Where technology experts at Endsight share their expertise on IT Management, the issues that arise for clients, and the benefits of technology for medical practices, biotech firms, law firms, financial services and other small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Feb 10th, 2010
by Jason Clause Filed under: Business & Management, Managed Services, Marketing, Network Security, Outsourced IT Support
When I was in college, I had to move every year. I lived in a fraternity house and that really simplified the logistic. But even though I never had to move more than a few doors down the hallway, I still didn’t like it. The idea of a uprooting all of my things, transporting them, and then having to find new places for everything, was a daunting task that stressed me out every time.
As Endsight’s outsourced IT business has grown, we’ve been heavily involved in a staggering number of office moves. Every time, it’s easy to remember the stress I felt as an undergraduate with my mini fridge and futon. Obviously, the client has much more to consider which makes the stress level even greater.
No two office moves are ever the same. But having been through enough of these, I thought it would be helpful to list some of the key advisers and partner/vendor rolls to consider as part of your planning process.
Many of our clients begin the process by seeking council from key strategic advisers.
Contemplating a Move:
Commercial Realtor (Help you selected a new location)
Banker (Help decide the best way to finance the move)
Accountant (Help you decide if you can afford the move)
Lawyer (Help you avoid costly legal issues associated with the move)
Once a location has been selected, there are a number of other partner/vendors to involve in the process.
The New Office:
General Contractor (Tenant improvements)
Architect (Make it look fabulous)
Cable Installer (Network cabling)
HVAC (Server room)
Signage (Sign out front, names on the office Doors)
The Move:
Mover (To get from point A to point B)
Phone System Support (Take down and set up phones)
Computer System Support (Take down and set up computer systems)
Internet and Phone System Connectivity (Connect to the outside world)
Office Furniture (Acquire new and /or liquidate old)
Printers, Faxes & Copiers (Often times these are under contract)
Communication:
Marketing (Promote new location, update Website, send a news letter, and create a promotional item)
Printed Materials (Letterhead, business cards, marketing collateral)
Most businesses enjoy existing relationships to leverage as part of the planning process. If your company needs help filling in the roster, Endsight can help by facilitating introductions to our network of colleagues. If your small business is planning a move click here. We would be happy to meet in person with you to discuss your plan.
Tags: Endsight, move, Outsourced IT
Jan 28th, 2010
by Jason Clause Filed under: Managed Services, Outsourced IT Support
All of the Great War movies have a scene near the end of the film where the climactic battle is over and the Medivac or “dust off” choppers swoop in to tend to the wounded, including the film’s hero, who typically gets a bandage over his eye or a sling for his arm.
For many of us, the last two years must feel like a war of sorts. We’ve had to make lots of sacrifices in one way or another including being forced to say goodbye to customers and coworkers. Even if you were not distracted with the recent events, you were probably fully focused on receivables and finding new revenue and didn’t have extra time to tend to your computer systems.
Last year I blogged about keeping an eye on your computer infrastructure as the disposition of your small business changed. Employee layoffs and office closures unaccounted for in network directories were creating gaping security holes in lots of small business computing environments. If you’re concerned you might still have that problem and want to learn more, click here to read that post.
Today, as the economy begins to emerge from the recession, it might be time to consider calling in the “dust off” choppers. Most of the small business owners that I know agree that computer networks are temperamental and that they require a lot of care and feeding. When left unattended (as many have the last few years) they become unpredictable and that can be a formula for disaster.
To get started on a good network dust off, I recommend starting with an inventory of your existing network. This inventory should include:
- A list of computer users
- User Accounts
- Email, Mailboxes
- A network diagram that includes
- UPS / Backup power supply
- ISP / T1 lines
- Firewalls / Router
- Switches
- Servers
- Workstations & Laptops
- Data Backup
- Software Inventory
- Anti-Virus
- Anti-SPAM
- Operating Systems (Server & Workstation)
- Productivity Software
- Business Software
- Messaging Software
Once you’ve completed your inventory, consider asking yourself these diagnosis questions.
