Home Forums Discussions General Discussion What single feature MUST be in Version 4.0?

Sometimes I hear people complaining about how long it's taking for version 4.0 to get here, but I'll bet everybody has a different reason. We probably all have a laundry list of improvements that we would like to see.

My question is what improvement would you pick, if you could pick ONLY ONE, and why?

What single upgrade would you expect to make the biggest improvement in your practice, or remove the biggest burden?

Or, what lacking feature, in your opinion, is keeping Amazing Charts from being adopted by more people?

I only get to pick ONE?!

Okay, but it was written some time ago that it was to be in there.

1) I want to be able to input that the patient paid a certain amount on arrival (typically a copay) and have it automatically placed in the billing sheet/invoice/superbill for that encounter.

Maybe I can beg to get one more since this is an old and used-up magic word..uh, I mean improvement.

Wayne, I have heard that is in the works right away, so why don't you pick one more.

I would like the option of disabling the encounter form, so I don't have to click, "no," "no," "yes," after everyday stinking encounter. This is annoying.

I would like to scan a non-medical document directly into the non-medical folder so that it does not generate a notice to the Dr. And the non-medical folder should be one of the default folders, not something that you have to add when you import a file (not scan, import).

oops. that's 2. sorry.

Filing cabinet:
Currently, the filing cabinet (imported files) are not labelled (cannot be labeled). As such, copying document electronically and sending it to another provider is not possible. For example, we need to send copies of L&I records, I need to print each out, one by one. They would be happy to recieve in a electronic format.

A naming convention that is descriptive would be a big plus!
For example:
SMITHPA003BXprostate080101.tif
ROGERWI001HPcolonosc080202.pdf

What I get now is:
0001.pdf

This kind up nomenclature would be a big plus.
In the meantime, I'm going to learn how to use FAP or make up my own file cabinet for patients.

Roy,
I totally agree. Any of you who have the MidMark set ups for testing, know how they label their tests, by name and date and all the rest. Much as Roy describes. Once we activated the MidMark interface the MidMark way of naming things disappeared on those tests and the AC version was all that is there. This is dangerous.

I know that there are a few glitches that can ruin the connection between these AC names things and the chart they belong to. Others have discussed this happening to them previously. Having a strong, can only be that one test for that one patient type of filing naming system is critical. Otherwise one day an entire pratice could have thousand of dis-connected files and tests with little or no way of putting them back together again. The AC version of Humpty-Dumpty might we say... No good at all.

I guess my biggest thing is the Allergies field. I want to be able to update my patient's allergies at any time, from anywhere.

Right now, if my patient comes in with a severe allergic reaction to Bactrim, and I write them a new prescription for Z-pak, there is no way to have that sulfa allergy printed on their new prescription!

(Note: unless you want to save the note with their new allergy, re-open the Rx Writer, and re-print the prescription, which is a pain).

(You could also hand-write the allergy on the printed prescription, which is kind of lame, you must admit).

This is MAJOR and if that were not fixed, I would be extremely disappointed.

More ability to have customized fields so one can write things on a script. For instance if you use one of the other formats, they don't says "Electronically signed." Also, the ability to have a quick cover page or note when you fax scripts so you could tell the pharmacist something.

Add more vital signs boxes and have three boxes for weights instead of one. So, when you write in 7.5 lbs, you get kgs and 7 lbs 8 oz. And, let them print out on the printout in their own columns so you don't get a column of lbs, lbs, kgs, lbs, kgs which is not helpful. Allow one to print all three growth charts. Make the parameters customizable.

ED HAS JUST RELEASED THE BETA VERSION OF 2.0 FOR FAP. UNBELIEVABLE.

This is for Vinny: Please make watching the threads the default and make it an opt out for not watching. How many times have I added a post and forgotten to add it to my watch list? I just did it now again and barely remembered. I would think that most people interested enough in a thread to post to it, would want to follow it.

Bert:

I love the idea for improving the vital signs. I would like to see that coupled with the concept I outlined here for improving the vitals input device.

If we then had the VIPER vaccination program you are working on and this improvement to Vinny's template %FILLERS, AC would be a lot more pediatrician-friendly.

Yes, I agree. And, it's tough for my nurses to quickly make the conversion from decimals which the scale gives and pounds and ounces. The problem ultimately lies with the U.S.'s refusal to go metric, but my guess is it Jon can fix the above much sooner than we go metric.

On the %Fillers, I just have my nurses do it on all patients, and the kids under a year just say they are 0 years old.

I think SQL database will make this an awesome EHR.

OK, I want one. I want to sign the chart like I currently do, but I would like the nurse to be able to make an entry, OVER MY ENTRY, and sign it herself.
We tried to forward to the MA and then when she had finished, having her forward it back for my signature. One problem was that my MA might go on break and the person who was to cover her could not open the chart so I was delayed trying to straighten out who gets the job. Second problem was a lot of lost notes. I gave up. The addendum wasn't that useful because they need to be reading the text on the note as they do the tasks and recording what was done.
Maybe she could have a sort of limited privilege to add comments that would appear in bold over a light copy of my note. It would save as a distinct page, that would preserve the medico-legal document that I had created, but it would be clear that the MA was only signing the notations they had made. Seems that would leave a wonderful paper trail for us to track who did or did not get the job done.

SQL base please

It's coming.

Please make the messages auto refresh. Anyone ever done something in AC at 9:00 PM which caused four messages to appear that needed to be called back by 7:00 PM?

I agree, Bert.

I have a question for those of you who do in-house billing. I was talking to another AC user recently and he said that the only missing pieces to the AC PM Module were the following:

• Accounts receivable function
• Aging analysis function

Is that a fair analysis? Anyone disagree?

His other request was a *seamless* interface with OfficeAlly. There is an interface, I understand, but it's not *seamless*.

I spoke with my office manager on this and was surprised to find out exactly how this works for us. AC exports the billing, but not the insurance info. We have to enter the insurance info by hand. We thought this was a big drawback, but apparently it is not. We began to use a rubber stamp on the face sheet that says, "billing alert" whenever a patient has new insurance. When the biller reconciles the face sheets with the data that AC exported she catches the "billing alerts". If there is nothing outstanding then she has to manually enter the billing info in EZ claims. BUT if there is an outstanding bill, or hospital billing info, etc. She just holds the new face sheet until she clears the old business on the prior insurance.

So, Martin, what would AC have to add for you to have exactly what you need? Just an interface to transfer the AC demographics to your billing software? What do you use?

Martin,
you are using AC billing?

We are using Emedware and doing everything in-house. We are electronically submitting all claims, and we are electronically receiving all payments except for a few odd insurances.

Do all of your AC bills get submitted by paper? or are you able to utilize electronic billing?