Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software, sometimes called Practice Management (PM) software, has become a mainstay for maximizing the productivity in progressive medical clinics today. While the pros and cons of a practice going completely paperless are arguable, the productivity benefits of computerized scheduling, patient demographics, and electronically submitted insurance authorizations are undeniable.

But proprietary EMR software can be expensive, and in fact it is prohibitively expensive for many practices and clinics. New clinics are typically advised to budget between $10,000 and $25,000 for software purchase & server configuration, then another $3,000 to $5,000 annually for support and maintenance costs. Unfortunately, numbers of that magnitude cause many clinic directors to reconsider the tried and true methods of the old pen & ledger days, which have worked so well for eons. But what’s really required to have a modern EMR server, and are there inexpensive alternatives?

EMR software requires a central computerized file server, so that multiple users in a clinic can access records from a single database. Linux is often selected as the platform for EMR servers, but at the price of complication. In fact, Linux servers are so complicated to configure and maintain that practitioners most often find it cost effective to hire consultants to provide EMR services.

That all seemed unreasonable to me, so I set out to develop a product that was inexpensive, easy to configure, and easy to maintain.

My goal was to:

* Select a powerful and robust EMR server software solution that is open source (free), and is also HIPPA compliant (meets privacy regulations).

* Create a foolproof installation program that anyone with basic computer skills can install and configure.

* Create the installation program to install the EMR server on a computer operating system that anyone with basic computer skills can maintain.

Of course the first choice in open source EMR software for small to medium sized clinics is OpenEMR. Unfortunately, OpenEMR has a reputation for being difficult to install, due in part to the fact that it’s normally installed on Linux servers. Accordingly, a cottage industry has grown up around OpenEMR where consultants charge thousands of dollars to configure and maintain OpenEMR servers. But I wondered if OpenEMR could be ported for use with Microsoft Windows XP, a networkable operating system which is much more intuitive to configure and operate than Linux.

In studying how OpenEMR worked I learned that it is written in php code, which is presented as a web page, and the data is stored in a MySQL database. I knew that both php capable web servers and MySQL database software are available for Windows in open source. Accordingly I set out to see if I could configure a Windows XP computer to be an OpenEMR server.

Over the next few weeks I tried a large number of versions of the Apache web server, php server, and MySQL server, in various combinations, in an attempt to make the latest version of OpenEMR 100% operational while installed in an ordinary desktop computer running Windows XP Professional. Once I had an installation recipe that worked perfectly, I began work on a foolproof automated installation CD. After over three weeks of work, I finally had it.

That installation CD allows anyone with even basic computer knowledge to install a working server on any Windows XP Pro computer. Moreover, anyone with even basic computer knowledge can maintain a Windows XP Pro computer and occasionally make backups of the OpenEMR database. The web server in the OpenEMR computer can share the application to any number of computers attached to the local area network simply by opening the web browser, and can even be configured to be accessed from remote locations via the Internet.

All of the software contained on the install CD that I created is open source, so the software is free, it never expires, and never requires registration. However, the installation program is mine, for which I charge a one time fee of $24.95. I guarantee that the install will go smoothly with a money back guarantee, and I also provide free telephone installation support for those who desire it.

Priced at $24.95, there is virtually no longer any reason why every medical, dental, chiropractic, or veterinary clinic doesn’t have an EMR server. The productivity benefits are undeniable, the financial benefits and well documented, and the price is right.

This installation program is available for purchase in my program listings at eBay.

eBay seller Desertlinks