Barcode Scanners

I am currently evaluating barcode scanners for a project to improve data collection at provider practices. I have purchased 4 different barcode scanners to get a handle on how they work and understand what will work the best. I am looking at the following scanners:

ID Tech EconoScan - $74
I purchased this several weeks ago. This is the first barcode scanner I have ever purchased or used. It has a keyboard "wedge" which means that computer essential sees it as another USB keyboard, what it scans are sent as keystrokes and whatever application currently has focus receives the data. Installation and configuration were easy but the scanner has to be aimed just right to get a scan.

Symbol LS2208 - $134
Just arrived today in my office. This seems to be the low budget model. The spec listed tolerances for roll, pitch and skew; so it gives me hope this will be better at scanning than the EconoScan; which did not even list these attributes in its spec. Which makes me think the EconoScan was not built for tolerance for these things. I bought this one with an RS232 cable, as I think this will be final solution. The keyboard "wedge" solution requires that the target software application remain in focus to work properly. The installation I'm looking at will not support this.

Unitech MS120 - $85
The wand format is the orginal barcode technology and one I remember my library having when I was a kid. The format might not be exactly what I'm looking at but the low cost made it necessary that I look to see how it works. The orginal wands would just output the light levels it saw and your software would have to decode the barcode as it was swipped. This model has a built in decoder so I should be able to get regular ASCII data out of it. I'm not looking to write a barcode decoding software.

Symbol CS1504 - $110
This is the one I am most interested it. It has been built to be given to end consumers so they can scan barcodes in promotional and marketing materials. It was built to be operated from a keychain and stores the scans in memory. Afterwards it is docked and the scans downloaded. It can also be run in a tethered mode. I'm particularly interested in this because of it's portable nature and the likelyhood that it is very good at scanning codes. This might work very well in the office environment.

A.I. Med

I just received a response from Acrendo Software.

1. Describe how your software handles vaccinations.

Yes, with active and passive for children 0-18 via CDC (when opening a chart, and during searches for ALL patients meeting age)

2. Can your software recommend when vaccinations are due for a given patient record?

Yes, based on age, and past injections via CDC chart

3. Has your software ever connected with or submitted data to an immunization registry? If so, please describe.

Yes, TX, FL, CA, WA via upload file for registry.

I asked for more clarification and received the following responses:

1. What format do you support for sending data to registries? Are you sending flat-file or HL7?

Flat tab separated file

2. I know that Texas does not support HL7, and that Washington supports both HL7 and flat-file. California has several registries. Do you submit to one or more of their regional registries?

We submit the same file with all the data, they take what they can use

3. As for you vaccination recommendations, do you support the CDC catch-up schedules as well?

We have the catch up sheet, but it is not scanned when we do the standard 0-18yrs. They can view the sheet on screen and print it only.

While the national standard is to submit data via HL7, submitting data in a flat-file format is accepted by most registries.

SpringCharts

Just received a quick reply from Spring Medical Systems, Inc. They are CCHIT Certified 2006. Here are their answers to my questions:

1. Describe how your software handles vaccinations.

SpringCharts EHR has a specific area for recording and displaying vaccination records. You can download a full working copy of our software if you would like to see how vaccination records are entered and displayed.

2. Can your software recommend when vaccinations are due for a given patient record?

Yes. We have a feature called Chart Evaluation that will indicate when vaccinations are due for groups of patients. Once the guidelines are input, the system notifies the staff automatically for each patient.

3. Has your software ever connected with or submitted data to an immunization registry? If so, please describe.

Not yet. This is on our enhancement list but we would like to see some standards before we commit significant resources to programming our output.

This again confirms that one of the biggest obstacles to connecting with registries is that registries have not communicated well with vendors in explaining the CDC standards for connecting to registries.

alloFactor

alloFactor is an online billing system with support for a range patient management functions. I contacted them via their web page and received a very prompt and helpful response.

While they do support enter vaccination information they do not yet forecast vaccination recommendations. They have not yet connected with an immunization registry, but they indicated that they would like to know more about it. Since billing is a core piece of alloFactor they will probably find submitting to a registry is pretty easy.

Selecting an EMR

Although this was written a few years ago, I think it provides a good roadmap for selecting an EMR:

Medscape Today
How to Select an Electronic Health Record System

Posted 03/29/2005
Kenneth G. Adler, MD, MMM

Introduction

So you've decided to purchase an electronic health record (EHR) system, and your initial research reveals that more than 200 companies claim to make an EHR. You've barely started looking, and already you feel overwhelmed. A natural tendency might be to call a few vendors that you've read or heard about and ask them for a demo. Stop. Unless you want the vendors to control the selection process, you need a plan. Remember, the EHR will have a huge impact on your practice, going to the very heart of how you practice medicine. A rushed or ill-informed decision could make your life miserable.

This article is designed to help you develop that plan. By adhering to a logical and systematic selection process, you'll be able to make a high-quality decision about which EHR to choose. The process described below is based on my experience and research as an EHR committee chair for an 86-physician group. Although my group is large, I work in an office of three physicians, and I believe the following steps will apply to practices of all sizes.

Read full article (free registration required)

AIRA making progress on guide

Yesterday I participated in an ARIA workgroup call. We discussed the current tables used in the CDC Implementation Guide and tried to decide which codes we could remove from the guide.

This is very important work. Overtime, implementations such as this get larger and larger. And the complexity can weigh it down. By removing old, unused codes, the guide can become lighter and much more focused on immunizations.

My hope is that the new guide that will be coming out, will help vendors understand exactly how to write for an immunization registry.

Eclipsys PeakPractice connects with two registries

Just received good news from Bond Medical about Eclipsys PeakPractice:

Beginning this month, the Colorado and Georgia immunization registries will be available! Based on user requests, these two states have been added into the upcoming release.

The Georgia Immunization Registry (GRITS) uses the WIR-based system.