- Are there any performance issues?
- How old is the equipment?
- What is still under warranty?
- Is the software licensing current?
Determining the current disposition and status of your small business computing environment and combining that information with an assessment of the network’s limitations will help point you and your IT partner, should you choose to work with one, to the right questions to ask as you redevelop your IT strategy.
Endsight’s outsourced IT support model is layered to encompass what we believe are the four basic components of sound IT management and support. Planning, Plumbing, People and Projects build on one another like a pyramid. Planning, at the top of the pyramid, is typically the first casualty in a recession. Without a good plan however, it becomes very difficult to maintain a small business computer network consistently.
That’s why Endsight includes planning as part of its “all-you-can-eat” outsourced IT support methodology. Working with one of Endsight’s CIO level IT managers, our clients benefit from regularly scheduled IT strategy meetings where we collaboratively review the current status of the computer network and together map out the future strategy.
If you feel like Endsight might be able to help you with your long-term IT strategy click here to schedule an in person meeting. We can then discuss your needs in detail.
Tags: Endsight, it management, Outsourced IT
Dec 3rd, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: Business & Management, Email, Hosted Services, Managed Services
In my opinion, the key incite to glean from Pete’s article is that your data is probably worth WAY more than you think. In fact, it is likely the very life blood driving your organization.
Many of Endsight’s clients operate a service business. They count on the intellectual property locked in their email and business applications to meet their customers’ needs. For them, data is the business.
As Pete’s article notes, “The Department of Commerce has determined that 90% of companies which do not have access to data for more than 5 days go out of business within 1 year.”
By itself, that statistic is alarming, but in the Bay Area it’s further exasperated by this one:
On April 15 2008, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that The US Geological Survey believes “A strong and deadly earthquake is virtually certain to strike on one of California’s major seismic faults within the next 30 years”
I’ve reposted Pete’s article below and invite you to consider what kind of impact a “day without computers” might have on your business. If you find the impact as alarming as Pete, contact us and let’s talk about how we can help mitigate that risk.
I’ve embedded a slide deck to a free seminar Endsight has provided about disaster preparedness. If you belong to a professional association or business / community group that might have an interest in the topic, let me know and I’d be happy to present it. If you’d like more information about the presentation, Email me and I’ll send you a topic abstract.
The Value of Data: What is your data worth to your Organization
By Pete Heles, Founder/CEO Framework IT, LLC
What is your data worth?
This question is one that will have a unique answer to each and every entity in existence. There is no easy answer. This is obvious in the fact that this very question has been asked many times without a quantitative foundation for the answer. It is the objective of this document to assist you in better determining the value of your firm’s data, how to increase its value and ensure the ongoing retention of value.
In researching this question, there are several current themes for determining the value of an organization’s data. The most basic formula is the data of an organization is equal to one times annual revenue. This theory is supported by the fact that if a company’s data is lost or handed over to a competitor, the firm is worthless without it. This is a rather simple formula that points out a fundamental flaw in attempting to establish a universal formula for determining the value of data: The value of data has much to do with the type of organization.
A flower shop, a paint manufacturer and a not-for-profit cannot use the same formula. Think about a dental office: new data is established on each visit and the data collected from prior visits is mostly negated. In the dentist’s case, the security of the new data is far more important than the “old data” with the establishment of HIPAA Guidelines.
A flower shop has names, addresses, credit card information and transaction history. The credit card data is again important from a security risk stand point, but to say the value of a flower shop’s data is 1 times annual revenue seems to be grossly overstated, as the majority of the information can be collected from a variety of sources and the confirmation of credit card information can and should be done with each transaction.
The paint manufacturer on the other hand is very different. In the recent past, a specialty paint manufacturer was purchased by a sizable competing firm. Within 6 months of the acquisition over 90% of the acquired firm’s employees were terminated and all but 2 plants shut down. The data was the only thing of true value. The purchase price was 4 times annual revenue. Formulas and client data in the sole possession of the acquiring firm were deemed to have that significant value.
