Home Forums Discussions General Discussion New user wanting customized med list

We are brand new to Amazing Charts and very excited to put it into action in our small volunteer free clinic. We see adults only and have a relatively small list of meds on our formulary. I have read whatever I could find in the forums regarding customizing med lists but am unclear whether this is really possible and how we would go about it. Any insights appreciated.

It is totally possible. You need to have a copy of Microsoft Access installed. Then go to the Amazing Charts folder and double-click on AmazingMeds.mdb. You can then either customize it yourself from scratch, or download one of the custom databases off the "Helpful Downloads" site. Once you get to that point, post again with an update, and we'll help you through the process.

Thank you! I will download the database file you posted previously, and go from there.

I feel dumb. How do I find the AmazingMeds database file? I opened Microsoft Access, did a search, not sure where it is hiding. I'm a Mac person, so this is challenging!

I found it!! Now I feel REALLY dumb.

Update: I downloaded the cleaned up database and added it to the AC program file folder after renaming the original as you suggested. I see how to open Access and edit the listings table (I'm mostly deleting a lot of items), but the old meds still pop up when I open the Rx window in AC. I am not an experienced Access user.

Jill,

First, you don't need to know anything at all about Access except how to click on it.

It's hard to tell from your question exactly what old meds are popping up. Are you saying the meds you took out of Access are still there? Are you saying that the medications are still listed in the prescription writer of the patient? Or are you saying that when you type a few letters in the script writer, that an old medication comes up. These are all different things, and I wasn't able to ascertain which one you were referring to.

As far as the second one, (meds staying in the script writer) they would, and I am sure you know that. As for the last one, the medications which autopopulate the script writer, i.e. you type Amo and up pops Amoxicillin suspension 250 mg/5mL etc. comes up that is due to your registry. In other words, your registry on EACH computer remembers the last 100 or so prescriptions. It's easy to change, but you really don't need to or want to. Now, if you are talking about the first one, if you delete medications from Access or add them and just save it, they will not be gone or be there. You have to delete a couple of tables first. It isn't complicated, but if you don't know how to do it, then you won't be successful.

Post back, and either Brian or I can help you. Brian's complete list will work perfectly for you.

Thanks for the help, Bert. I deleted a bunch of rows and saved the database, but the med name still comes up as an option in the script writer (a med I have never prescribed). Please let me know what the other steps are. My goal is to be able to narrow the list of options to the meds that are on our formulary in order to help our providers know what their options are when they are entering a script. We don't use any injectables, narcotics, benzodiazepenes or pediatric formulations so I would like to get rid of all of those.

Jill,

This is easy. If you wish, I can remote into your computer and call at the same time. Use GoToMeeting. We can get it all set up for you in less than 30 minutes. Let me know.

Bert- If you can outline the steps here, I will give it a try. Hard to schedule a block of time at the computer right now. But I'll holler if I have trouble! Thank you very much.

Tell me again exactly what you are trying to do?

Are you taking the medication database that comes with it and trying to edit it? Probably a bad idea. I would throw that one away.

Are you using Brian's database? Good idea. Are you trying to edit that one to have medications you don't use out and others in?

I downloaded a med database from this site (yes I think it was Brian's) and did what was instructed: I named the old (original) database something else and am trying to edit the new one. Mostly I want to get rid of a ton of stuff and may add a few things.
thanks.

OK, a few things:

As Brian said, I always suggestion simply renaming the origianl (bad) one from AmazingMeds.mdb (where it is functional) and renaming it to AmazingMeds.old or anything else -- it doesn't matter. Technically, you could call it AmazingMeds.IDoNotLikeThisFile. Windows will still warn you it won't work and, after you click OK, it will turn into a non-useable file. It will still contain all the original data, and it will be the same size.

Then you put the new one it. If you were to be the new one in without renaming the old one, Windows will warn you that there is a file with the same name, and you would overwrite it.

Again, as long as the file isn't in the database with the .mdb extension, you would be OK. I think philosophically it is good to understand that you could just as easily move the file to your desktop or delete it altogether. I have always recommended renaming it instead simply because it is comforting (for lack of a better word) to know that the original database is still there.

As to how to do it, I will take you step by step with screen shots to make it easy.

If you send me your email address. My email address is in my profile, I will send you the screen shots.

Thank you; I have done this part without any trouble. The part I am unfamiliar with is what I exactly need to do to edit the new database file. Something about tables, listings, etc- some of which get deleted when edits are made or the edits don't stick??