Podiatric Practice Steps Into The Future With EMR System
Electronic Medical Records System Allows Doctors Real Time Access To Patient Data And X-Rays
When a local podiatry office needed an upgrade to their server and network, they looked to Technology Experts to provide the advice and support they needed to make a smooth transition.
Amanda Wilkinson, medical assistant, reviews a patient x-ray using Foot and Foot & Ankle Specialists Ankle Specialists’ electronic x-ray system. Doctors and staff can review patient x-rays using their tablet PCs and the EMR software. |
Dr. Scott Hughes founded Foot and Ankle Specialists in Monroe in 1995, and opened a second office in Lambertville in 1997. The practice provides comprehensive care of all foot and ankle disorders. Their state of the art offices provide on-site x-rays, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) testing, diagnostic ultrasound and physical therapy. Lynn Johnson is the practice’s busy office manager.
“Our computers are vital to our daily operations,” explained Lynn. “All of our patient records are located on an electronic medical records (EMR) system, so we’re not able to review patient records without the network being functional at all times.”
The EMR system in use at Foot and Ankle Specialists lets both offices schedule patients, update information, and process billing and collection activities in real time. The office receptionists use the network and the Internet to verify insurance benefits and obtain authorization for services.“Without our system being fully functional on a daily basis,” continued Lynn, “we wouldn’t be
able to service our patients as efficiently.”
Tech Experts installed an IBM server running Microsoft Windows Server 2003. The system is configured for data redundancy and tape backup to protect client files. The Lambertville office connects to the Monroe office via a secure Internet connection, using Microsoft Windows Terminal Server.
Doctors and professional staff use Lenovo ThinkPad tablet PCs on a secure wireless network to retrieve and update patient data in real time using the EMR system. Doctors can fax prescriptions directly to a pharmacy from their tablet computers using the system’s fax server.
“During our conversion to the EMR system, Tech Experts was vital in helping with a smooth transition,” said Lynn. “The people at Tech Experts are all very personable. Whenever I have a problem they understand my urgency.”
Lynn concluded: “One of the biggest benefits to working with Tech Experts is that our systems are up to date and the network runs with minimal downtime. The system is faster and more efficient than it has ever been in the past.”
Tired Of Being Tied Down? It’s Time To Lose The Wires!
 Ryan Seymour is a PC hardware specialist and the Tech Experts client service coordinator. |
Security Tips For Your New Wireless Network
With the decline in the cost of wireless equipment and “point and click” configuration ability most newer equipment offers, more and more people are setting up wireless networks in their homes and businesses.
One key configuration that is often missed, though, is security of the wireless network.
Is the wireless connection you’re using secure, is your data in jeopardy, and is your identity safe?
You might be asking yourself “How do I secure my network, and what does it mean so say a wireless network is unsecure?”
If a network is classified as unsecure, it means that the network can be accessed without the need for a key, or password. You’ll find unsecure networks in a lot of public places, such as coffee shops and airports.
The problem is that once a user is connected to an unsecure network, it is possible they could access network resources such as files, folders, printers, etc. that are shared on your computer - many times, without you even knowing.
As you know, this could be a world of trouble if your confidential data is obtained by an unknown user.
A number of things can be done to ensure your wireless network is safe, network resources are protected, and your data is securely stored on your system.
Firewall
Software or hardware devices can be implemented, and are one of the first lines of defense, to prevent unauthorized access of your wireless network. Most wireless routers include basic firewall protection - it just has to be turned on when the unit is configured.
SSID
The SSID is the name of your network. Most routers come with a default SSID, which, if left that way, is a sign of a poorly configured network. This makes you an easy targets for hackers.
Password Changes
By default, wireless routers have a standard username and password that can be easily looked up on the web.
You should definitely set up your own username and password to access your wireless device’s setup screens, so hackers or unwanted Internet users can’t go into the settings on your router and make changes to your security settings.
Be sure to follow standard password security when coming up with the password for your wireless router - you don’t want hackers to be able to easily guess your password, and access your setup screens.
Signal Strength
Most routers allow you to set the signal strength of the network broadcast. Turning the signal down on your router lowers the chances of outsiders being in range of your wireless network.
Enable Encryption
This is one of the most important steps to securing your wireless network- require a key or network password in order to connect to the wireless network.
There are several types of encryption, the most common being WEP, WAP, and WAP2. Each provides a different level and method of network security. Any form of encryption is better than having an open wireless network.
Securing your wireless network plays a key role in the protection of your data, network resources, and overall privacy when you’re using a home or work network. It’s a quick and easy process, requiring just a few changes to the default setup. The peace of mind and convenience of wireless networking are worth the extra few steps.
Tips To Improve Your Wireless Signal Strength
If Windows notifies you about a weak signal, it probably means your connection isn’t as fast or as reliable as it could be. If you’re looking to improve the signal for your wireless network, try some of these tips.
Position your wireless router in a central location
When possible, place your wireless router in a central location in your office. If your router is against an outside wall, the signal will be weak on the other side of your office.
Move the router away from walls and metal objects
Metal, walls, and floors will interfere with your router’s wireless signals. The closer your router is to these obstructions, the more severe the interference, and the weaker your connection will be.
