Frequently Asked Questions About the WordEMRProject (WEP)

1. What versions of MS Office are supported?
2. What are the New Features of the WEP?
3. Can you clarify the license - free is a little ambiguous these days. Free to copy? Free to distribute and resell? Free to use any content in the program?
4. What does the executable do - it has been a little worried - is it going to update my Word install - replace my normal.dot ?
5. Is WEP "open code"?
6. Why not use an OpenOffice platform?
7. How do you write prescriptions with the WEP?
8. How can patient data be accessed and saved?
9. Exit strategy- how can the WEP transfer data to another EMR?
10. How about integration with OneNote?
11. Is MS Office EMR Project going to be CCHIT certified?
12. Can the WEP be Linked to Another MS Office EMR?

What versions of MS Office are supported?

The WEP can be used in the following platforms: MS Office 2000, MS Office 2002, and MS Office 2003.

MS Office 2007 is not supported at this time.

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What are the New Features of the WEP?

I improved the following:

• I simplified/improved the installation setup

• I got rid of the splash screen text mentioning purchasing and activation, and

• I got rid of a last minute bug with text deployment that I added when I improved the main template's interface.

• I'm now currently working on the forum that will allow discussion and help with the integration of the software to your practice.

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Can you clarify the license - free is a little ambiguous these days. Free to copy? Free to distribute and resell? Free to use any content in the program?

WEP can be used on multiple computers and will work well on a Windows Peer-To-Peer setup well. You are free to copy and use program content in your office. You can distribute it in its current form (unchanged). You can not repackaged/resale the software.

I do sell the "open source" version licenses as shareware so as to help defray the overhead costs. All the underlying code is exposed. This version can be downloaded from here.

What does the executable do - it has been a little worried - is it going to update my Word install - replace my normal.dot ?

The simple executable does not change your registry directly; it simply adds the shortcuts to your start menu, to your desktop, and sets up a folder into your Windows Explorer "My Programs" section.. That's it- there are no registered components. If you uninstall the software, your system will be as it was before. Like always, these templates are self-contained and will not alter your normal.dot configuration.

There are a ton of screenshots in the manual and to get up and going rapidly, there is a short "read me now" paper that will allow you to make a report on Mr. George Bush, you trial patient!

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Is WEP "open code"?

Actually, the WEP is free, and the tables are exposed, but it's not open code at this time. The eBook does explain a lot of the processes, and the "open source" version is offered for a small fee ($79) here.

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Why not use an OpenOffice platform?

OpenOffice is an excellent alternative, but it lacks Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) which is what makes the WEP so powerful. Also, using a MS Office based solution makes the EMR compatible with most hospital MS Office based computers. Also, I don't do Java...

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How do you write prescriptions with the WEP?

Prescription writing is in the 3rd page of the SOAP UserForm. It will send the prescriptions to your default laser or inkjet printer.

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How can patient data be accessed and saved?

("How did this summary data get documented on the top of this NEW encounter sheet? Does it have to be re-entered (voice/type/writing) each encounter?")

This template's powerful interface is managed through the use of multiple UserForms which connect to a set of backend Access Jet 4.0 tables (in the next upgrade, this will change to an SQL backend). These UserForms pop up over the template and when the needed data is finalized, this data can be deployed onto the template.

When you select a patient, all the pulled data is derived from his/her general medical data from an Access "medical" table. If changed, these changes can be saved to update the underlying tables.

It's a fully relational one-write, networkable EMR.

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Exit strategy- how can the WEP transfer data to another EMR?

The backend tables are open and are written in Access. If you have Access on your computer, you can export the tables to the following standard data formats:

*.mdb, *.adp, *.mdw (Access formats)
*.txt (general text format)
*.csv (MS Excel format)
*.asc

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How about integration with OneNote?

You must realize that although OneNote was "spiritually" included within the MS Office 2003 System, it really still lacks the close integration using the VBA programming language that most other MS Office applications have. Through the process of "automation", one can transfer information within any of the MS Office entities (Access / Word / Excel / Powerpoint / Outlook), but VBA was specifically left out of OneNote. Although OneNote now has some XML support for information gateways and better hyperlink support, as a programming platform it still has a long way to go.

For example, the process that underlies the basic kernel of the WEP- i.e. integraton of Access with Word tightly via the VBA programming language, is missing in OneNote. There is also no support for tables, so you can't really save your records to a Jet 4.0 or SQL backend, as you can with Word.

In the past I've used the WEP to send a SOAP note to GoBinder**, which is pretty cool stuff... This was not a "wish list" item, but an actual, true item that I incorporated with the initiation of the version 4, WEP. I didn't appreciate the utility of it, so temporarily I disabled this capability, but I may look at this again in the future (also will work with EverNote and again with OneNote 2007). Unfortunately, the promise of GoBinder and Evernote is diminishing. If you go to the GoBinder website, you'll note that they haven't upgraded the 2006 version in 2 years. URL: http://www.gobinder.com/Support.aspx . Their forums section has been disabled. URL: http://www.gobinder.com/SupportForum.aspx .

Evernote seems to be working on their product, coming out with frequent upgrades (see http://www.evernote.com/about/what_is_en/). Adobe Acrobat is also a strong contender to work with Word, but I'm not sure that it will add anything that enticing. PDF files, though, tend to be smaller than DOC files, so in certain situations, s.a. for uploading a big document, a PDF is easier to handle.

**To do this, you have to download the GoBinder 30 day trial... http://www.gobinder.com/HowItWorks.aspx

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Is MS Office EMR Project going to be CCHIT certified?

No; if it were, it would cost $30000.00 or more. If you wish to do pay-for-performance or e-prescribing, then pay for participating in these ill-conceived initiatives.

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Can the WEP be Linked to Another MS Office EMR?

The next version of the WEP will interface with its MS Access sibling and with MS Excel to allow for billing uploads to Office Ally.

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