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Has anyone gone through the training with AC for the PM module? Can you tell us about your experience? How long it took, was it effective, any suggestions or thoughts?

Hi Jon,
We are currently undergoing training. Well we're trying to..here's where we stand. We initially inquired around the end of January. Got an official welcome email Feb 16. Its now the end of March and I have not done a single training yet. They have sent us training powerpoint slides that are basically a brief brief form of the help document I assume. Its been frustrating to get in contact with their implementation specialists so we are on the verge of cancelling the implementation and look elsewhere for a new PM solution.

I will be happy to work with you on moving you through the process of implementing ACPM as well as look into why you have not progressed. The implementation process typically takes 6-8 weeks and a majority of that time is due to enrollment with the clearinghouse and training. I will reach out to you directly Josue to resolve this delay.

Here is my contact information as well
Laurie Hart, Product Manager ACPM
lhart@amazingcharts.com

Hello Jon and Josue,

I am quite surprised about the expected training time of 6-8 weeks as mentioned by Laurie Hart. I would be suspicious of the usability of any program that takes that long for training.

We have been using EZ Claim Premier and have been quite happy with it. We have needed no formal training. When we were exploring billing options 2-3 years ago, we spoke with one of the founders of EZ Claim when my biller had some concerns about the useability of their then current program, Advanced 8. We were then told of their new program, EZ Claim Premier. Based upon suggestions that my biller made, EZ Claim Premier was tweaked, and that is what we use. Claims are then exported to ZirMed with which EZ Claim Premier has a bidirectional interface, including "auto posting". My part time biller says that she prefers EZ Claim Premier to many functions in eClinical Works. I hope this is helpful.

Norm

I signed up for ACPM and we have done four of the five training modules. The modules are very good--much more informative/detailed than the training videos for the regular AC. As Laurie with AC said, the reason it takes 6-8wks is that it takes that long to get set up on the clearinghouse. We had to shift from Gateway to Emdeon. The training itself could be done in an afternoon. AC has chosen to spread it out while the clearinghouse is set up.

I share some of Josue's frustration as far as communication to/from our implementation specialist. Part of that was a result of losing the first specialist--she left AC. We now have a second person that is working with us on implementation. Part of the problem has been internal issues in our office. Part of it is just that the implementation specialists are busy trying to help lots of folks get started with ACPM.

I'm happy to report that we are continuing to move forward towards our Go Live date. I stay apprehensive about that date, though, because everything is supposed to be installed and setup on that day. I would prefer the software be installed several days before going "live" so that our staff can have time to actually play around with like you are able to do with AC during trial period. I don't agree with this approach with ACPM.

And Hello Norm, we actually do our billing ourselves so an integrated solution would help us avoid double entry. Our current PM is Medware, very old, and we are looking for a PM with more function and support at a decent price.

Has anybody actually "Gone Live" yet? Have you encountered any drawbacks? Thoughts?

We went live on 3/1/15. The training prior to that was fine but very basic. You really can't learn alot of the things until you are actually working in the system. AC took too many practices live on the same day without enough support staff, so I have found it hard to get answers to my questions in a timely fashion. Also, I was not aware that I would have to re-enter all the appointments into the PM side and re-enter all the insurance information for each patient. They did offer to help with the appointments, but we are a fairly small practice so it wasn't a huge deal - just a surprise I wasn't prepared for! Another issue I have encountered is that the insurance company addresses are not entered for any of the insurance companies, causing claim errors. Other functions and tables have not been set up correctly (my eligibility check is not working yet, etc.). I'm sure once we get all the kinks worked out it will be great. I have been able to submit electronic claims once I added the insurance company addresses. Just be prepared for it to not go smoothly right at first!

Thanks Laurie. Any other feedback would be much appreciated. Are you having to enter insurance addresses each time you submit claims or is it just a matter of getting it set up?

Just getting it set up. Like I said, once everything is set up correctly, it should work great.

Laurie, do you know what version of Amazing Charts [EHR] you are on? I'm trying to clarify what version is required to install the PM interface. I'm being told I need 8.2 but that it is not released yet. Thank you.

Josue,

ACPM is part of V8 and is the major difference between V7 and V8. I have the PM installed and am currently running V8.1.

John

Thanks John, are you saying that the PM is incorporated into the 8.1 installation and then its "turned on" when you went Live?
I thought it was a separate installation.

Josue,

Yes, as I understand it PM is part of V8.1 and is turned on when you go live (we're scheduled to go live later this week). The go live process includes migrating the demographic data from AC into the PM.

Ok, good to know. Good luck with the transition! Let us know how it goes and any tips you can share. We're going live in 2.5 weeks.

1) just had PM installed on server
2) disappointed that some of the stuff we could have done to expedite the process was not brought to our attention prior to the install...ie. entering "secure site" information into our internet options security page in order to be sure that our workstations would work correctly...
3) Post installation the only computer that ran the PM correctly was our server. I never should have hung up the phone nor should the support staff have hung up before the system was fully functional on all workstations.
4) Training on the PM prior to our installation was a waste of time.
5) would not suggest ANY training until it is installed
6) Unfortunately the AC scheduler will NOT pull over to the PM...overall not to big of a deal
7) Make sure that your computers are running windows 7 or higher. The PM will NOT run under XP
8) I'm sure there will more hickups along the way, but that is expected in any transition such as this. Our old PM software worked very well and using Office Ally for claim submission was awesome. Hoping ClaimRemedi is just as good.
9) Will try to post as we progress with any further tips or tricks.
10) I also understand that the ability for the PM to check insurance eligibility is a ways off...very disappointing.
11) Be sure to let the installer know what antivirus software you have and if there are any known issues with it and the PM install. There can be some minor hangups with the AV that they can easily resolve.

David
Sacramento, CA

Is the installation similar to AC in that you need to install it both on the server and every other computer?
How long did your install and setup take altogether?

Installation is only on Server. Process took 3.5 hours, but not sure that it really should have taken that long. Seemed to me there was a bit of "nothing happening" time while the process took place. Having dealt with some very tech savvy companies in the past I am not so sure this is the case with AC personnel. I would be sure that they have you take care of all steps that you can before they even start.

What website do I have to add in IE?

I'm hoping to not have to physically be present when we get our Install. I'll be able to remote into the server computer to let AC in, but I won't have all the workstations on, so I'd like to add that website beforehand.

If you PM me your email I will forward the information they sent me.