Home Forums Discussions Feedback and Recommendations Replace Updox?

Wonder if AC is looking at another portal provider or if there is another portal option.

I just received a notice my Updox fee has gone up by 200%! Not happy, but to add insult I have been after them for YEARS to fix the processing of special characters. Currently when we write a portal message using as an example don't - it saves the message in the patients file as don^&%t. Makes us look so unprofessional and they want more money? Combining their fees and AC fees brings it into territory that it makes sense to reshop our entire EHR/portal system since there are so many out there with features that at least match if not exceed the current configuration. I can see a price increase of 125% but to more than double it in one year? That is when principles step in considering their complete lack of fixing a simple issue like special character handling. Open to any suggestions. Wonder if others have been hit with the Updox fee increase.

Mike Kendall
VMP Genetics
Atlanta, GA
404.793.7800 ext 708

Yes I agree:

They raised the monthly price to $209.00. Definitely not worth it. Amazing charts need to look at new partner. We had to forcibly use the updox per Amazing charts and they are raised the price to the highest of all the monthly tech fee we pay.

I will bring it to the attention of Amazing Charts management.

We need competition here. AC could do it themselves and compete with updox for the fees. Ideally another third party could do it.

We have been Updox users from the beginning, and we love it. The cost has gotten out of hand, though.

The issue for us is that while we like the portal, we find the document management features of the program to be a tremendous time-saver. It would be great for AC to develop their own alternative, but lets hope it is not just a portal, but also the document management piece.

An update:

As others, currently we are using updox paying high price as we are required to have a portal for PCMH etc and have no other choice.

We complained to AC. Peter called our office yesterday, AC is aware of this exorbitant price raise and they are looking at other vendors. Hopefully we will get a different vendor. We wish, hope and pray that we get a reasonably priced vendor soon.

I have always found updox somewhat clunky. I have paid the AC fee to continue the portal, but have not been jumping through the hoops for the government reimbursement, so a portal is not mandatory. Only a small percentage of my patients use a portal anyway. Most of the time we send things through encrypted PDF to email directly.

I would like a smoother, more integrated portal that worked more smoothly, but I no longer expect that Harris is going to expand the product. I hope I am wrong.

When I googled updox alternatives a few popped up. But will they be economically feasible? How well will they work? This should be interesting

If updox is raising it rates to docs, they are probably raising their rates to AC as well, what will that mean to our annual subscription.

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 solved the integrated fax issue with a multifunction printer. I have 2 offices. One uses a Brother MFC the other uses an HP 8610 officejet. With either you print to the fax, it brings up the software that asks for a telephone number (and if you want a cover and how to fill it out) and once you hit send you hear the printer excrete fax noises about 5 seconds later.

I like the HP better because it catches faxes and automatically downloads them as PDFs to the server. The Brother has clunky software that usually requires manually downloading the files then converting them to PDF with paperport software. Paperport is a good manager for the documents, but for us it's primary purpose is to change from (I think) TIFF format to PDF. It will save that to the server group folder and they then import from there. (OK, I know Updox can automatically imports, but it doesn't take long to import for my office).

In fact, when the HP failed (cartridge not recognized, a common problem) I bought another Brother for that office, thinking that they had updated things from my now probably 8 year old Brother in the other office. When staff complained about the clunkiness, I restarted the HP as a fax machine only. I suppose I could have bought another HP but I had already spent the money on the Brother and it is a good printer too, so it prints and the HP faxes. For more money you could by a fax card, but I really don't see the point.

Anyway, I don't use Updox for faxing, my system works well. Few of my patients use the portal. I use NitroPDF (free version) and attach a scanned signature to sign and markup PDF documents (others here like Foxit, but NitroPDF seems to work better for me). That works 95% of the time. About 5% won't take it and I either wet sign and fax or tell them to mail it and I will sign it.One company didn't like my SIGNED signature, I told them to mail it.

So I don't see fax ability as a limitation of AC.

I am also very unhappy about the huge price increase (from $58 to $149/month). Are there any other e-FAX vendors that can be used with Amazing Charts?

Yes, mine has increased from $59 to $149/month and I am only using the fax!

My three provider practice gets 7 - 10,000 pages of faxes a month. Every little bit of reduced clicks and automation helps. The price is pretty reasonable for this amount of document handling, and I think it is in line with most eFax solutions. When Updox was charging per page, my bill would get up to $300. To save money we got a cheap eFax line which e-mailed the fax to an e-mail address. With MS Outlook, I can put in automation to automatically print these faxes to Updox.

IMHO it would be difficult to find a solution that intertwines the e-fax, portal, secure text, and secure video chat features. I figure just a few secure video chats a month more than offsets the monthly cost, and I am usually doing 2-3 per day on average, sure makes the office more efficient. If you find a solution that does all of what updox can for a cheaper cost I would be interested in hearing more about it.

In my experience, Updox does value its long-term customers, and they worked with me when I told them I felt like I was being nickeled and dimed. I suggest contacting them before switching to another vendor.

We have found Updox to be so beneficial for our practice. We use it for everything: secure messaging, our new patient forms, editing, 95% of our faxing goes out through it, and of course, the EHR imports. I just think about how much time and energy it saves me, not to mention resources (paper, toner, wear and tear of our machines).

Agreed, however Amazing charts needs to have a fully integrated system first. They need to get rid of 2 schedules, the AC schedule and then the PM. Please only one

Do you really want AC taking this over? They aren't even putting the resources into AC to keep up with the changes in Windows 10 or fixing the host of bugs we've dealt with for 10 years. I deal with continual crashes and it would be nightmare if Updox behaved like that.

This is an old thread and been addressed in detail. I got an email from Updox to raise the price again and significantly. Any fresh thoughts and advice? It will cost $400 or more a month just for Updox. Obviously this is in addition to the cost of using Amazingcharts.

I do not use UpDox. I never have used them and hate that the patient portal is linked to them.

I use a Brother MFC machine currently on a MFC-L5850DW. We have had 4 Brother machines in the past almost 20 years. This current one is almost 4 years old. I use it for faxes in and out and have a couple of scanners for stuff that comes in through the mail. There are other posts on the board about using the Brother machines in place of UpDox. I think the best post goes back several years and was posted by Leslie.

For that price I could buy a new machine every month.

just my 2 cents