In today’s business environment Certified Public Accountants and the Federal Government determine the value of tangible assets. Merriam Webster defines tangible as “capable of being appraised at an actual or approximate value <tangible assets>.”
If a firm buys a list of names and addresses it is a business expense and the initial value is easily determined. That list becomes valuable data with use and definition by the firm for its profitable use. The additional data that is built along with the name that was purchased is of significant value. In theory, it is no longer an expense, but becomes an asset. Only the tangibility of value is at question.
There are other considerations that must be realized in determining the value of data. A basic factor in value is the cost to maintain and collect data. What is the budget for computers, software, support, and people in the data systems group at a firm. This is a statement, not a question, as this is a cost of data for any firm. If, in fact, that amount is treated as an expense, it must diminish the value of data by the same amount.
On the other hand, it has been determined by the management of the firm that the value of data will increase in an amount greater than the expense; otherwise it would be a bad business decision to incur that expense. Conclusion: the data processing staff at a firm is critical in increasing the value of the firm’s data. Unfortunately the value of data is too often determined by the purchase price of technology which is used to house the data. That is like telling someone the $1 bill in the $100,000 vault is worth a hundred thousand dollars! In 1978 when a 73mb disk drive was $38,000, was the data more valuable than today when a 300 GB disk drive is about $250? Be careful not to get caught in this determination of data value.
Issues for consideration
1. Is it goodwill? What is that in accounting terms?
2. Is a patent an asset, and how is the value determined?
3. Is data the same as intellectual property?
4. Increasing the value of Data
5. Protecting Data
6. Handling, use, and availability of Data
7. Misuse of Data
8. Where is the Data?
9. Role of individuals and Data
10. Assault on Data
11. Treating Data as an investment
The topics noted above are best answered by the key management of your firm with needed participation from both accounting professionals and lawyers. A strategy for the proper collection, use, protection, and ability to compound data and its value can be an eye opening project that WILL increase the awareness of and value to your firm’s data.
Before starting the process of determining the management of your firm’s data, take a minute to answer the following questions. If an employee took (embezzled) all of your company’s key client, vendor, and financial data to his new employer (a prime competitor of yours), what could the financial affect be to your firm?
If there were a fire (or other situation) that destroyed all the file servers in your data center, how long would it take for your firm to recover from this calamity?
What is the cost/loss per day to your firm if corporate data is not accessible?
What would the financial impact be to your firm if the data that was backedup could not be restored and had to be rebuilt from scratch? These numbers are actually larger than you initially estimate. The Department of Commerce has determined that 90% of companies which do not have access to data for more than 5 days go out of business within 1 year. Does this fact change the way you think about the value of your firm’s data? The protection and assured availability of your company data?
A thorough Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan is a key part of ensuring the “Survivability” of your company in the event of a business interruption or serious data loss. It is estimated that less than 5% of unregulated* businesses have a current and thorough Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan.* (Banks, financial institutions, and publicly held firms are some of the business types that are federally required to have a BC/DR Plan.)
As a business professional it is essential (and possibly legally required) that you protect your firm’s assets. After reading this article and answering a few simple (maybe complex) questions you should have a new appreciation for the value of your firm’s data and understand the need to be more proactive in the protection and assured availability of your data. Start the BC/DR Plan development process today.
Tags: Bay Area, disaster preparedness, Email, Endsight, Technology
Oct 19th, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: ARRA, Electronic Medical Records, Meaningful Use, Medical, Stimulus Program
The number of physicians using electronic prescribing will have more than doubled in 2009, executives of the e-prescribing network Surescripts said.
