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#7355
05/06/2008 12:25 AM
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I do a lot of repeat procedures.
To streamline the paperwork, I fill out the procedure forms.
On the procedure form, there’s a table of things and little checkboxes next to them.
There’re also a few free-entry fields for text input.
Can you create custom procedure forms in AmazingCharts?
I would fill out the forms instead of doing the traditional SOAP notes.
The form was originally created in MS Word, but I can convert it to a PDF file.
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Can you create custom procedure forms in AmazingCharts? The answer is a qualified "yes." You can definitely use templates to create custom procedure forms, but you may have to approach the task a little differently. Post an example of one of your questionnaires here, and maybe we can help you figure out the best way to do it.
Brian Cotner, M.D.
Family Practice
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Yes, here’s an example of a form. http://www.geocities.com/ckmd98/PM_PT.pdfI wasn't able to attach a file to this post, so I created a temporary web page. Sometimes I need to print the forms out, so I would like the printed forms to look good (WYSIWYG). Why do you say that the answer is a "qualified yes"?
Last edited by CKMD98; 05/06/2008 2:18 AM.
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The "qualified yes" means you may have to redesign your forms a bit to fit the AC format. There are no table tools and no tab keys available, so you have to use a little ingenuity. Amazing Charts makes it easy to string together positive and negative sentences into a coherent note. This can be done in the encounter form, and in the Addendum feature. And, looking at your example, you obviously can have brackets like this: [], which you can insert a cursor into and add a capital X, like so: [X]. You just can't use tabs or tables to create grids. Here is a link to a thread where we had discussed creating checklists. You can use this and other methods to create a form which you like: http://amazingcharts.com/ub/ubbthre...ems&topic=0&Search=true#Post5454Just try pasting your text into an Amazing Charts text field, rearrange it to suit yourself, and then Alt+Right Click to save it as a template. Good luck. Tell us how it goes!
Brian Cotner, M.D.
Family Practice
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With all due respect, that's not a "solution". Basically, AC lacks forms feature. Unfortunate,...
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Both Furtunately and Unfortunately AC is not some enterprise sized and priced CCHIT type program that can do lots of agency specific forms. If you can live with that great, if you can't you may need to look elsewhere.
AC is a great easy to learn, use, chart and live with EMR for those of us that don't have or feel the need for such bells and whistles. AC has matured a lot from her early days and is pretty good for the average small or solo practice. But if you are doing tons of IME's or other types of comp and disablility type cases and can not live without such features you will probably need to do something else. That said, I'm pretty confident that for a price Jon and crew may just be willing to talk. According to that price you may still come out ahead using AC.... Give them a buzz I guess.
"Beware of the Medical Industrial Complex"
"The Insurance Industry is a Legalized CARTEL"
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If you already have forms created in Word, why don't you just keep using them?
Just fill them out like you always did and then attach them to your patient's AC record via the Import feature.
You just open the patient's chart, click on the Imports tab, and drag'n'drop the form from the desktop into their chart.
I haven't experimented much with it, but I know that Word has some powerful forms creation software.
Brian Cotner, M.D.
Family Practice
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I don't want to use MS Word; that's not a proper EMR.
I don't want to use multiple separate softwares to manage my practice.
I'm looking for a single grand unified monolithic software that will do * everything *, medical records, billing, scheduling, forms, templates, etc.
NextGen is just the behemoth that I'm looking for, but it's $60,000. AmazingCharts is far cheaper, and just as limited.
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I was curious about your suggestion, so I tried it, but how?
The File -> Import menu from a patient's chart brings down 4 items.
Instant Medical Patient History
ECG
Holter
Spirometry
How do you import procedure forms (MS Word)?
Also, when I try to import anything, I get this error message.
It does not appear that this interface is currently on.
Please refer to the Administrative Section | Interfaces to activate this feature.
I went into the Administrative Options -> Interfaces, but can't find what I'm looking for. What am I looking for?
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CK: If you're looking for a single grand unified monolithic software that will do * everything *, you need to KEEP LOOKING. Amazing Charts ain't it. If you don't want to use multiple softwares to manage your practice, then you may also want to KEEP LOOKING. Many, if not most, AC users use a number of free or cheap programs to "sweeten the pot." There are software companies that will do it all for you, and they will charge you beaucoup bucks for that service. Follow your bliss. As regards the method of importing items, let me tell you about two places you need to look. The first is the "Imported Items" tab that you will see when you open a patient record. The second is "Help -> Contents" and search for "Import". Amazing Charts has a pretty good "Help" section. That's where I got the following: Imported Items
To view imported items open a patients chart and select the “imported” items tab.
There are a few different ways to import items into Amazing Charts. One way is to already have the document scanned into your computer and saved in a folder. Then you will need to click on the “import item” button and in the resultant window, click the “browse for items” button and then browse over to your scanned document folder and select the item. After doing this you will need to enter “date of items” date (defaults to current date), “item type”, “item subject” and “additional comments” if needed. While on this screen you will notice that there is a button that deletes the original scanned item when done (“ Delete originals after importing”) and a button that allows you to close the window without importing (“close window”). Once you are satisfied with your selection, click the “import items” button. Another window will appear and will ask you if you are done importing items. If you hit yes the window will close but if you hit no you may continue to import items.
