Hello Michael,
Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 6:59:01 PM, you wrote: MC> Hello all, MC> Can I ask my colleagues with some advice re integrating electronic mail? MC> Locum has been mighty slow in implementing the ability to receive MC> emailed letters from specialists into the EHR.There is no facility MC> currently in Locum for this. MC> With all the wonderful things that Argus can do is, all I can do is just MC> champ at the bit. MC> Locum has however a Scan Documents section that we use to scan documents MC> into. This section would be perfect to use for email letters, but for MC> one small problem, it can only "see" jpg or html files.It can't read *. MC> pit,*. rtf or *.doc file here. The lack of this ability is a real problem with many systems and I think nagging them is the best option... This is why we (Medical-objects) implemented a Twain emulator that can turn HL7 files into a twain data source and allow the data into these packages.. It seems awfully silly to take a 3kb HL7 file with atomic searchable data and turn into a 50-100K image, but that's what's required to achieve interoperability with some packages%$#$$ We can also turn the files into jpg images, which some packages, including locum support. The whole idea of these "Sections" seems arbitrary and probably harps back to a time where it was easier for the programmer to use a different table for the scanned image, and rather than offer a merged filterable view created silos of information about a patient. Many GPs have become used to it however and want the documents in a specific section and the whole artificial separation lives on even though it was started because it was easier for the vendor to do it that way. In MD files in results can be attached to new letters whereas files in documents cannot, which defeats part of the purpose of having the file in electronic format. Many local GPs MD users are now used to specialist letters in results and don't worry about it, even though we can now get specialist letters into MD documents. The ability to import HL7 and PIT specialist letters into the desired section should be a standard feature however and only user demand will make it happen. MC> Argus produces pit files which can't be used in this part. I don't think MC> specialists would be able to send us emails in html format. MC> I was thinking, maybe I could use receive a letter from a specialist in MC> rtf format using Thunderbird with PGP encryption, unencrypt it at my MC> end, place the rtf file into a folder and some how convert the rtf files MC> to html format at my end. MC> Obviously I could sit at the front desk use Open Office or Word and MC> individually convert each file from rtf to html, copy this file to the MC> location where scan documents can see it, then match the file to the MC> patient. MC> However my receptionist is not highly computer literate. MC> Can any of my colleagues see a better way for me to use electronic mail? MC> (besides ditching Locum!) MC> Regards to all MC> Michael Christie MC> _______________________________________________ MC> Gpcg_talk mailing list MC> [email protected] MC> http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk -- Best regards, Andrew mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Andrew McIntyre Buderim Gastroenterology Centre www.buderimgastro.com.au PH: 07 54455055 FAX: 54455047 _______________________________________________ Gpcg_talk mailing list [email protected] http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk
