT.

We had our old fax number forwarded to a new number (UpDox handled all that) and will soon be turning off the old fax number.

We had no clue as to how many pages we went through a month, and were surprised that we hit the 6000 mark the 1st month, but at $10/500, it is STILL a GREAT deal. No more paper, no more toner, no more wear/tear on printer/fax.

Everyone has finally gotten use to printing to UpDox printer and having it automatically faxed.

The personnel that use to have to do all the sorting and scanning of the faxes now handle the UpDox incoming/outgoing queue and still have extra time left over.

We would NEVER go back. UpDox is reliable, efficient and well worth the money.

Brian

This was the reason I opted for a fax board (same benefits, but onsite). We get maybe a couple thousand more than that. I think JBS mentioned you can keep your existing fax line have the faxes uploaded into the Updox interface. That way you don't have to buy the bundles. I'm sure you would agree when you're saving close to $90 a month.

I have also been a satisfied Updox user for a few years. I can endorse the comments above. I still find it impressive that I can receive a fax document to complete and sign & mark it up on my computer using Updox -- then I fax it back & file it into AC with a single click.

I have a few questions for the people currently using Updox. How do you handle faxed prescription refill requests for controlled substances? And what about documents that require a real signature rather than a digital signature? Also, the pricing schedule for Updox is $35 for 3 users then $10 for each additional user. Does this mean $10 per month for every employee that uses Updox?

I'll just add my general views... I'm not quite sure how we would function without UpDox. I'm sure we could find some kludgy patch around it, but it would be messy at best. I think the $10 is per user that has a separate login... every time I log in from a different computer, UpDox kicks me off the other one. But $10/month? That's two lattes on the way to work. It is trivial.

I agree with David, the $10 is per user logged in at the same time.

What about the cost? In my Staples, a ream of fax paper is almost $5. What does it cost you for your staff to shuffle around the paper, or scan it, or stuff it in that fax machine? And what does that extra fax line cost you?

When I get a faxed refill request, I only mark it up and send it back if it is controlled. Otherwise I just route it to a staff user (via Updox) with a message to eRx the refill and delete the fax. If we can't find the pharmacy in eRx, we fax back the uncompleted Rx with a statement that we only accept refills by eRx (in Updox you can create a template, so it takes one click to do this).

There is an option to save a signature facsimile in Updox, but I just use the "pen" tool to sign the document, which looks unique each time (on a multipage document). Essentially, the recipient gets back a fax, so no way to "smell the ink" anyway. I also picked up a tip from Wendell -- Medicare actually has no prohibition against electronically created signatures, just "stamped". It's a real signature the way I do it.

So far, I'm enjoying the free trial and have got my patients loving the portal aspect. It makes it easier, not printing out reams of paper for the CCD and instructions and just uploading it to their Portal site. I'm a bit leery still about the $10/500 pages on the fax side considering its total incoming and outgoing. For now, we're going to hold on to our incoming webfax line and import the faxes from there into Updox, but I'll use the outgoing Updox fax line to send info out directly from AC so as to not have to print out docs and then fax.

I'm getting ready to start Updox at the other half of our office (two merged offices physically but still separate servers), but I haven't gotten around to trying their scheduling option yet. And I still have to start popping Templates into Updox for the fast responses. Have to say though, from what I've seen so far, I love it. And I'll probably start farming it out to the other docs in the area that we got using Amazing Charts as well.

Shankar
Family Med
Lawrenceville, NJ

Over 1/2 my faxes have to do with nursing home patients who because of no good sync function in AC I do not keep in the office database of AC, for those who use/pay for updox how would receiving many faxes that will not go into AC enter into cost/benefit of updox
also what is the fee for the interface updox to AC

My office network uses Microsoft Exchange for email. Does Updox work with Exchange/Outlook or is email handled differently?

Urgent message, anyone having issues with unable to launch updox after this weeks java update?
I've had issues with the Updox desktop icon becoming nonfunctional after previous updates, but was always able to launch from the web; this time unable to even do that.

This being a Saturday, even though I have to work as a family practice doc, I can't reach tech-support for Updox or amazing charts, which, I suppose is understandable, on some level.
It does_, however, emphasize the problematic nature of these separate pieces that have to continually fit together in spite of updates.

It is working fine for us. Have you tried downloading Updox and reinstalling it?

Yes, but nothing happens. After choosing amazing charts from the EMR list, and then trying to open, it doesn't do anything. It's as if the new version isn't recognizing Updox .

