Access appropriate for Medical Office ??

[Premo516]

I work for a good size Medical Office. The doctors want to be able to put
their patient's charts onto the computers so they can access the information
and update it more quickly. Basically, the would take a patients info and
enter it into a form-based application to be stored in a database. Then they
would want to access this information in a search-able format via any of the
5 computers in the medical office. They were looking for a fairly low-cost
way to handle this and I've heard Access would probably be a good choice. My
questions are: do you feel Access is the appropriate software ? How many
computers would one purchase of Access cover ? How much do you think it would
cost roughly to store database on a web-based server ? I was an IT major in
college, but am not that familiar with Access. I appreciate any responses,
thank you !!!

 

[Gina Whipp]

Premo516,

Access COULD do the ob but I would not recommend it because of HIPPA
regulations. You probably could use an Access front-end with an SQL Server
back-end giving you the security you will most likely require.

I would also suggest you look into available software to see what's
available. I am sure there are many systems out there that may give you
what you need.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

 

[Larry Linson]

I have observed an Access front-end with Microsoft SQL Server back-end
system created specifically for a breast cancer oncology surgeon's office.
The surgeon found that none of the available medical office software was
suitable for the very specific needs of that office. But she did mention to
me that, for almost any other kind of practice, the commercially available
software would have been a far better buy.

The problem you'll face with Access is that Access and (I concur with Gina)
a server database back-end) only provide the tools you need to build the
medical office application. Determining requirements, designing,
implementing, testing, and (again I concur with Gina re: HIPPA) securing the
application are not tasks for any but a team of seriously experienced
developers.

If your experience amounts primarily to your IT courses in college, it is
not something you probably ought to undertake.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Office Access MVP

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

I work for a good size Medical Office. The doctors want to be able to put
their patient's charts onto the computers so they can access the information
and update it more quickly. Basically, the would take a patients info and
enter it into a form-based application to be stored in a database. Then they
would want to access this information in a search-able format via any of the
5 computers in the medical office. They were looking for a fairly low-cost
way to handle this and I've heard Access would probably be a good choice. My
questions are: do you feel Access is the appropriate software ?

No but for different reasons than the other two postings..

1) It will take you months if not years to develop a good enough
system for them. Plus your legal liability in the event of an error
of any sort, even if caused by data entry errors, is tremendous. Or
at in the USA.

2) They should be considering an off the shelf system. Spend the
money, and more importantly the training and data conversion time.
Assuming you're in the USA Obama is stating that a nationwide health
records systems should be put in place.

3) What about exporting data to external systems? For example
prescription information to pharmacists? All the encryption issues?

4) What about handling all the incoming data such as lab test results,
other doctors letters? Scan those in or what?

How many
computers would one purchase of Access cover ?

Unlimited as you would use the free A2007 runtime on each of the
systems. Your system would have the retail version of A2007 on it.

How much do you think it would
cost roughly to store database on a web-based server ?

Please explain more what you mean by this. Do you mean store the
data in SQL Server? If so you can download a slightly limited version
of SQL Server. If you mean program the system as web pages?
That'll likely take 2 or 3 times as long.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/

 

[tina]

btw, folks, that's HIPAA - the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996.

 

[Gina Whipp]

Thanks Tina... I guess I'm so used to saying *HIPPA* that I forget it's not
how it sounds!

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

 

[tina]

i posted the "hippo" answer to a post a couple months ago, myself - and
typed it as HIIPA! (and was duly corrected. <g>) and i definitely should
know better, because i've taken several medical coding classes that included
information (and test questions) about HIPAA. so don't feel bad...

 

[Arvin Meyer MVP]

As others have stated the better solution is to use a SQL-Server back-end.
If the network is not connected to the Internet, it is possible to use an
Access/Jet system, but that also depends as well upon the other controls in
place, like strong passwords, and not leaving screens exposed to the public.
Also servers need to be locked so that they are not exposed to random folks
like cleaning crews. I have worked on 2 medical systems with Access
front-ends and SQL-Server backends, and one Access/Jet system. All of them
were secure, with the Access/Jet system being the most secure because the
servers were totally locked up and only accessible by 2 people in the
company and 1 outside IT person.

The chief advantage of SQL-Server over Jet is that it can't be copied
easily, even if someone does get unauthorized access to the data.

 

[patricia monique vogelweith]

I work for a good size Medical Office. The doctors want to be able to put
their patient's charts onto the computers so they can access the
information
and update it more quickly. Basically, the would take a patients info and
enter it into a form-based application to be stored in a database. Then
they
would want to access this information in a search-able format via any of
the
5 computers in the medical office. They were looking for a fairly
low-cost
way to handle this and I've heard Access would probably be a good choice.
My
questions are: do you feel Access is the appropriate software ? How many
computers would one purchase of Access cover ? How much do you think it
would
cost roughly to store database on a web-based server ? I was an IT major
in
college, but am not that familiar with Access. I appreciate any
responses,
thank you !!!