More than 140,000 – 23 percent of all office-based physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the United States – are e-prescribing today, officials said. At this current pace, Surescripts projects that its active e-prescribers in 2009 will more than double the 74,000 that were e-prescribing at the end of 2008. by Bernie Monegain (Re-posted) More than 140,000 physicians on growing list of e-prescribers
Because I am fairly young and in good health, I have long stretches of time between office visits to my doctor. The last time I was in the doctor’s office he prescribed medication for me by scratching an order out on a prescription pad. The next time I pay him a visit, I don’t expect to see my prescription written on a piece of paper.
EMR systems that will qualify for the federal stimulus program will be required to include the capability to process prescriptions electronically. gloEMR from gloStream already has this written into its software. Without leaving the EMR interface, physicians can prescribe medication and transmit those prescriptions electronically using an integration into Surescripts.
In addition to being one of the requirements to qualify for the $44,000 stimulus incentive payments, e-prescribers also qualify for an additional 2% back. For more information about electronic prescribing incentives, click here.
To learn more about gloEMR, click here.
To learn more about Endsight, click here
To schedule an in-person meeting to discuss electronic medical records and how this technology might be applied to your practice, click here
Tags: e prescribing, Electronic Medical Records, electronic prescribing, EMR, emr system, Endsight, gloEMR, gloStream, incentive payments, stimulus, surescripts
Oct 10th, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: ARRA, Electronic Medical Records, Meaningful Use, Stimulus Program
In an open letter, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology David Blumenthal discusses what the government means when it refers to the “meaningful use of electronic health records.”
David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, recently sent an open email discussing “meaningful use.” (To read it click here)
In his email, Blumenthal states that infact, a great deal of work has been done to define “meaningful use.” So far the process has included involvement from hundreds of stake holders and constituents and has resulted in a revised set of recommendations.
As the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), Blumenthal is charged with coordinating nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. ONC is working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), through an open and transparent process, on efforts to officially designate what constitutes “meaningful use.” The issue is being carefully considered from many different angles and perspective and CMS has a sizable collection of recomendations to synthesize as it firms up its official definition.
CMS is expected to publish a formal definition of meaningful use, for the purposes of receiving the Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments, by December 31, 2009. At that time, the public will be able to comment on the definition, and such comments will be considered in reaching any final definition of the term.
Blumenthal also points out that even in the absence of a formal definition, physicians can still a begin evaluating the capabilities and benefits of an electronic medical record system. EMR providers are happy to demonstrate their software and these demonstrations can serve as a way to help physicians to begin thinking about how they will apply EMR software to their specific workflow.
For years, Endsight has been helping clients apply technology to thier business in a meaningful way. To accomplish this, Endsight provides an upfront, detailed needs analysis that places the emphasis on the medical practices requirements and then maps those requirements to the software’s features.
To learn more about Endsight’s approach, click here.
To schedule an in-person meeting to discuss your specific needs, click here.
You can also watch a short web video that introduces Endsight by clicking here.
Tags: david blumenthal, electronic health records, electronic medical record, electronic medical record system, EMR, Endsight, health information technology, incentive payments, onc
Sep 21st, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: Electronic Medical Records, Medical
Quote from: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hit-policy-committee-holds-privacy-hearing-today “The success of health information technology and exchange rests on consumer and provider confidence in privacy and security protections,” Jodi Daniel, Director of the office of Policy and Research at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
Selecting an EMR system is just one step in the overall evaluation and deployment process. Security, privacy, and regulatory compliance will be key issues to wrestle with as Bay Area physicians evaluate their electronic medical records options. Diana Manos authored the included report about the HRT policy committee last week. I think her article sheds some light on the complexity of deploying an EMR system. Many challenging questions must be answered and addressed to assure the system is integrated in a way that protects the practice from an information/data breach.
I believe that this issue lends further weight to the idea of working with a local computer networking partner to navigate the selection and implementation process. Endsight has been helping clients deploy “hardened” networks that meet their clients regulatory requirements for quite some time. If you’re ready to begin evaluating your options for electronic medical records we’d be happy to share what we know with you. Click here to schedule an appointment with us.