Update. Problem solved after reinstalling Java update from the Java website.
I no longer have the desktop icon, but can launch from the web

This fortunately only happened on 1 of 6 computers in the office, but unfortunately it is my desktop. The desktop icon doesn't launch on any of the plated machines, but that can be worked around for now.

So my feedback to prospective Updox users: 98% of the time it works great. I'm convinced that it has allowed our office to work with one less employee then in any other office in which I have worked. In 2 and ahalf years we have probably saved a small forest equivalent of trees in terms of decreased paper use. The communication portal with patients has become a very popular feature in my practice.

My lesson for today is the humility that comes with being my own IT person.

We tried UpDox when we started the practice about 5 years ago. At the time we noticed (and verified with the author/owner) that there was a slight degradation in image quality with the FAXes as stored. This was enough to take some barely readable text to be completely unreadable. This was enough for us to not use the product, it didn't seem acceptable to have any loss in a purely digital conversion.

It is very possible this has been fixed by now. But I would just take a close look at some tiny text and make sure it still looks good in UpDox and in the patient's chart.

We get PDFs from OneBox. We use Adobe Standard to trim pages or split faxes, and then import them the normal way into AC. Staff does this and seems to work fine. I do wonder if we should revisit UpDox some day.

This may answer your question about setting document resolution. Of course, higher resolutions will increase file size.

There are likely improvements in monitor screen resolutions that may have occurred over the past 5 years. I certainly can read documents on a 27" LCD on my desk better than on the Motion 10" tablet I carry into the rooms.

How much do you pay for web portal with medfusion? Is it comparable?

Sandeep- you commented that you can have your "old fax machine" call forward faxes to Updox and thereby avoid the "bundle". Would these routed faxes not count as incoming faxes with Updox?

James,

On Fridays, once a month since we have 9 physicians under one roof (we recently added a pediatrician), we have a mandatory Nurse meeting with educational material presented by various speakers from 8-9AM. At those times, while my nurse is away from her "desk" I manage my Updox work space, otherwise this is her "duty". As all the incoming e-faxes (script requests, doctor notes, labs other than quest, etc), secure portal messages, are mounting up and congregating, which on a typical day I may see but she routes to AC. However, this workspace which we share, is an extremely efficient "locale" in which to work. I have migrated to double 23 inch screen monitors, the right side specifically for the Updox work area and the left AC.
However, it is extremely easy for me to keep up with all of the e-paperwork and routing because of ease of use and simplicity in which this Updox "locale" has been designed.
Now I have never used any other electronic system other than AC/Updox, and am not familiar with Medfusion or Onebox, but on Friday as my nurse came back "edumacated" from the meeting, she did not have an overwhelming amount of stuff to do in her "workspace", I did not mind doing this, and it is one of the more subtle advantages of Updox that is hard to describe unless you see it in action.

I am not sure what is big deal with the faxes. Microsoft small business server can be configured that all incoming faxes will go to your computer paperless. And of course, you can fax out too.

This is what we were getting at the time, 2008. The left is the PDF as it came in from onebox, the right is the PDF after UpDox processed it: http://i.imgur.com/MtrzulN.jpg

They said it was because they converted stuff to 24 bit image so that the pen and drawing tools could operate in color, and their 24 bit image had a slightly lower spatial resolution than the original fax.

But we could not stomach running all incoming faxes through a "blurring" filter, resulting in loss of legibility in some instances.

In fact if I remember correctly the blurring was fairly tolerable on screen, as long as you didn't zoom in. The real problem is if you printed a blurred fax, it was far far worse than if you printed the original. On the one hand everything should stay electronic, nothing should get printed. On the other hand, people do print stuff occasionally.

Again this was 2008, could be entirely different today. But moral of the story is even if you have an "all digital" workflow, you want to watch out for degradation in quality.

Faxes received by a network fax machine, and saved into the "send to Updox" folder aren't counted against the "bundle".


The documents can also be marked up, signed, faxed back and filed into AC by Updox, without additional software.

Would this be the same thing as call forwarding your fax number to your new Updox fax number? Hard to believe this would not be counted as an incoming fax.

Any fax received thru the fax # Updox gives you will be counted against your incoming fax bundle.

To receive a fax and import into Updox without charging against your "bundle", you have to receive it with a fax-modem on your computer or fax machine, and send it into Updox as a file. To do this, you can use the Updox Central "printer" extension or put the incoming fax file into the "send to Updox" file on your computer.

Here are the "free" methods to send something into Updox.

Thank you John. Will see how easy and convenient it will be to implement one of these methods

Updox only charges for faxes (in or out) that run across their lines - it is as simple as there is a cost per minute.

