We are quite excited, installing our newest version using the new 4D platform.
The initial comments are – It’s fast!!!
Here are some FAQs that our current users are having about upgrading.
Will I have to upgrade my computer?
That depends.
All Windows users should be fine with their current hardware.
If you are running at least a Pentium III with at least Windows XP (and who isn’t), you won’t need to change a thing. Just make sure you have at least 1 GB of RAM installed.
If you are a Mac user, and plan on using the KIP Deluxe Single User version, you have to be running at least a PowerPC G4, with Mac OS 10.4.11.
If you plan on using KIP Deluxe Multiuser edition, your server needs to be an Intel Mac running at least Mac OS 10.4.11. The client computers must be at least a PowerPC G4 running a minimum of Mac OS 10.4.11.
Can I use a Windows client computer with a Mac server? Or a Mac client computer with my Windows server?
Yes. You can use a Windows XP or Vista server computer mixed with Mac or Windows clients.
You can also use a Mac OS server mixed with both Mac or Windows clients.
Just make sure the client computers meet the minimum requirements of the KIP Single User Version. Of course, the server computer must meet the minimum requirements of the server computer outlined above.
What if I start out with a Windows server computer and later decide that I want to switch to a Mac server (or vice versa)?
You will need to order new licenses to move to the other operating system – otherwise, no big deal.
What if I start out with KIP Deluxe Single User on the Mac and later decide that I want to switch to a PC (or vice versa)?
Again, you will need to order new licenses to move to the other operating system – otherwise, no big deal.
What if I start out with KIP Deluxe Single User on the Mac and later decide that I want to switch to the multiuser version for the PC (or vice versa)?
Again, you will need to order new licenses to move to the other operating system – otherwise, no big deal.
How hard is it to upgrade from KIP Deluxe 10.3 to KIP Deluxe 11?
Actually, this is quite easy. The transition is amazingly smooth. I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised.
How hard is it to upgrade from earlier versions of KIP Deluxe to KIP Deluxe 11?
We take care of all of this for you. We will migrate your data and install it on your system for you, so that everything goes smoothly.
Will we need training with the new system?
KIP Deluxe version 11 will be familiar right from the start. You should be up and running within minutes. If you are currently using KIP Deluxe, you will be ready to go as soon as it’s installed.
What features are in this new version?
We have been improving and adding new features constantly. Most of these features make KIP work smarter and better, and require little to no training at all.
You will find new reports along with new ways to enter, sort and find data.
New electronic claim formats are working behind the scenes for you as well.
But what’s most exciting is what is yet to come. Expect exciting new changes as future versions are released.
When will this new version be available for me?
Very soon. We would like to give this program a good testing in our first location. Once everything has been up and running for a few weeks, we will begin to install the versions in locations which have pre-ordered.
Most everyone will be able to upgrade within the next few weeks.
We reported the invoice entry bug to 4D and they were not able to reproduce it, which means it had something to do with the import from the old version. Fortunately, it was something we could program around, and that seems to have worked well. A couple of last minute touches, and we will move it to our first testing facility.
It’s not fun programming around something that used to work, but what can you do.
There were some new interface options included with this new version which we incorporated into KIP. It doesn’t change anything, but it looks a whole lot nicer.
We are ordering the rest of the 4D components this week and should be able to install everything next week in the first beta facility, if all goes well.
It was just a few days ago when 4D v11.3 Hotfix 2 was released with another myriad of issues addressed. So far, the crashes experienced with the previous version have been addressed, and things seem to be running smoothly. There does appear to be one annoying bug which remains. It does not appear to corrupt any data but does make data entry on invoices difficult.
As of right now, I believe this issue is annoying enough to prevent the installation in any live situation. Once the issues related to 4D itself have been addressed, we can then begin to install the new version in more and more locations.
I am most interested to see how well this version works when logging in via the internet. 4D version 2003 has been working well over the internet, however, speed was an issue when entering transactions. Version 11 is supposed to be much faster in this regard. Time will tell.
I will keep you informed as to how this initial rollout goes.
