FYI: James has forwarded this letter not only to Medtech Directors but to
the ASX and the Fin Review (AFR).
I suppose AusDoc & MedObs will note this as well.
Of note, James's list of problems is not exhaustive - many of his have existed
since 2004 but ours have existed since 2002 and still nothing done, we have
more problems than have been pointed out in this letter.
Medtech has been aware, I am told, of this letter since Monday, it is their
responsibity as a publicly listed company to comply and respond to the problems
officially raised and will no doubt, reply officially to the Stock Exchange.
These things always have ramifications on stock prices and the company's
future.
fee
--- Start of the Attached Message ---
From: "James" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Mach Dinh-Vu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: "Mae Taylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"Medtech Help Desk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"Kenneth Wong" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Open Letter to MedTech Global Limited
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 13:57:29 +1100
[ Reply ] [ Reply All ]
Date 9 Feb 2007
From
James Bishop
Longevity Enterprise Pty Ltd
8 Jackson Court
Doncaster East
To
MedTech Global Limited
Level 1
83 Palmerston Crescent
South Melbourne, 3205
Attention Members of the Board
Mr Vino Ramayah Executive Chairman and CEO
Mr Simon Trevisan
Mr Ravindan Govindan
Mr Shane L. Stone
Mr Russell Clarke
Dear Directors
Open letter to Medtech Global Limited
Quick summary
The significant amount time taken by doctors and practice staff to fix problems
and resolve caused as a direct result of failings of Medtech software add
a considerable burden to Medical Centers who currently used Medtech software.
Your company?s failure to address these issues has caused significant damage
to trust and significant loss of goodwill. Several of your existing customers
of Medtech software are not likely to be your customers in the very near
future.
Action including a review of you companies software error and fault logging
and timely notification of issue and faults to your customers and ongoing
development needs to meet your customers are urgently required.
You may/should be alarmed to hear a new doctor at my practice used several
software platforms over the last two years during GP training program. He
rates Medtech32 clinically as the 2nd worst of the 5 medical software programs
he has used.
Your failure to inform the stock market of some of these problems may be
an issued for the Australian Stock Exchange Continuous Disclosure Rules
specifically
Chapter 3.1.
Other Background
In December 2005 Medtech staff and I discussed several Medtech software problems
and very specifically ongoing support issues. I expressed my dissatisfaction
that frequently I was told by your support staff issues and problems I raised
had not been reported at any other sites when I later found that many or
most other sites using Medtech software were experiencing and reporting the
same faults. Medtech staff agreed with me known faults with Medtech should
be advised to users to enable us to deal with the faults until you could
fix them.
Medtech staff suggested to me many of my problems and issues would be resolved
by Version 5. Later I was assured 5.1 would fix my ongoing existing or new
issues. When I was still experiencing problems I was told many of my problems
with Medtech software would be solved by upgrading the Medtech data base
to Interbase 7.5. I paid for and installed Interbase 7.5. I still have many
of my original issues and a dozen new problems including new unacceptable
possible legal issues and accounting and attribution problems.
Medtech staff assured me most support issues would be fixed by moving the
support functions to Sydney from New Zealand. This has not occurred, lower
level support is now much worse than the previous New Zealand based staff
provided.
I was told a Medtech user forum/portal and issue register would occur in
early 2006 which would list current issues. I later received an emailed of
a revised timeframe of August/Sept 2006 timeframe. Your website now states
it might be 2nd quarter 2007.
It is odd that an issues or fault register (forum/portal) doesn?t already
exist for MT32 users. It is poor customer service on your part not to alert
all users to possible or known serious problems. As with most things in life
or business, honesty and openness tend to avoid problems. Secrets and hiding
problems cause or compound problems further.
It may be necessary to for users to pay for major upgrades such as occurred
with MD2 to MD3 when they moved to an SQL database. Fixing basic ongoing
problem is not a major upgrade it is required customer service or a warranty
issue.
A some of the issues below have possible legal implications for my doctors
and the practice. The legal risks I face if a MT32 systems failure caused
me or others to be sued may be shared by Medtech if the failure is caused
by an issue Medtech is aware of but failed to tell me or other software users
about.
Medtech software -Possible legal issues
I think possible legal issues for myself or others could occur as a result
of errors with Medtech Software for the following problems. The possible
legal issue may involve the Medicare Office, Professional Service Review
audits, underpaid or overpayment of doctors or failure to provide required
medical care due to medtech software issues:
1. Accounting- Attribution (Provider Income) altering in private accounts
07/2006
2. Accounting- Unable to correct invoicing errors 12/2005
3. Accounting- Quickbills remaining active indefinitely. Causing old
quickbills to overwrite any new quickbill with the items billed and service
provider and provider income details days, months or years later . Incorrect
doctor being paid for services they did not perform 12/2006
4. MIMS updates - We pay for monthly Mims updates but due to MEDTECH
issues can only receive and use a MIMs quarterly update 09/2005
5. INR Daily results - daily INR results are inactivated by Medtech.
The Doctors comments including possibly daily alterations to dosage are hidden
from view (unless filter is manually applied to include inactivated results)
08/2006
6. Medtech Support staff who are uninformed or untrained or dishonest
who state common known issues are unknown or specific to my site only. Your
companies failure to warn me and other users of known problems which cause
ongoing faults/harm/damage which could be managed or controlled if you had
the courtesy to inform/warn people of the fault with your software- ongoing
Medtech software -Issues which affect day to day operations of my practice
and cost time and money to control of rectify
7. Appointment Overview or Appointment pad issues
7.1. Patient status altering from ?arrived? to ?in consultation? without
any doctor or staff actions 09/2005
7.2. System allow staff to double book time slots 09/2005
8. Reports -Patient Reports - Unable to include option to print In Box
Documents- it aborts whole process- 03/2005
9. Accounting- Unable to correct invoicing errors 09/2005
10. Accounting- Online claims transmitted. MT32 incorrectly showing that
the transmission was successful and no errors When Medicare can confirm with
an error type 9616 ?Bank details error?. 03/2006
11. Accounting- online claims transmitted MT32 fails to tell us the error
or the error code when it is being rejected by Medicare. 03/2006
12. Accounting- Medicare Benefits Schedule updates received days or weeks
after the effective date for the account changes- Onging
13. Accounting- Batch reports not populating required fields 12/2006
14. Accounting- Insurance Cheque payments all paid and unpaid invoices
displayed
when receipting cheque received 12/2006
15. Accounting- Account details displayed at Account summary level but not
if invoice is opened 06/2006
16. Accounting- Error loop created when invoicing requiring MT32 to be closed
via Windows Task Manger before the affected computer can access Medtech again
17. PDF file- Inability to import and store PDF files into new patient
documents
or as scanned documents 03/2006
18. Vaccine mapping- (and other mapping requirements)- Each site being required
to enter coding and mapping details to enable functions and Mt32 ACIR
transmission
tool to work- Ongoing
18.1. ACIR transmission faults and errors when the vaccine
complies with MT32 supplied ?ACIR Vaccs.pdf? Ongoing
19. Lack of software built into Medtech32 allowing remote access control
for Medtech support staff
20. Obvious lack of Australian General Practice doctor or practice management
input into design, functions and development of Medtech 32
Medtech software - Other Issues
21. Accounting or online patient verification- Medicare online patient claim
or OPV confirmation window hidden locking or preventing use of MT32 until
staff use Alt & TAB to see the information tab 06/2006
22. Displayed name incorrect- Name- preferred - and real name 09/2006
23. Text creation and editing significantly poorer than competing software
products
24. Scanning tool not working with some multi function printers
25. Care plan modules - not as effective as several other E.P.C. tools
26. Memory issues on workstations which only affect MT32- requires closing
and opening MT32 to resolve
27. Obstetrics and other mapping requirements- Each site being required
to enter coding and mapping details to enable core functions and Mt32 tools
to work Ongoing
28. Medtech user forum/portal- ?August/Sept timeframe (2006)?
29. The cost of Interbase 7.5 and marginal improvements resulting
30. Inability to apply most required software patches and upgrades during
business hours.
Some of the above issues will be addressed by your next upgrade. Many of
the issues I consider serious will not!
Responses to date
? A patch to fix accounting attribution errors expected 14 Feb 2006-
Chrissie advised by Mach Dinh-Vu 9Feb
? ACIR vaccine error- Mae Taylor Resolved 7 Feb 06
? Promised improvements in logging and dealing with faults - Mach
Dinh-Vu 9 Feb 06
Support or Medtech staff including Mae-Sydney, Chrissie-NZ and Kenneth-NZ
have provided good or great support.
Yours truly,
James Bishop
