While you have been able to record EFTPOS transactions in Blue Chip for some time now, with Blue Chip 2.5 and the introduction of Integrated EFTPOS, you can process all EFTPOS transactions seamlessly. The key benefit being that transaction information is sent directly from Blue Chip to the EFTPOS terminal without the need to re-key, resulting in faster, easier payments. The integrated solution eliminates keying-in errors and you also benefit from online real-time reporting. In order to take advantage of the new Integrated EFTPOS facility, you will need to obtain an EFTPOS terminal from HCN’s EFTPOS solution business partner, Tyro. Tyro offer very competitive merchant fees to medical practices. HCN can arrange for a cost savings analysis for your practice. You do not need to change banks when you sign up for a Tyro terminal and there are no lock-in contracts. Who is Tyro? HCN has partnered with EFTPOS provider Tyro to develop this new feature. Tyro’s credo is “Putting the innovation back into the institution” – they are dedicated to helping improve their merchants’ business processes, managing their electronic payments, and reducing the cost of their acceptance. For further information on Tyro, please visit their website on www.tyro.com. Forward Thinking Software Solutions INTEGRATED EFTPOS NOW IN BLUE CHIP 2.5 HCN CEO, John Frost comments: “HCN understands that within the medical community there is a real need for an array of different payment solutions, and that is why we are providing options. The Integrated EFTPOS solution provides significant time and cost savings to those practices that receive card payments.” For a free savings analysis on your practice, contact: Alison Munro - Tyro Payments T: 02 8907 1780 M: 0414 486 685 [email protected]Grant Wade - Health Communication Network Limited T: 02 9467 6173 F: 02 9947 2547 [email protected]THE SPECIALIST JULY 2008 ISSUE 2 NEWSLETTER This release of Blue Chip... sees some significant changes in the product and the launch of some very exciting new features. Enhancements have been made in the following areas: • Integrated EFTPOS – New to Blue Chip 2.5 • Estimates (Informed Financial Consent) • Letter and document transfer from Blue Chip to Medical Director 3 • SMS • Accounts • Appointments • Backup • Banking • Medicare Online for bulk-bill and patient claims • Recalls • Reports For further information on these enhancements, please see the accompanying Release Notes contained on this CD.
Transcript
While you have been able to record EFTPOS transactions in Blue Chip for some time now, with Blue Chip 2.5 and the introduction of Integrated EFTPOS, you can process all EFTPOS transactions seamlessly. The key benefi t being that transaction information is sent directly from Blue Chip to the EFTPOS terminal without the need to re-key, resulting in faster, easier payments. The integrated solution eliminates keying-in errors and you also benefi t from online real-time reporting.
In order to take advantage of the new Integrated EFTPOS facility, you will need to obtain an EFTPOS terminal from HCN’s EFTPOS solution business partner, Tyro. Tyro offer very competitive merchant fees to medical practices. HCN can arrange for a cost savings analysis for your practice.
You do not need to change banks when you sign up for a Tyro terminal and there are no lock-in contracts.
Who is Tyro?HCN has partnered with EFTPOS provider Tyro to develop this new feature. Tyro’s credo is “Putting the innovation back into the institution” – they are dedicated to helping improve their merchants’ business processes, managing their electronic payments, and reducing the cost of their acceptance.
For further information on Tyro, please visit their website on www.tyro.com.
Forward Thinking Software Solutions
INTEGRATED EFTPOS NOW IN BLUE CHIP 2.5
HCN CEO, John Frost comments: “HCN understands that within the medical community there is a real need for an array of different payment solutions, and that is why we are providing options. The Integrated EFTPOS solution provides signifi cant time and cost savings to those practices that receive card payments.”
For a free savings analysis on your practice, contact:
sees some signifi cant changes in the product and the launch of some very exciting new features. Enhancements have been made in the following areas:• Integrated EFTPOS – New to Blue Chip 2.5
• Estimates (Informed Financial Consent)
• Letter and document transfer from Blue Chip to Medical Director 3
• SMS
• Accounts
• Appointments
• Backup
• Banking
• Medicare Online for bulk-bill and patient claims
• Recalls
• Reports
For further information on these enhancements, please see the accompanying Release Notes contained on this CD.
MDExchange is a new feature in MD3 (from MD3.7 onwards) that allows doctors to create
correspondence using the Medical Director Letter Writer module and send it via Secure
Message Transport to other MDExchange users that are identifi ed by searching the MDExchange
online directory.
MDExchange messaging functionality is available to all registered subscribers of MD3 who have
successfully completed the MDExchange Registration Wizard.
