Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Any v11 updates/thoughts? Any AC staff input?

Hi everyone,

Any developments and any thoughts concerning version 11?

I do not think we have received anything official from Amazing Charts recently. Last I recall, the upgrade would be mandatory by the end of the year, possibly by December 1, because of changing electronic prescription requirements. Anyone know if that is still the timetable?

I also noticed that Server 2019 is not listed in the current "hardware requirements." I am assuming it will be supported. Anyone know?

And, as always, any input from people actually using this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Gene

I'm currently on AC 11.1 my crash problems have worsened now will crash clicking almost anywhere on the chart is of course random never can tell which click will light the crash fuse. Lately happening 4-5 times a day.

Wow. I feel your pain. We never updated from AC v8.3 (for various reasons), and we have to deal with a few missing features present in newer versions that would make our lives easier, but we never have to deal with what you describe at all.

"What, never?"
"No, never!"
"What, never?"
"Well, hardly ever!"

-Kurt

Same experience. Several crashes a day on V11. Initially they blamed it on my PC and corrupt Windows files. Also have issues with Midmark ECG interface and coding of the meds and refills. V9 was stable, 10 had script writer related crashes and V11 has crashes with everything.

That's scary. We are on v10.0.2 running Windows 10 and I think we have to upgrade but I only see 10.2 in the customer portal.

Is v11 the beta?

@Naeem what Midmark ECG issues are you experiencing?
What version of Windows are you on?

Wow a very concerning thread. The other providers in my group are thinking about jumping ship. I still love AC, but they need to focus on speed (our biggest issue) and stability. Everything else is icing on the cake. All AC resources should be focused on speed and stability! I feel like they really got sidetracked on meaningful use, mips, etc. We don't even do any of these things anymore. Please please please AC, listen to your customers before you lose them. SPEED AND STABILITY need to be your focus!!!

David Lee, MD
IM
Dallas, TX

I totally agree-- AC is great, but bogged down by a bunch of useless subroutines to try to keep up with the receding horizon of MIPS/MACRA.
It must be possible to strip all that crap out and give us a streamlined AC that just does what physicians need in an EMR -- not what insurance company and Feds are trying to mandate.

At the same time, we need an integrated Fax program like Updox that is actually part of the AC program -- Updox also tries to do too much, be too many things, and ultimately is bogged down by that.

Maybe it's a violation, but I am reposting from a similar thread:

I couldn't get along without something like Updox -- but there are problems. The ever rising cost is certainly one of them.

It is rather clunky, but the Desktop version is the only way i can sign Medicare documents and certain controlled
substance prescriptions when not in the office -- I am allowed to print to Updox and "wet sign" on a touch screen then fax to Home Health or pharmacy. Some agencies will not allow the "signature" that Updox produces -- it is regarded as a signature stamp, and disallowed.

For some reason the Web-based version doesn't allow touchscreen (even though there is a "draw" icon, and that icon does let a left-mouse drag sort of drawing), but it is much faster and more responsive than the Desktop, so I resort to using both.

I don't use the portal -- most of my patient population has no interest in that nor ability to use it. And even the few that do usually call on the phone for more information anyway, so it's double (or quadruple if we have to talk them through signing into the portal or getting signed back in since they forgot since the last time they used it) work for the office staff.

I really wish that AC could bring out a slimmed down version of the EMR without all the nonsense mandated by CMH -- that is going nowhere despite all the puffery about "revolution in payment methods". In reality, the "Quality Measures" are a huge, tragic waste of time and energy -- and in the end are just an add-on to fee for service.

Along with the slimmed down AC, a fully integrated fax system that only functioned as a fax, and didn't try to be all these other things that Updox claims to be would be invaluable.

If we had that, we would have a tool that would truly allow small practices to survive -- the current system is sort of like Poe's "pit and the pendulum" -- a kind of torture that seem to have no purpose except to drive all physicians slowly insane and into the waiting arms of Big Corp Medicine and we can all work directly for United Health Care.

I have had occasional crashes with V11, but apparently not as many as others have posted here.

Several times recurrent crashes were solved by restarting the computer. I have had more crashes on 11 than 10, but not enough to really say it's significant. I could go weeks without crashes on 10, now I go days. It does seem to be random and there does not seem to be a unifying thread to the crashes.

On the positive side, I think it starts up faster. I'm not sure that the average charting is really any different. Clicking from Most recent to summary to demographics is still much slower than V6 and below. Clicking to account information is still glacial but no change from, I think, V 9 or 10.

My issue with 11 is still that the prescription module still seems clunky. The fact that it takes a extra click to send all the prescriptions to the same pharmacy is baffling to me. I still do not understand how the program picks randomly what pharmacy it will send if you do specify and the patient has multiple pharmacies. The fact that on the "send" page you only get a number of the, say, Walgreens pharmacy rather than actual location has resulted in repeated reworking of Rxs requiring more time. The fact that it will not figure out that tablet Rxs require tablet in the field is frustrating. All of this slows down the process. Put it all together and it takes longer to Rx.