Replace your router’s antenna
The antennas that came with your router are omni-directional, meaning they broadcast in all directions. If the router is near an outside wall, half of the wireless signals will be sent outside the building, and much of your router’s power will be wasted. Upgrade to a hi-gain antenna that focuses the wireless signals only one direction. You can aim the signal in the direction you need it most.
Add a wireless repeater
Wireless repeaters extend your wireless network range without requiring you to add any wiring. Just place the wireless repeater halfway between your wireless access point and your computer, and you’ll get an instant boost to your wireless signal strength. Check out the wireless repeaters from ViewSonic, D-Link, Linksys, and Buffalo Technology.
How To Stop The Number One Cause Of Computer Slow Downs And Crashes!
 Corey Bogedain is a network technician and web developer with Tech Experts. |
Wouldn’t it be nice if your computer still ran like it did back when you first bought it? Before you go and buy a new computer try this key maintenance step you can use to put life back into the computer you already have.
Imagine that you start up your PC just to find yourself staring at a blue screen with white writing, termed “the blue screen of death” by those of us who work a lot with Microsoft software. So, you power it down - and when it starts back up, the computer is even slower. Within a few minutes it locks up again.
This happened to a friend of mine. When she asked me what she could do, I asked her if she had ever defragmented her computer. She got that “deer in the headlights” look, so I knew she hadn’t. Defragmenting her PC, after three years of never doing so, took about 14 hours to complete.
One of the main reasons that computers slow down is poor maintenance practices like this. Unfortunately, when you buy a new computer you don’t usually get any instruction on how to maintain it. Poor or no maintenance allows your hard drive to become more and more fragmented which will slow it down over time.
To best explain hard drive fragmentation think of your hard drive as a file cabinet. In this cabinet there are folders with documents (files) in them.
When you need to work on something you open the folder containing the necessary file, pull out what you need and put the folder back. The files go on your desk so you can work on them.
Over time certain files don’t get put back, or they get put back in different places. When this happens on the hard drive it leads to fragmentation. Think of defragmenting as going through the files on your desk, and in the cabinet, and putting them back in order in the correct folders.
Just as staying in this disorganized would lead to a significant loss in your own productivity, the same thing happens to your computer. Eventually it causes a crash because of how scattered all of the information gets.
Disk fragmentation can even shorten the lifespan of your computer because your hard drive works so hard that it wears out faster.
So the one step solution for this part of computer maintenance, run the defragmenting tool that comes with Windows at least once every couple of weeks.
Do this by clicking Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, then click Disk Defragmenter. Choose the disk you want to defragment and click the defragment button. You can also schedule this maintenance inside the Disk Defragmenter application, so you don’t have to remember to run it.
Take care of your hard disk maintenance and you will continue to enjoy the speed you experienced when you first made that investment!
Optimize Your Online Time With Keyboard Shortcuts
Save precious time and effort by optimizing your computer usage skills. Here are a few keyboard shortcuts that will save you time
online:
Pressing and holding down your control key, and then the “F” key, will bring up the `find` function. This is really useful when you’re searching for some text on a web page, or trying to find a particular e-mail. This shortcut also works in Word documents.
Control plus “N” will open up a new window. Excellent when reading e-mails and you need to visit some other link without exiting your e-mail program. Or you need to open two e-mails in the same account at the same time, or compose a reply with the e-mail open in front of you.
Pressing shift while you click on a link will open that link in a new window. This is good when you need to visit another site but don’t want to leave the current site.
Pressing your ALT key plus the left arrow key lets you to move to the last page you visited on the web. ALT plus your right arrow key lets you to move forward through websites you’ve visited.
Slow Down And Save Your Software Media
 Will Alston is a PC hardware technician with Tech Experts. |
My how times have changed. Nothing seems to change as fast as they do in the computing world. In particular the way they package and distribute software.
When I first started in this business many years ago, computers had no hard drives and came with two 5-1/4” floppy drives. One drive was what you used to load the operating system into memory and load the program. The other drive was for storing your data.
Then came hard drives, with operating systems permanently loaded on the drive. If you wanted to load additional programs, you would go to the store and buy the program. It typically came with a large number of 3-1/2” floppy disks. You could
spend an hour or more loading a new application onto your system.
Then as things evolved, programs started shipping on CDROMS. This media was much more durable than floppy disks. With the dawn of the Internet and the variety of places to purchase software, most companies now allow you to buy and download the software immediately.
This is no doubt due to the availability (and popularity) of high speed Internet access. You can purchase a copy of Microsoft’s Office Basic 2007 and download and install the program all in less than an hour.
We’re starting to see a problem though, with the easy availability of software applications - users who don’t create any backup disks or restore disks during the initial setup of their new computer, or when they download a new program. I am sure the anxiousness of having a new computer means they want to enjoy their new computer as soon as possible.
Please, take the time to make these disks! I’ve found that hours of time and numerous service dollars can be saved if the disks are readily available for the technician to use.
I had a business client recently who needed to have Microsoft Office reinstalled on a station. I said “Sure where are your disks?” He said that a co-worker had borrowed them and he needed to get them back.
A few days later he called and said he had the disks. I drove to the client’s office, only to discover he had the disk for re-installing his operating system, not Office Basic.
I was able to go online and download his software, because he did have his install code. Unfortunately, the download takes quite awhile.
This just illustrates the need for keeping copies of all your software that is installed or may need to be re-installed. If you’d like assistance with this cataloging your software library, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.