Registering for MDExchange:
The registration process requires the user to have an active internet connection and takes a few
minutes to complete via the MDExchange Registration Wizard available via Tools > MDExchange
> Registration Wizard.
The wizard will quickly and easily guide you through the registration process and will fi nish by
advising that your registration has been successful.
Sending correspondence using MDExchange:
Following successful registration with MDExchange, you can begin corresponding with other
MDExchange users via the Medical Director Letter Writer module. Send a message by selecting
File > Send via MDExchange. This will display the “Send via MDExchange” window.
From here a user can search the MDExchange online directory, identify other MDExchange
participants and add them to their local address book.
When the item of correspondence has been sent to another MDExchange user, a copy of this
will be stored in the Letters tab in Medical Director as per current functionality, and a record of
the transaction will also be stored in the new MDExchange tab.
This tab details who the item of correspondence was sent to, who it was from, the date/time it
was sent and the user who actually sent it, for example the Practice Manager.
This tab also details the status of the item of correspondence, that is, whether the transaction
was successful, if it has been received and read and so forth. From this tab it is also possible to
view the item of correspondence, edit it if required and then re-send.
Receiving correspondence using MDExchange:
Correspondence sent to a user via MDExchange will be delivered to the existing Medical Director
Holding File (F5) and will appear with the words “MDExchange” against it in the “Provider”
column.
Double clicking on an “MDExchange” record will open the item of correspondence and allow the
user to action it using the No action required, Return urgently and Discuss result buttons.
Performing an action on MDExchange correspondence received via the “Holding File” will add
the message to the patient’s Letters tab and also trigger for a ‘Read’ acknowledgement status to
be sent to the sender.
MDEXCHANGE™
• Instant Secure Messaging between medical professionals
• MDExchange™ is FREE to all subscribers of MD3.
NEW
For more information about
MDExchange, please refer to
the corresponding section in the
Medical Director Help fi les.
Fig.1
Fig.2
Fig.3
Fig.4
The Blue Chip SMS reminders feature
has been well received by our customer
base and we have received some feedback
about how to improve the functionality.
In light of this, some enhancements have
been made to the SMS feature within
Blue Chip.
SMS ENHANCEMENTSThese include:
• Practitioner-specifi c SMS messages now available. • Scheduled SMS Modifi cation to account for closed/absent days. • Out-of-credits notifi cation added.• Bulk SMS Wizard added to Blue Chip.
Examples of where this feature will benefi t you include:
• Alerting booked patients on occasions when the Practitioner has been called away urgently and must reschedule a session’s appointments.
• Alerting a day’s schedule of patients to advise them that they will need to re-book.• Alerting specifi c patients to advise them that the Doctor is running late.
How to Transfer Documents and Letters to Medical Director
The following information and instructions pertain only to:
• Sites that have been using both Blue Chip and Medical Director 3.x, synchronised via the MD Link File Processor, or
• Sites that have an established Blue Chip patient database and have now installed Medical Director, but have not yet synchronised the two applications.
For sites with separate or otherwise different patient databases, please contact Blue Chip Support for assistance.
Letter and document transfer from Blue Chip to Medical Director 3In order to strengthen interconnectivity with Medical Director, the document handling capabilities of Blue Chip have been enhanced. All documents that have been scanned or imported into ImageLite, and all letters written via Correspondence in Blue Chip, can now be made available in the Patient’s record in Medical Director. This allows the correspondence to be transferred securely via MDExchange.
Fig.1. Within Blue Chip select Setup >
Practice > Links Medical Director.
The Medical Director Setup window
appears. Ensure the Link Blue Chip
to Medical Director checkbox is
enabled.
Fig.2. Click the Transfer All Patient
Documents to Medical Director
button. The Transfer All... window
appears. It will appear empty.
Fig.3. Click the Transfer Now button. The
transfer of documents and letters
from Blue Chip to Medical Director
commences, progress of which is
indicated in the following window.
Fig.4. You will be notifi ed when the transfer
is complete. Click the OK button to
close the notifi cation. You will be
returned to the Transfer All... window.
Click the Close button to exit. You will be returned to the Medical Director Setup window.
Note also that at this time scanning and importing via Blue Chip’s ImageLite will be disabled. Although you will still be able to see documents within Blue Chip, you cannot edit them or create new ones. You are encouraged to use Medical Director for scanning and importing in future.
Fig.1
Fig.3
Fig.2
Fig.4
A Note for Medical Director 3 UsersFrom Blue Chip 2.5 onwards, practices that use Blue Chip with Medical Director 3 will be able to take advantage of enhanced connectivity between the two applications. Note that this functionality is not available immediately upon installing or updating to Blue Chip 2.5 (or later), rather it must be activated. Note also that once activated, this functionality and underlying connectivity between Blue Chip and Medical Director cannot be disabled or reversed.
Further information about
Estimates can be found in
the Blue Chip 2.5 Help.
Practices can now provide an estimate of
costs to patients directly out of Blue Chip so that they are fi nancially informed.
The layout and functionality of the Estimates screen has changed, and practices now have the ability to create new estimates directly from this screen, instead of having to do so from within Correspondence.
You can now clone – that is create exact, customisable copies of existing estimates, as well as print them and turn them into invoices, all from the Estimates screen within the Patient Record.
Apart from the improved convenience of being able to perform all estimate-related tasks from the one screen, the new Estimates functionality now calculates patient out-of-pocket costs for in-hospital services where health fund benefi ts are involved.
Note also that the Quotation functionality previously available from the WPFields menu has been disabled.
ESTIMATES(INFORMED FINANCIAL CONSENT)
As we all set our sights on a truly paperless offi ce, we start to fi nd out just how critical and time consuming it can be to manage our data in-house.
Leona Brooke, NSW Channel Partner at HCN, has been providing solutions to Specialists to address this. Partnering with Oxygen Networks, Brooke Consulting Group clients now have a secure, fully managed alternative.
Together they have developed cohesive solutions for new and existing Blue Chip clients that provide fl exible IT options. Clients have a Managed Server and Backup service offsite which consists of a hosted server which is accessible remotely via a secure encrypted connection from anywhere you have an internet connection.
Plastic Surgeon, Dr Naveen Somia, has just launched his Faces Plastic Surgery practice and uses Blue Chip and Medical Director on a daily basis, taking advantage of a custom designed server and backend solution. Naveen and his staff remotely connect to their server through a VPN (virtual private network) from their laptops and PCs. He can do this from any of his practices across Sydney, the operating theatre, home offi ce, or even overseas whilst at a conference. He and his staff have access to real time patient information and synching the data is never required. Naveen writes up his theatre notes in the Surgical Audit Tool of MD3 whilst in theatre, and his staff can access this information in real time. Back in the offi ce, his staff process payments using the new Blue Chip Tyro EFTPOS solution saving time and reducing errors. This in turns speeds up the process of invoicing, postoperative appointments and letter writing.
He did not need to purchase, maintain or house a server, meaning his staff do not need to be IT experts, and any unexpected IT costs or interruptions in the surgery can be avoided. His server is loaded with Blue Chip, Medical Director 3 and Microsoft Offi ce and the offsite backup service automatically backs up his critical fi les securely across the internet.
For further information on Managed Server
Solutions - Contact the Specialist Solutions
Sales team on: 1300 300 161
Secure Data Centre
Practice Rooms
Managed Server in practice
Local Hospital Home Offi ce
Restoration of the backup is available 24x7 from any internet connection, if required, and his system is monitored 24x7 with system reports sent to him on a regular basis. Part of the service even includes installing the latest updates for Medical Director and Blue Chip as they arrive. With this service, Naveen’s monthly charge is fully tax deductable at the time of payment and he has negated the need for purchasing large capital items.
Brooke Consulting Group manages the entire implementation project from start to fi nish, which includes assessing client needs, scanning existing paper fi les, customizing BC and MD3 to suit the specialty, and providing practitioner and staff training. By combining BC and MD3, with the Managed Server and Backup package, Brooke Consulting Group clients are achieving a secure long-term solution to the paperless offi ce.
CASE STUDY: A SIMPLE WAY TO MANAGE YOUR SERVER & BACKUPS
For years we at HCN have driven home the importance of backing up data and we thought it appropriate to share a true story with you. Several years ago a Business Analyst at HCN, Lil (who also has 12 years experience as a National Training Manager) as part of her training and installation procedure would “DRUM” into clients the importance of backups and more importantly the importance of taking weekly backups off the premises….
She was convinced that her clients thought her a paranoid lunatic. Several years later a client’s site was burgled, they lost all their computers, printers and of course all the back up tapes that were left on the premises.
The distraught client came into the offi ce armed with his backup tape, convinced that all was lost. He gingerly placed the tape on Lil’s desk with a pleading look as if to say, “I have been doing what you asked and now here it is, my livelihood, my business, all on this little tape. What now?” (He was thoroughly convinced that all was lost).
Once the insurance claim had been processed and the equipment replaced, Lil arrived at his offi ce, inserted the Backup Tape and clicked ‘Restore’! There it was – ALL the data!
The doctor admitted to Lil that he believed she had been using scare tactics for all those years but was pleasantly surprised and very relieved that following these instructions saved the day and saved his business!