Tags: Bay Area, electronic medical record, Electronic Medical Records, EMR, emr system, Endsight, health information technology, HIT, policy
Sep 11th, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: General, Hardware, Software
Generally, we do not recommend that our clients spend their valuable time attempting to solve minor computer issues. Endsight maintains a fully staffed response center whose sole purpose is to solve these problems for our clients.
That said, I can appreciate those of us that like to tinker with things. Sometimes I just want to understand what the problem is and figure out how to fix it on my own. It’s a total time waster, but sometimes I just can’t help myself.
I found this article on the HP Small Business Website and decided to reprint it here. For more related articles, click here.
Small & Medium Business
As we all know, computers are not perfect devices, and they sometimes malfunction. And when they do, this can create frustration, wasted time, and unneeded expense – especially for those of us whose computers are as vital to our daily existence as oxygen. Luckily, many common computer issues can be resolved without professional help – and with excellent results and little or no hair-pulling involved. Here are a few of the problems you might encounter, and how to fix them.
The problem: my computer is running slowly
Over time, you might notice that your computer’s performance is lagging – programs take longer to load, and booting up seems to take forever.
The fix: there are lots of them, since there are lots of reasons your computer might have slowed down. First, run a spyware and anti-virus software program (if you haven’t got one installed, you should, and you can download one free from the Internet) to see if your system is infected. If it is, follow the removal instructions provided by the software. If that doesn’t work, try removing unnecessary programs that might be taking up storage space on your computer – things like games you haven’t played in months or that accounting software you only installed for the tax season and haven’t used again. Finally, if you use Windows®, try running the Windows defragmentation utility, which can help boost your PC’s performance.
The problem: my PC started normally, but there’s nothing on the screen
If this happens, you should first check that all the cables and wires are attached to your monitor and that they’re all securely plugged in. Another idea: make sure the screen brightness isn’t turned down – this can easily happen to monitors with exposed dials.
You should also listen out for the sounds your PC makes when it boots up: if it beeps once, that’s a normal startup. However, one long beep followed by shorter beeps can mean your graphics/video card has a problem and might need to be “reseated” – this means manually removing it from the computer and then returning it to its slot. To do this, first power off your computer and unplug it. Take the case panel off, and locate the card in your machine.Before touching the card, touch one hand to the metal of the PC to ground yourself. Then, remove the screw holding the card in place, and gently rock the card back and forth until it is released. Finally, reinsert the card gently but firmly until it is completely seated in the slot, then replace the screw and PC cover and plug the machine in again.
The problem: my computer crashes and displays a blue screen
Congratulations, you’ve just encountered the famous Windows stop error, or Blue Screen of Death, as it’s lovingly known in the IT community. If this happens to you, it’s likely that you’ve recently added a new program, device, driver or application that your machine just doesn’t like.
Sometimes, a simple reboot of the PC resolves the issue. But sometimes it doesn’t – you reboot, Windows loads, and the computer crashes again. System Restore is a tool in Windows XP and Vista® that takes snapshots of your computer’s configuration over time, so if your system crashes due to an installation or bad configuration, the tool can roll Windows back to the state it was in before it stopped working without affecting any of your data. Microsoft® provides detailed instructions on when and how to use System Restore.
Microsoft, Windows and Windows Vista are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
Tags: computer issues, Endsight, hp, Microsoft, small-business
Aug 18th, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: Software
One reader is locked out of a brand-new copy of Microsoft Office. Will the folks in Redmond help him?
Microsoft wants its customers to believe that installing software is as simple as loading a disc into the CD drive and clicking okay. Sometimes it’s that easy, and sometimes it’s not. When it’s not that easy, what are customers supposed to do?