Otherwise I think it's overall reasonably stable for me, but would probably never be perfect.

I'm still personally bugged that after all this time I still cannot search by parent name. This has been requested multiple times by many people but not met their threshold for importance.

Where is v11? I looked in the client portal and only shows v10.2 build 309

I thought that v11 was still in beta. In any case, it sounds like it's unstable right now, so I guess it's to be avoided.

It's still in beta only available to a few

Bump!

Anyone with AC reading this?

Thanks

Gene

Bump once more

Anyone from AC with any info?

Thanks

Gene

I am polling other group members to see if someone else can share what they feel about AC Version 10 and 11.
I get about one crash of AC V11 a day. Usually it is random, usually in the afternoon, when a chart is opened or sometimes while flipping through different tabs or sometimes at the end when I click sign. Sometimes it does prompt and note is resurrected but sometimes it has to be retrieved from deleted items.
As we get busy, it is not always possible to make sure a message was sent and is in the outbox and have lost several messages after they were typed and the message is lost when any part of AC outside of the message screen is clicked on or even sometimes working within a patients chart looking up labs and messages / encounters. I think this feature is liability issue. The program should at least prompt if the message is not sent before it is erased or a draft should be saved.
I also dont like how you have to enter patient identifiers to open the chart every single time. I prefer having a list of most recently looked up patients / charts available to make it quicker. I have dozens of patients with same names.
I would also like to have the ability to review what is in the nursing group inbox.
With V11, I have to recode the medicines every day. I get refill requests on medicines prescribed a month or two ago and when no match is found, the chart has to be opened and medicine coded and then it matches. Sometimes it does make duplicate medicine entries.
Sometimes Midmark ECG gives error message about licensing and ECg cannot be edited, signed off or printed and the next day it works just fine. Also, signing off on ECG requires extra clicks.
Sometimes bug found screen pops up and it keeps popping up until AC crashes.
Have had current Beta for almost 5 months and am concerned that issues have not been fixed. Makes me nervous.

Hi Naeem,

I cannot comment on 11, but I am certainly watching other peoples comments.

We are using 10.0.2, overall very very satisfied with this. Rare crashes, very rare issue with losing messages or sending to the wrong chart, but overall stable and works well.

It would be unfortunate to lose ground with an "upgrade"

Anyone know if the new Medicare erxing requirements are still in effect for January 1?

Thanks

Gene

This would be our #1 issue in need of immediate correction: Changing the email interface. We lose 2-3 messages/day, that we know of, probably more.

That said, as a former SOAPWARE user, I'd rather have a flawed EMR than none at all. Having a forced change because our EMR was "sundowned" has made me more tolerant of these inconveniences.

I agree it's important to have an official update from AC, at least about the timing of the new "mandatory" release. Their support page still says "We plan to release Version 11 of Amazing Charts in Q1 2020 "

Hi Mark,

Those lost messages are distressing.

Which version AC are you running?

Thanks

Gene

We are running 10.2.0, but this issue has been present in all prior versions. As Naeem said, once a message is started, if you attempt any other function within AC, the message disappears without warning. It's easy for our staff to forget a message was started, and if so, who the patient was. Permitting multiple messages being open, or other fields to be accessible without the message disappearing would be quite helpful.

Messages have to be completed once started, otherwise you have to start over. Once in a great while a message gets attached to the wrong patient and my nurses call some guy to report a normal mammogram. This is mainly when signing off on imported items. But mainly V10.2 has been very stable. There is also a memory leak somewhere such that you can't search for a diagnosis code until you restart the program, but that is only every few days. Overall, I doubt the other EHR are any less buggy. And I am using all the bells and whistles to jump through the hoops for CMS. And it is still way less expensive, though I haven't checked in a few years. As for lost messages, the Outbox and Deleted boxes have saved me many times.

I feel there is struggle on part of AC development team to keep up with all the demands, interface and operating systems. A lot of version 10 and 11 crashes are related to coding conflicts with Windows OS. They are trying to work out the kinks in the interfaces with Midmark and Surescript. In version 11, I constantly find myself coding the medicines as they get decoded after a few weeks. Currently it is not possible to respond to controlled substance refill requests unless you pay for the service. We used to be able print them but in V 11 that has been removed.
It happens very often that the item highlighted in messages is not the item that pulls. That's when I find myself sending message on wrong patient or pulling a wrong chart. I am sure it is difficult o have a perfect program at the perfect price.

Hi Naeem,

There are always things going on. There is no excuse for the v11 release not being out there. Nothing against the development team, just that we are supposed to have it by 1/1/2021.

Verion 11 and Midmark: Does anyone use the interface? We have had a lot of issues including license expiration (even though a License was purchased, Starting an ECG, printing ECG nd lately installing the software on a new machine.
Also at the advice of AC support, reinstalled Windows but continue to have issues with AC crashes mostly when pulling a chart from messages or signing off on the note. Anyone else experiencing these issues .