The flip side is if you have a fax/line server that converts into PDF, you point Updox Central to that landing directory, specify that directory as inbound faxes, and they all get imported in without any fax charges from Updox.

For larger practices, they often have already the first part of the setup, we just help them put the rest of the pieces together. Dollar for dollar, Updox is the best service a practice can get.

In answer about Updox failing because of the Java update. In your control panel there (should be) a Java entry - part of that is the security settings for Java. If the security is high enough, an in-secure version of Java will be prevented from running.

The solution is to install the latest Java. You should regularly run updates for Windows, Java, and Adobe. Keeping your browser up-to-date helps as well.

I updated to Java 7 just 5 min ago and updox still wont launch

I tried all Java security settings and still no launch, hopefully they will call me asap

Hopefully they will help you soon. Remember you can always just go the the website and launch from there so at least you can do your work. Also, remember not to try to launch from an old shortcut or it won't work.

Has anyone used patient portal aspect of Updox?
Does it meet upcoming meaningful use stage-2 criteria with AC?.

Dr.Rajesh Patel M.D.

Hey thanks, didnt know we could launch from the site...that saved me....

We have been using Updox for several months.
Not perfect but our experience has been great.
Although the staff were initially reluctant (as they were for EMR) they now love it. No paper faxes to be pulled, sorted, placed on my desk, signed, faxed back, scanned, imported into AC. Sending back signed forms and importing them into the EMR chart are basically one step. I can complete and sign home health certifications and send them right back. The same with home care orders.
It also simplifies sending chart notes, labs, etc to consultants, with a few clicks on the same day of the visit.
We just started gradually using the patient portal. Since we use AC to print lab orders on white paper many patients were losing them and calling back for copies. (I usually ask them to do their labs one week prior to their next visit). We can now upload them to the portal for patients to print them when needed. We also upload non-critical lab reports.
We have a note on the site that any extensive discussions requires an office visit.
As with anything there is a learning curve. Tech support was very helpful when we first started (I actually had 2 days of personalized help a recent Pri-Med conference), but I have not really needed them much since then.
Some of the features (such as tagging) we do not use, but that is because of the way our office is structured.
We do not use the scheduler or payment portions.

I usually jump in early to tout the value of Updox, but waited to let others speak up. I agree with all of those above who praise the program. The benefits of Updox are hard to express verbally. On the other hand, once you have seen it work for awhile, and once your staff has used it, you quickly see its value. I encourage everyone who has AC to get Updox. I think that the savings in staff time and frustration are well worth the cost. Even now, we continue to find new aspects of Updox that benefit us.

Philip, the Updox of 5 years ago was a completely different product. I don?t think the issues that you describe with image quality have any bearing now. Your process of OneBox/Adobe/Import becomes far simpler with Updox. The things that Updox does can generally be done without it? they just take a lot more clicking and time. Multiply that by all of the incoming faxes, and the time adds up.

Brian, koby, DrAC? if you keep your own fax line, there is no reason to pay for any of your incoming faxes with Updox. As John points out, there are an assortment of ways to accomplish this. Once set up, the process happens in the background and you have no idea it is happening; and it is not cheating Updox; they are fine with it.

I'd pretty much echo what Jon says. Some benefits of UpDox are hard to quantify, like a reduction in phone calls by use of the portal. Some just make medical care "better" in some loosely defined way, like an easy way to advise the patient of labs, medication changes and so on while automatically documenting the exchange. My business person is totally convinced that the online payment system has helped our cash flow a great deal. In the total scheme of office expenses it is dirt cheap. We have pretty much no computer issues with it, except for things like the Java update that took some fiddling by the one person in my office who is reasonably IT facile. I no longer can imagine how to run the practice without it.

Been using updox for over 2 years now and have been very happy with it. It saves so much time (and therefore money). I have a toll free fax number from updox. It is true one can get a fax modem and then have the fax converted to a pdf and then updox can pick up the incoming fax for free. One could also have the fax emailed to updox (but this is not secure). Bottom line I decided to let updox take and charge for the incoming faxes - for me it was one less thing I had to provide technical support for (as fax modems and software periodically breaks).

I'd suggest trying out the 30 day trial and just see for yourself. With many programs it really takes longer than that, but with Updox you can make your decision fast. Try the free trial w/ updox and the interface, try it with one or 2 patients (or even a fake one ) and you will be able to make your decision. Really, Updox is that good and that easy. Oh, go through an online demo first so you know what you are looking at and for.

They've also got an upcoming webinar to check out as well. We've already recruited a few of other docs in the area that use Amazing Charts to come to our office to see the Webinar, then check out the actual product in office too.

Shankar
Family Med
Lawrenceville, NJ