So, here we are, moving everything to the latest and greatest version of 4D (version 11.3), and things are behaving a little erratically. Some sudden crashes. Some unexplained behavior. Some compatibility problems.
So, now there is a version 11.3 hotfix with more than 60 bugs addressed.
I’m not sure just how stable this newest version of 4D actually is, and if we will be able to use this new “hotfixed” version in the mission critical world of healthcare just yet. Time will tell.
Even so, most of KIP has been converted to this new version, and we plan to start using it in one of our beta facilities in the next few weeks. Hopefully, the majority of the crashes, bugs, and oddities have been addressed – but you never know.
It has been exciting, seeing just what this new version is capable of, and the deeper we get into it, the more ideas we get as to how to make KIP better.
But for now, we will have to go slowly until the stability of 4D v11 has proven itself.
Looking for a space saver for your office? You may want to consider the Brother MFC-9840CDW Multifunction Printer.
This multifunction color laser printer replaces your copy machine, fax machine, scanner, and printer all in one nice little package.
With so many devices crowding your office today, this one makes a lot of sense.
Here are some cool things about it:
Faxing
It has a sheet feeder which can read any number of pages (quickly, I might add), store them in memory and then fax them. So if you need to fax a ten page document and then file it, you put the pages in the sheet feeder, it scans them in a few seconds, and then you take the pages and file them while the fax machine does the rest.
Oh, and don’t you hate faxing forms that are printed on both sides? This machine can read both sides of the paper and then fax the whole document.
And if someone else is waiting to use the fax, they can fax their document right after you. No waiting for yours to finish.
Of course, it does all the normal fax things like store numbers in an easy display.
Copying
Let’s say you need to make copies of some forms. Just put them all into the sheet feeder and tell it how many copies of each. Want them collated? Just hit the SORT button.
You can even copy them two sided if you want to save paper.
Like copying the old fashioned way? It has a lid that lifts up so it works just like a traditional copy machine.
Scanning
You can scan documents directly into your computer or connect a USB thumb drive (the connector is right on the front) and it will scan it to the drive.
Network
This printer connects to your network via ethernet port or wirelessly, so any computer in your office can print or fax directly to it.
That’s the cool part – faxing right from your desktop. You print a document just like you normally would, except in the print dialog box tell it to fax, put in the number, and it gets faxed. Just like that.
Mac users can store fax numbers in the Address Book program that comes free with your Mac. Windows users may have a similar option, but I am not sure.
The price is right
It’s a color laser printer, a network fax, a copy machine, and a scanner all for around $600 (at newegg.com or provantage.com).
Call up your local business equipment store and ask what a copy machine sells for these days and you will know why this is amazing.
So, what’s not to like?
Well, for one thing, place an order for some High Yield Toner Cartridges and you are out a few hundred bucks.
On Amazon right now, the High Yield Black Cartridge (good for about 5,000 pages) costs about $65 and the High Yield Yellow, Cyan, and Magenta cartridges sell for about $92 each. That adds up to about $341 (plus shipping).
Of course, if you print mostly black, you won’t be replacing the color cartridges as often, but if you need a new color cartridge, you can’t print anything until you put it in, so you have to keep the color ones on hand just in case.
Then, after 17,000 pages, you will need a new Drum Unit for $199.
After 20,000 pages – a new Waste Toner Box for $25.00.
And after 50,000 pages – a new Belt Unit for $130.00.
These are all a cinch to install, and remember, you won’t need a service contract for $150 a year because replacing all these parts yourself saves you from this unit needing service.
I did check to see if a service person was in my area (just in case), and there was one in my town, so if I do need it serviced, I have that option – but I would guess that it would be quite rare if you ever did (since so many parts are user replaceable).
What else?
The staff occassionally complains that the scan lamp takes a minute or so to warm up sometimes during periods of inactivity.
The Bottom Line
This is a great multifunction printer. It scans, faxes, and copies very, very well. It is reliable, extremely easy to use, and a space saver.
The cost of the consumables makes this MFP (multi function printer) not optimal for an office that does high volumes (20,000 copies a month), but for the small to medium sized office, this is a steal.