The moral of the story is that practices need to be aware of the importance of backing up their data and taking control of these backups. It is your business, your livelihood and you only need the backup when all is lost! Don’t be complacent! You insure your home, your car and your contents; now take the time to ensure that your data is retrievable!
• Take a daily backup of all fi les that are important to the running of your practice. (i.e. clinical data fi les, practice management data fi les, document fi les, fi nancial records, etc.)
• Keep separate backup media for each day of the week.
• Take some backups offsite but keep them readily accessible should the need arise.
• Periodically restore a backup to a temporary location to check the integrity of the backup process and to test the ability of your staff to perform this task.
These recommendations represent a minimum set of standards to protect you. Other considerations are:
• A permanent weekly, fortnightly or monthly backup, burnt to a CD or DVD. This provides an historical record that could be used to restore your data or as proof of the integrity of your records.
• If you do not have a CD burner, an increase in the number of backup cycles can provide a better coverage than the common ‘once a day’ backup.
• A good backup strategy is business critical, therefore consult with your IT specialist to ensure that your strategy is correct for your situation.
The responsibility your surgery has for protecting your data deserves due consideration and forward planning. If you have a system failure in your surgery and you are prepared for this eventuality then the downtime and costly staff hours can be avoided.
STRONGER BLUE CHIP SALES SUPPORTMark Ryan National Sales and Channel Manager – Practice ManagementMark Ryan has been involved in assisting many different types of medical practices with their selection of software for almost 20 years. He has also been a business owner in both Northern Queensland and Europe and understands the challenges facing small to medium sized businesses from both a fi nancial and clinical perspective. Mark looks after new software and upgrade sales for NSW and also heads up the specialist sales team and supporting channel partners. Please feel free to call Mark if you need to discuss your software requirements at any time.
Gerard Roborg-SondergaardBusiness Development Manager – Specialist Solutions for HCN in QueenslandGerard has joined HCN as Business Development Manager for Queensland. He has a total of 16 years’ experience in the IT and Medical industries working with companies like IBM, Hewlett Packard, Wyeth and CSL. Gerard will be managing both existing and new clients with respect to their Practice Management and Clinical Software requirements.
Merredea HudgsonBusiness Development Manager – Specialist Solutions for HCN in VictoriaMerredea Hudgson has joined HCN as the Business Development Manager in Victoria. She has a degree of experience with 25 years in the medical fi eld, the past 13 years managing a busy specialist consulting room and day surgery centre. In the past she has also been a trainer for Blue Chip on a consulting basis and would be happy to discuss with you any issues that you have.
The MD Surgical Audit Tool is now available as an add-on module to Medical Director 3.
After consultation with a number of Surgeons, the MD Surgical Audit Tool (SAT) has been designed to cater for the specifi c functionality required by Surgeons. It is two-fold in nature, and is comprised of a Procedure Record and an Audit/Reporting module.
The Surgical Audit Tool is recognised as an approved audit tool by RACS and conforms with RACS minimum and maximum datasets.
The Surgical Audit Tool module in MD3 allows a surgeon to audit a patient procedure by entering criteria relating to a specifi c surgical procedure into the SAT tab on the patient record.
The following information can be recorded:
ADMISSION TAB – The Admission tab allows the surgeon to create a list of planned procedures. Procedures can be obtained from a predefi ned Medicare MBS Item List or from a custom procedures list in the Admission tab.
CLINICAL TAB – The Clinical Tab allows the surgeon to record a comprehensive clinical history for the patient. This function is further divided into Clinical and Co-Morbidities.
SURGICAL AUDIT TOOL
The MD Surgical Audit Tool is recognised as an approved audit tool by RACS and conforms with RACS minimum and maximum datasets.
PROCEDURES TAB – The procedures tab allows the surgeon to record procedures that were performed during an operation, or view a summary of procedures performed. The Surgeon can also add user defi ned procedures and team members who assisted in the procedure.
OUTCOME TAB – The outcome tab is divided into three sub categories - Outcomes, Sentinel Events and Adverse Events. Sentinel Events and Adverse Events consist of lists of additional information you can add to the Outcome.
REPORTING – For ease of reporting the Surgical Audit tool is also linked to MDStats.
Reports can be extracted on:• Total Number of Complications• Total Number of Procedures• Admission Totals• Operations• Current Inpatients• Procedure Magnitude• Presenting Problems Vs Final Diagnosis
HOW DO I GET SURGICAL AUDIT TOOL (SAT)SAT is available to all MD3 subscribers on a FREE one month trial – for further information, please call Medical Director Sales 1300 300 161.
