Mediforum PATIENT ED^® "Pearls"

• New Reference Browser  (Volume 2, Number 2)  
• Customize Medications in a Template (Volume 2, Number 1)
• Faxing Prescriptions (Volume 1, Number 3) 
• Easier Access to the PATIENT ED® Software (Volume 1, Number 2)
• Getting the Most from Your PATIENT ED® Software Right From the Start - 
  (Volume 1, Number 1)

Faxing Prescriptions

We are often asked how to fax prescriptions. To fax prescriptions, you must first have a fax modem in your computer or on your network that is listed as one of the "printers" available for your computer. You must also set up your fax software with the telephone numbers for the pharmacies you use. To set the Patient Edr software to fax prescriptions, open the Provider program. First you'll want to add your fax modem to the printer set: 

• Click on Tools.
• Click on Printer Sets.
• Click Edit.
• Now click on the down arrow to the right of Prescriptions to select primary and secondary printers. If you will mostly be using printed prescriptions, make your fax modem the secondary printer and your usual printer the primary printer. If you're more likely to fax prescriptions or hand-write them, you should make your fax modem the primary printer.
• Click OK. This takes you back to the Printer Sets screen. 
• Click OK again to return to the main screen.
• Click on Tools.
• Click on Preferences.

To set how printing will occur when you select the done button at the end of a patient visit:

• Click on the Print tab.
• To select your default printer(s), click on the small boxes to the left of Primary Printer and/or Secondary Printer. If you select both, you need to choose which will be your legal printer. Only one printer at a time can print negotiable prescriptions. Prescriptions that print on the other printer will be clearly marked "Advisory Copy Only." 
• Click on the appropriate circle to the right of the checkboxes for the primary and secondary printers to make one the legal printer. (You can always change whether to use the fax modem or printer, or change which printer will print the legal copy, by selecting the Print button and making changes before selecting Done.)
• Click OK.

The next time you create an instruction and print, the fax software will start and ask you to which pharmacy you want to send the prescription.

Easier Access to the PATIENT ED^® Software

We are often asked by users of the PATIENT ED^® software how they can start the software without navigating the labyrinth of Program folders in Windows^®. There are several ways you can make shortcut icons on your desktop. You can also choose to have one or more of the PATIENT ED^® applications start automatically when you turn on your computer.

The screen that appears when you first turn on the computer is called the desktop. In the Patient EdÒ software, the shortcuts used to start the various programs are installed in the Medifor program folder. With two minutes of work, you can create icons for these shortcuts on the desktop.

Start by clicking on the taskbar (the long strip that usually sits at the bottom of your screen with the Start button at one end) with your right mouse button. Be sure to click on a blank space, not on any icons. A short menu will pop up. Click (with the left mouse button) on Properties at the bottom of this list. A small window titled Taskbar Properties will appear. At the top of this window, click on the tab titled Start Menu Programs. Now, click on the button titled Advanced… The window titled "Exploring" that appears may appear daunting but don’t worry, we’re almost done! The right side of this new window should have a little image of a folder next to the name "Programs." Double-click (two quick clicks with the left mouse button) on the image. A new list of folder images and names will appear. Double-click on the folder next to Medifor. You should now be looking at the Patient EdÒ shortcuts. The last step requires a little dexterity. While holding down the CTRL key, click on the name of the shortcut you want to move to the desktop (for example, Patient EdÒ Provider V3). While pressing on both the CTRL key and the mouse button, drag the shortcut to a blank area on the desktop. Release the mouse button. The shortcut icon will appear on your screen.

Repeat this last step for each of the shortcuts you’d like to have on the desktop. In future, all you have to do to open one of these programs is to click on the icon.

If you have Windows^® 98 or a newer version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer^® on your machine, you may be able to customize your taskbar. With the Active Desktop feature, you can move shortcuts for commonly used programs to a special section of the taskbar next to the Start button, called Quicklinks. These shortcuts can be opened (launched) with a single click and are always visible, regardless of how many other programs or windows you have open.

Copying a shortcut to the Quicklinks is almost exactly like copying a shortcut to the desktop. Instead of dropping the shortcut on the desktop, release it over the taskbar right next to the Start button. You can now start the program with a single click on its icon.

You can make life even simpler by setting up one or more of the PATIENT ED^® applications to launch automatically. All you have to do is add the shortcut to the Startup folder in Windows^®. Windows^® will start the program automatically when you turn on your machine or log in.

Follow the steps listed above for dragging a shortcut. Instead of dragging the shortcut to the desktop or taskbar, drag it to the left side of the "Exploring" window and drop it on top of the folder named "Startup." Before releasing the mouse button, make sure that the Startup name and icon are highlighted. The program will now open when you start your computer.

Getting the Most from Your PATIENT ED^® Software Right From the Start - Volume 1, No 1

We have done our best to make installing the PATIENT ED^® software easy and straightforward. Once you have installed it, here are some tips for things to do right away that will help you get the most out of the software.

The system administrator does this from the Tools menu.

• Enter your clinic name and phone number. This information prints out on the handouts that you give patients.
• You can also include your clinic address. Whether you do or not, be sure to specify your state. The PATIENT ED^® software can then generate prescriptions following the format required by your state Board of Pharmacy.
• Create a password for the Assistant who will be adding patient names and other data.

• If you would like to print more than one prescription to a page, check the Allow multiple drugs per prescription box.
• If you want to write all prescriptions for controlled drugs by hand, uncheck the boxes next to Set controlled prescription defaults.

• If you will be entering medical record numbers for your patients, you can make it easier to search for a patient by their number by selecting the Med Record Number option under Enter # to look up.

• Put Yes by the Site author box when inputting provider names. This feature allows each provider in your clinic to customize the EduCare Templates™, which the entire practice can share.

Make sure your in-house network administrator or computer support person reads the document called "network.txt" before installing the PATIENT ED^® software on a network. You will find this document in the root directory of the PATIENT ED^® CD-ROM. This document provides tips and information that will help you install the software with the least disruption to the rest of the network.

Keep the "unlock code" where you can find it again easily. You’ll need this code if you ever need to re-install the PATIENT ED^® system. (You can always call us if you misplace it.)