Another way to import items is to select the “import new” button and then choose “import-control your scanner”. By doing this a window will open up that will allow you to set your scan options and control your scanner (providing it is a standard Twain type of scanner).
One can also drag and drop a selected item into the left frame of the Imported Items tab.
You can sort and organize your imported items by selecting and moving items from one category to another, and/or edit categories by editing the imported item (by right clicking with your mouse on any of the imported items you are able to edit information).
If you have Midmark hardware and it is connected to your computer you may directly import items such as Electrocardiograms, Holter recordings, and spirometry, directly into the patient's chart. This is done by clicking on the “import new” button and then selecting Midmark followed by the hardware that is attached to your computer. After doing this Amazing Charts will open up the Midmark software within the patients chart so that resultscan be directly imported into the chart.
Imported items can be viewed by date or alphabetical order depending on which option you select. Here's another: Import An Item
You can import paper and electronic files regarding a patient into Amazing Charts. These imported items go into the patient's Imported Item tab in their chart.
You can classify the type of items in the left frame. When you click on an item, it will appear in the right frame, or in its own application.
Importing of new items can be done either by dragging and dropping an item into the left window, or by clicking the Import New button.
Using this button, you can control your scanner, or browse to the item(s) you wish to import into the patient chart. Using this technique, you can just drag and drop Word documents into your patient's chart. The second one is better if you look it up in AC -- it has pictures.
Brian Cotner, M.D.
Family Practice
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CK I am with you. Creating data points that you can search is important. When we signed up for Amazing Charts we saw it as only a temporary solution that would allow us to get patient demographic and billing into more modern software, (we replaced a DOS system). We thought 1 year, 2 years tops and we would outgrow the access based system and at the same time we would finally know the "truth" and be enlightened on what is truly the "ONE" and ALL POWERFUL system. I have really been studying this problem. As I have gained understanding and insight I have come to believe that the physicians who are tied to a large system, (The VA or Kaiser) will be at a large disadvantage over time. The bigger a system gets, the harder it is to change. And the more a system tries to be all things to all people, it fails to be the best for anyone. This became clear to me when I learned of the software a local oncologist uses. His software tracks patients and interacts with the National Registry, and it calculates doses. That was an epiphany for me. I instantly understood that he would never give that up, and I would never want to pay for it.
In the meantime Amazing Charts came out with its interface for our lab, and it came out with another up date and another. At least once a week for the past year myself or one of my two partners will have some feature explained to us, and we will say, Oh my God, Thats AMAZING, realize what a corny thing we said and then we all laugh. BUT IMHO AC is growing into THE most powerful tool for primary care. Period. Don't ever loose sight of the fact that you must see patients. Features are worthless if you can't see 30+ patients a day. AC delivers big where it counts.
My dream now is for AC for Family Practice and AC for the Hospital, compatible to share files, but different companies and different solutions for different problems. AC for Oncology and AC for Cardiology. Each has significant and unique needs, not shared by the rest. It is the fields of data we need to share.
Martin T. Sechrist, D.O.
Striving for the "Outcome Oriented Medical Record".
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I might suggest the following tweak on Brian's idea.
Use your MSWord as he suggested, create your document as you would ordinarily. If you have a .PDF converter or Adobe Acrobat, then instead of saving the file as a Word (.doc) file, select Print --> select Adobe PDF --> then save the converted file to a common/shared folder on your "main computer" or your Server. This can then be imported using the method that Brian detailed very nicely above.
Why do I suggest convertin to PDF? Because PDF documents will open in the right pane of the Imported Items tab. MSWord 2007 documents will not (I don't know if older versions of Word will open in the right pane). Instead, Word 2007 documents stored in the Imported Items tab will open in the native program (which bugs me). I like to see everything open up under Imported Items on the right pane.
Kind of like the original poster, I want this AC to be used and act like a "complete" EMR. I find this works well and doesn't add much time. In the general course of things, this is still faster than hand written or dictated notes.
Adam Lauer, DO (solo FP)
Twin City Family Medicine
Brewer, ME
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As a NYS'er I know exactly what this guy is looking for. Forms like these C-4's are as exact as any CMS 1500. And worse yet, they want lots of info that could never really fit in the multiple small boxes that are on them. C-4's suck, plan and simple. If he really wants things like this it is either the large expensive route or paying Jon for lots of custom work. There really is not other way about this. And again imagine stuffing multiple facts and sentences into a half inch tall slot that may not even be the entire width of the paper wide. They really do suck... Good luck.
"Beware of the Medical Industrial Complex"
"The Insurance Industry is a Legalized CARTEL"
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Good idea about the PDFs, Adam, and any old Word documents could be converted en masse to PDFs with Acrobat.
Brian Cotner, M.D.
Family Practice
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