Here’s the Reader’s Digest version of the article. A remote user needs to upgrade from Office 2003 to Office 2007. His IT department ships him the Office 2007 disk and a licensing key. The user is instructed to put the disc into the CD drive, enter the licensing key, and cross his fingers. The installation doesn’t go the way that it’s supposed to, and he needs help. The end user calls Microsoft and gets the runaround.
Microsoft is in the business of developing software. They offer support, but that’s not one of the businesses that they make money on. Instead, Microsoft works through an immense network of partners to provide support.
EndSight for example, is a Microsoft Gold certified partner that specializes in, among other Microsoft titles, Microsoft Office 2007.
The EndSight team knows software like office 2007 inside and out and that experience allows the us to sidestep known issues in a deployment. But on the off chance that we get stumped, we know how to navigate the Microsoft support apparatus. As a result, our clients experienced smooth deployments that are frustration free.
At EndSight, we make it our responsibility to manage our clients licensing. This includes the requirements planning that determines the necessity of the new software in the first place, the purchase & life cycle management of a particular software title and the organizational deployment of that software.
There’s rarely such a thing as a flawless deployment. Computers are temperamental and there’s always going to be problems that creep up. To address that issue, Endsight builds ample time into the deployment plan to assure the resources are there to help users, the day after the deployment is completed.
“This kind of problem would never happen to one of our clients. We would take ownership and work it all the way through.” Says,
Will Lee, Endsight’s Response Center Team Lead.
Will joined Endsight in 2005 after graduating from the University of California San Luis Obispo. A Microsoft Certified System Engineer, Will is in charge of the day to day operation of the EndSight
Response Center.
Endsight’s Response Center is fully staffed from 7-7 Monday - Friday and supplemented by off hour pager support. This allows Endsight to provide their clients 24×7 reactive support. Each team member works out of the firms Berkeley office, has a four year college degree, and maintains various Microsoft Professional Certifications.
About Jason:Originally from the great state of Ohio Jason Clause relocated to the Bay Area to work in high-tech. A veteran of the dot com boom and bust, Jason has more than 10 years experience helping small businesses apply information technology to improve business process and increase revenue. Jason lives in Dublin, California with his wife Jennifer and enjoys hiking, cooking and quiet time at home. His hobbies include golf, snowboarding, creative writing and performing amateur stand up comedy.
Tags: Endsight, installing software, it management, Jason Clause, Microsoft, microsoft office 2007, microsoft support, microsoft titles, Office, outsourcing
Aug 10th, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: General
Chances are that the last two years have not given your small business many opportunities to improve company morale. A quick cruise around Facebook reveals a lot of employees are concerned about their jobs, unhappy with their working conditions and / or are looking for a new job.
Employee morale may not seem like a Bay Area IT Issue at first blush, but when you’re running an outsourced IT organization employee morale is of the utmost importance. It’s an intangible asset. When Endsight employees are feeling optimistic about the business, good things just start to happen. When employee morale dips, it can be really hard to catch a break.
For a small business, poor morale is kind of like a fire raging inside the wall. We can smell the smoke and feel the heat from the fire, but it’s hard to find the flames.
A great idea:
Alicia Kallander, Endsight’s human resource manager, came up with an idea that I think has a real impact on the morale of Endsight’s employees.
The third Thursday of every month, EndSight sponsors a fun activity for the employees. In July for example, the company had a pizza party and played miniature golf. The event is not mandatory and the point is to try to have a little fun.
Activities like this don’t cost a ton of money, but I think they can have a big impact on employee morale. It’s a tangible way to show employees that the company is committed to creating a work environment that they want to be a part of. I think it also is a subtle way to demonstrate a little optimism about the future.
If you’d like a few ideas to start your own Third Thursdays.
Shoot me an e-mail and I’ll send you a list of the events EndSight has planned in the past.
About Jason:
Originally from the great state of Ohio Jason Clause relocated to the Bay Area to work in high-tech. A veteran of the dot com boom and bust, Jason has more than 10 years experience helping small businesses apply information technology to improve business process and increase revenue. Jason lives in Dublin, California with his wife Jennifer and enjoys hiking, cooking and quiet time at home. His hobbies include golf, snowboarding, creative writing and performing amateur stand up comedy.