 

[Bill]

I work for a good size Medical Office. The doctors want to be able to put
their patient's charts onto the computers so they can access the
information
and update it more quickly. Basically, the would take a patients info and
enter it into a form-based application to be stored in a database. Then
they
would want to access this information in a search-able format via any of
the
5 computers in the medical office. They were looking for a fairly
low-cost
way to handle this and I've heard Access would probably be a good choice.
My
questions are: do you feel Access is the appropriate software ? How many
computers would one purchase of Access cover ? How much do you think it
would
cost roughly to store database on a web-based server ? I was an IT major
in
college, but am not that familiar with Access. I appreciate any
responses,
thank you !!!

May want to look at this.
http://www.accudataservice.com/

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

May want to look at this.
http://www.accudataservice.com/

"Accudata Service has been providing billing solutions for the
physicians of South Florida "

"A Value Added Reseller for Medisoft Patient Accounting software"

So, unless the original poster is in South Florida, I'd suggest they
visit Medisoft's website directly. http://www.medisoft.com/

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/

 

[David W. Fenton]

I work for a good size Medical Office. The doctors want to be
able to put their patient's charts onto the computers so they can
access the information and update it more quickly. Basically, the
would take a patients info and enter it into a form-based
application to be stored in a database. Then they would want to
access this information in a search-able format via any of the 5
computers in the medical office. They were looking for a fairly
low-cost way to handle this and I've heard Access would probably
be a good choice. My questions are: do you feel Access is the
appropriate software ? How many computers would one purchase of
Access cover ? How much do you think it would cost roughly to
store database on a web-based server ? I was an IT major in
college, but am not that familiar with Access. I appreciate any
responses,

Access is perfectly appropriate for developing a front end
application, but I'd suggest that you need a more secure back end.

Also, medical apps have very specific requirements in the US (HIPAA)
that mean that certain things have to be very carefully protected
(in some cases encrypted) and the scope where the app can be used
has to be narrowly limited. This is why your doctor doesn't
communicate with you via email (if you're in the US), because any
email with significant information in it would violate HIPAA. What
I've never understood is why doctors/medical establishments don't
use HTTPS web sites as communication forums. Those would comply with
HIPAA, but for some reason, they haven't caught on.

Basically, what I'm saying is that there are a lot of pretty arcane
regulations that a medical app has to comply with, and this is one
of the reason why medical practices are more likely to buy an app
than develop it themselves.

My medical provider has used online recordkeeping since at least
2000 (that's the earliest I remember) and it looks like a
terribly-designed app to me. But it means that any provider I see at
the clinic I go to has my full medical record going back to the
beginning of their online systm. It's a huge improvement for quality
medical care, and shouldn't be something that a doctor should skimp
on in terms of $$$, seems to me.

 

[Arvin Meyer MVP]

This is why your doctor doesn't
communicate with you via email (if you're in the US), because any
email with significant information in it would violate HIPAA.

Email can be sent with encrypted attachments that go well beyond HIPAA
requirements. And doctors do communicate with each other via email,
generally ignoring HIPAA requirements for confidentiality.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Premo516:

Then they
would want to access this information in a search-able format via any of the
5 computers in the medical office. They were looking for a fairly low-cost
way to handle this

I know nothing about medical apps, but my gut tells me that this
is one of those bread-and-butter applications where there are a
half-dozen or more commercial products that can do 85% of what
they want for 20% of the cost of rolling your own.

 

[David W. Fenton]

Email can be sent with encrypted attachments that go well beyond
HIPAA requirements.

But who knows how to read encrypted email? I know my email client,
Pegasus Mail, is perfectly equipped to deal with encrypted email,
but I've never received a single piece of encrypted email.

And doctors do communicate with each other via email,
generally ignoring HIPAA requirements for confidentiality.

That's interesting.

I also know that there are doctors who communicate with clients via
unencrypted email, completely violating the most basic HIPAA
requirements, so don't quite know what to think about it.

I think it's crazy that they haven't set up some kind of
server-based patient-communication system, since that would be so
much better than playing phone tag, as I so often do with my own
doctors.

 

[Arvin Meyer MVP]

Sorry to top post, but I didn't want to lose text in the body.

I use WinZip AES 256 bit encryption to encrypt sensitive documents and files
that need to be emailed. My clients have WinZip at the other end and we use
a long passphrase as the key.

Much of what doctors do today is designed to increase their billing so they
prefer that you come into the office so the can bill the insurance company
for the 6 minutes they spend with you.