MediFile FAQS

Q: Is it easy to transition to MediFile from our current paper system?
A: Yes. You can start using MediFile immediately upon installation. It is quick to set up text and graphic layouts in the MediFile database. It is not necessary to use all of MediFile's features at the outset. You can start with the basics, and then add more advanced functionality later. Different doctors can extend their use of the basic system as they find convenient.

Q: Does MediFile come with templates for my specialty?
A: MediFile includes basic templates for most specialties. However MediFile does not constrain you to practice medicine in a certain way, and it is expected that, as time goes by, you will modify these templates in the way that best suits you. MediFile allows each physician at a practice to have his/her own style of creating medical records. MediFile is also a dynamic system in the sense that it remembers choices that you have made in the past, and uses this information to make sure new patient visits are documented efficiently.

Q: Can transcriptionists use MediFile?
A: In-house transcriptionists can use MediFile in the office, or home-based transcriptionists can dial-in to MediFile from outside. Of course, major cost savings occur when doctors generate office notes for themselves, and MediFile is designed to make this a quick and simple process.

Q: What data is transferred to a handheld computer?
A: All available past clinical records for the patients on the schedule. Also, the latest versions of all templates. Also, any outstanding messages for the provider, including messages about abnormal labs, or patient phone calls.

Q: How long does it take to synchronize a handheld computer with the main database?
A: There are two synchronization processes. One usually occurs at the beginning of each day to download a new set of patients to the handheld. The other usually occurs at the end of the day, to upload the new data back to the main MediFile database. Each process usually takes less than a minute for each handheld.

Q: How easy is it to view scanned documents?
A: Scanned documents for a patient are presented in a separate window whenever you access that patient in MediFile (or your Practice Management System). The documents are available instantaneously, and are indexed in several ways for convenient access, such as by form type and service date. To view scanned documents requires the joint installation of our InfoIntegrity product. This has been sold by us as a separate product for many years, and contains document management features that are unsurpassed. InfoIntegrity ensures that scanning documents is quick and productive.

Q: How are charge codes generated?
A: Charge codes for a patient come from the templates that a provider selects when generating an office note, and the choices that a provider makes when filling out the templates. Before the codes are released, the provider must review the codes, make adjustments if necessary, and then electronically sign them. The codes are then transmitted to our AutoBilling product which is required to be installed in the practice's billing department. AutoBilling enforces validations on the codes, and allows review of the codes from the billing department's perspective. The codes are then automatically posted via the AutoBilling interface to the Practice Management System.

Q: Why is integration with a Practice Management System so straightforward?
A: We have years of experience of implementing such interfaces through techniques such as keystroke emulation, screen scraping, and hl7. This allows us to build such interfaces quickly, inexpensively, and without a need to involve the vendor of the destination system. If an interface built by us does not meet your requirements, we will refund the entire cost of our system.

Q: Can MediFile run independently of a Practice Management System?
A: Yes. But since we make no charge for interfaces with your Practice Management System, you would normally choose to implement such interfaces, so that data such as demographics and schedules do not have to be entered in two places.

Q: Do you interface with lab equipment?
A: Yes. We charge an affordable flat fee for each lab interface required. Lab results are transferred into MediFile as soon as they are available, and are presented to the provider in a spreadsheet that allows comparison of lab results over time. Lab results than are outside of normal ranges are highlighted in red or blue.

Q: Does the system inform me of abnormal lab results or high-priority messages?
A: As well as going to the patient's record in MediFile, lab results and messages are also normally sent to the provider's email queue. Alternatively, lab results and messages can be sent to a MediFile mail queue for the provider, so that the information can be accessed by the provider from any MediFile station.

Q: How do I exchange medical information with other providers?
A: Any part of a record in MediFile can be emailed, faxed or printed with the click of a button.

Q: What is the pricing structure for MediFile?
A: MediFile's price is based on either per station licensing or per concurrent user licensing. The price includes all MediFile modules, an interface to the Practice Management System, and unlimited support for three months.

Q: How much less expensive is MediFile than other EMR's?
A: MediFile pricing usually works out to between one third and one quarter of the cost of many other EMR's.

Q: How much training is included?
A: We tailor the number/format of training sessions/phases to your needs. However, MediFile is an intuitive system that many users comprehend in a short space of time.