Tags: Bay Area, company morale, employee morale, Endsight, outsourced, Outsourced IT, poor morale, small businesses, Technology
Aug 3rd, 2009
by Jason Clause Filed under: Electronic Medical Records, Medical, Software
Health care and health care reform are in the news a lot these days. Much of the discussion is around changing the way we structure insurance and pay for the rising cost of health care. While it doesn’t seem like any of us can really agree on how we solve the issue. It seems like most of us agree on the problem. As a people, we have the knowledge and the technology to prolonging human life, treat disease and ease suffering. But as individuals, most of us are having a hard time figuring out how to pay for that care.
United Health group Inc., the parent company of Pacific health systems and one of the largest health technology companies in the United States recently published a claim that they believe the domestic health care system could save $332 billion over the next 10 years if it updates its information technology. The San Francisco business Journal published an article on the report and I’ve included a link to it a here:
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/06/29/daily59.html?ana=from_rss
According to the report,”Much of the $332 billion in savings would come from getting rid of paper records of all types at providers. For example, UnitedHealth estimates more than $108 billion would be saved in printing, postage and administrative costs by shifting payments and remittances to an electronic format.”
The health care system has been trying to migrate to an electronic format for health records for some time. In fact, I saw a video, that I believe is from the 60s that IBM used to demonstrate the value of an electronic medical record system.
I’ve included a link here if you’d like to take a look at it. I’ve always associated medicine with technology. X-ray machines and MRI machines are great examples of technology employed to help doctors care for their patients. But while the rest of the world keeps track of their information in database driven computer applications, the bulk of the doctors in the United States still keep their information on paper charts organized in folders that occupy huge file cabinets in the back of their offices.
It’s a system that’s worked for many years, but just like any other paper-based process it is highly inefficient and error prone. I believe that’s one of the key reasons why the federal government seeks to incentivize the move from paper charts and records to electronic health records. In fact, part of the economic stimulus plan provides up to $44,000 per doctor in incentive payments to encourage the mass adoption of electronic medical records over the next five years.
Electronic medical records provides a doctor a 360° view of his or her patient, including demographic information, patient history, medications and allergies. Doctors that implement EMR will be able to more efficiently document encounters with their patients and features such as e-prescription will allow doctors to electronically transmit prescriptions to a patients pharmacy. In addition to being convenient, this feature also reduces errors.
EndSight has partnered with a company called
gloStream to help doctors move from their paper charts to electronic medical records system. The product is called gloEMR and we believe it has a number of advantages over competing solutions.
It uses Microsoft Word as its form editor. This allows doctors to re-create their paper-based charts in a Microsoft Word file, maintaining the format and look and feel of the original paper-based document.
It’s embedded with voice recognition software, allowing doctors to dictate directly into the Microsoft Word formatted note. This feature saves time and eliminates the monthly cost for dictation services.
Glostream only sells their software through local dealers. Moving from paper charts to electronic medical records is a huge undertaking. Having a local partner help you through this process and maintain your systems moving forward is a much safer approach than simply buying software, trying to implement it yourself.
If your a local doctor and are interested in learning more about the stimulus program and electronic health records,
let us know by clicking here.
About Jason: Originally from the great state of Ohio Jason Clause relocated to the Bay Area to work in high-tech. A veteran of the dot com boom and bust, Jason has more than 10 years experience helping small businesses apply information technology to improve business process and increase revenue. Jason lives in Dublin, California with his wife Jennifer and enjoys hiking, cooking and quiet time at home. His hobbies include golf, snowboarding, creative writing and performing amateur stand up comedy.
Connect with Jason: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
Tags: electronic medical record, electronic medical record system, Endsight, gloStream, health technology, Jason Clause, medical record system, Microsoft, small businesses