For years, KIP has had a medical record system that works quite well.
Many users use it in the following manner:
Dictate chart notes using a voice dictation program such as MacSpeech or iListen (or Dragon Naturally Speaking on the Windows side). Then have the staff copy and paste the notes into EMR NOTES.
Using custom voice commands, you can dictate large amounts of text with a single phrase.
For example:
say “NEW PATIENT”
it types:
“This patient presents to the office as a new patient. The medical history …… (and so on, and so on …..)”
Then chart notes are all stored within the program and can be accessed electronically and can be reprinted or faxed from the computer as needed.
The transition to 4D version 11 SQL has begun and we plan on rolling this version out slowly beginning January, 2009.
Initial findings are exciting, to say the least.
The first thing truly noticeable is the speed. Because 4D v11 is a Universal app, it runs native on both PPC Macs, Intel Macs and Windows PCs. Running it on our Intel Mac has demonstrated up to a 10 time increase in speed in some processes.
We have also discovered new features such as combined indexes which make sorting records virtually instantaneous.
For example, in KIP version 10, if you brought up the patient list, it was sorted by last name unless your search result was less than 50 or 100 patients (or whatever you specified in the preferences). With a combined index on Last Name and First Name, the entire database can be sorted instantaneously.
I am sure as we get more familiar with this new version, many more speed enhancements will be implemented.
In addition, the web capabilities of 4D version 11 allow us to add features previously difficult or unavailable in our current version.
One idea we have involves referring a patient to (let’s say) physical therapy. With a click, you should be able to execute a Google search on the 10 nearest therapists to the patient’s home in order of proximity. The list might give the distance to the therapist, as well as the name, address, and phone number.
Web capabilities will allow us to integrate more ftp access to KIP as well, and we are looking to integrate things such as off-site backup, or sending us your data file for maintenance with a single click.
We are looking to add scanning of patient records using a desktop scanner, as well. Record scanning should allow the office to scan insurance cards, patient forms, and lab reports, in an effort to move to a paperless office.
We are also hopeful that this new version of 4D will be even faster when accessed remotely via the internet. Once we get up and running, we will give you feedback on this as well.
Much of what we integrate into KIP this new year will be related to the input we receive from you, our users. The more we hear from you, the more the program will become customized for your office.
Look for a demo version of KIP version 11 to appear on our web site around the first of the year.
After becoming more and more frustrated with Time Machine, and knowing that off-site backups are a must, I’ve decided to continue my quest for trouble-free reliable backups.
My quest took me to Mozy. Mozy is an online backup service that is compatible with Windows 2000, XP, and Vista, and Mac OS X (10.4 and 10.5).
Mozy Home is free and allows you to backup 2 GB of data to their secure web servers.
Mozy Pro is $4.95 a month for unlimited backup.
So, I signed up for Mozy Home to test it out. They send you an email with a link to download a small program to install on your computer. The installation went smoothly on my Mac OS 10.4 server computer. I set it to backup my entire 4D Server folder and I threw some other files in there to backup as well. Mozy defaulted to backing up my Documents folder, iCal, Address Book, and Mail which I unselected to save space (since my server computer isn’t used for anything else but 4D Server).
I also set it to backup automatically every day at 3:00 a.m. which was easy to do.
That was it. I think the whole process took me 10 minutes.
I closed the Mozy program and prayed it worked it the background.
This morning, I logged onto the Mozy web site to check to see if everything backed up ok, and … it was all there! Wow! That was it? Unbelievable.
I know that today my data file will be modified, and tonight at 3:00 a.m. it will be backed up again. I guess I will check it a few times to make sure everything is working ok these next few weeks, but so far, this was truly easy.
Mozy encrypts all files before backup so everything stays safe. So, as of right now, Mozy seems like the way to go for off-site backups.
I plan to pay the $4.95 a month and backup my entire home Mac (which has my entire life on it). By the way, did you know that if your computer dies, all the music you paid for on iTunes is lost? Yep, it happened to me, and all my iTunes downloads were gone forever. If I had Mozy then, it would have paid for itself just by saving my music. Imagine that…..
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