V11? It would be fantastic of AC listened to all the suggestions we've had over the years, like fixing those things we still have to work around that are second nature in other charts. For instance, there still is no efficient arrival feature. My MA doesn't know when someone arrives in the lobby without the workaround. We have a Wellness and a *Wellness, we have a Acute Visit and an *Acute Visit. We have different colors. The receptionist actually has to change the visit type so the color will change. Maybe someone will notice. AC won't let them see unless they Update their schedule screen, they have to do this all day long.

Most other chart systems have a timer. For instance, it says days they waited for this appointment, minutes in the lobby, mintues in the exam room, etc. It would be easy to program in such a clock and then hit a button so you make time with physician go into the note to justify time coding.

If you are communicating back and forth with staff, for instance about a high lab that necessitates going to the ER, the MA's calls to the patient, etc, and then you sign off the lab, all the messaging (and legal protection) disappears.

You can't leave a chart open and let anyone else, or yourself, access it from another computer.

V10 doesn't play well with Windows. AC is unable to keep up with changes in Windows and we've had all kinds of problems with crashes, especially the script writer. Miraculously that's working better now, perhaps Windows fixed something, but AC basically told me that it was a small enough number of practices experiencing it for them to rewrite the code that's at fault.

There are lots of other problems. I probably submitted at least a 100 "bug reports" which are now called "recommended improvements." I have never ONCE had them respond to these in 10 years. Never called me and said, "sorry you are having that problem, it will be fixed shortly."It would be fantastic if they visited our practices to see our frustrations or the work arounds we are having to do.

I agree with others that I'd like a slimmed down version without all the Meaningless Use garbage I don't use. I'd also like fixes to problems that have frustrated me daily for 10 years. I'd like to not pay thousands for tech support when no one is there half the time. Perhaps V11 will include some improvements but I don't know if I'll be around with AC that long.

Hi Chris,

I couldn't agree more. I guess I have just put AC in that category that this is inevitable, and I will live with it anyway. I do most of my lab requisitions freehand, in other words, click on other and then type them in. There is no way to format them, and it looks awful. And, at least 12 labs a year don't get done, because my staff doesn't write it in a way that the first lab is not on the same labs as Custom labs.

I find the problem is that it seems, only from listening to AC, that bugs, problems and ideas are prioritized by the number of people who comment on them. So something minor that is mentioned by 500 practices is prioritized over the acuity of a bug -- say 50 practices report that they can send meds via eRx, but it must be done twice. Doable, but what a pain. *This is just an analogy.

The beauty of AC has always been for good or for bad how the users communicated directly to the AC staff, and in the past directly to Jon. That was the advantage of having a smaller EMR and smaller community.

Support will always be support although Ryan did help me tremendously a couple of months ago in a server which is so complicated, I have to explain it to Veeam and Dell, etc.

Yes, I've decided these things are not going to be fixed. With the chart code not being updated to fix problems and keep up with the latest windows, I guess it is a matter of when, not if, I move on. What you said is correct: I"m low on the list for my problems being solved. Even if it is an extreme problem for me, if only 50 practices are having it it's not worth fixing for them. I can't keep paying 3000 per year for tech support if these issues are not fixed. (For my practice)

Maybe they we don't hear about it as much as Chris doesn't visit the board as much. I would think at least we would be updated on whether we need the new eRx setup before January 1, 2020.

I am starting to look at other vendors as well. Hell we could have two different forums on here.

Bert, please DM me about a leading competitor that is #1 in all the rankings on AAFP surveys.

I've stopped sending copies of my AC crash reports to AC.
My renewal date is 3 months away been playing this game of ? look at other systems even OpenSource stuff like OpenEMR. Who knows, probably gonna practice another 3-5 yrs we will see if this is the year.

The two I have always looked at if I made a switch, and the AI that it uses may be more difficult than it helps. I remember training for free with Praxis for about four weeks. Complicated but very efficient. Medpointe seems more traditional but works with the same bell-shaped curve to craft a note. They both have excellent support and both are greater than 4.8/5. Medpointe is a little pricey, but the first year is free. Never used either for clinicals so I can't speak for either one.

Koby: I'm jumping in with Praxis. I'm starting training today. I'll keep you all posted. STrongly recommend you watch their demo: see my other threat on here.

I am not worried about a new learning curve, although these are a bit higher.

Time to bring this back. V. 11 was supposed to be in general release by now.

What has happened to V11? We are on 10.2.0 and it generally works pretty well.
But as of almost a year ago I was hoping for an update that would fix some of the bugs which have been thoroughly detailed in this thread, and others.

I heard from Chris Conrad who says:
"SCRIPT2017 was extended till later this year due to the COVID impact so we delayed v11 General release for a bit as we had a few more changes to make before everyone had to update. It’s been in beta now for a while and about to GA very soon."

Obviously the requirement to upgrade by 12/1/2020 that was previously announced is no longer in effect.