Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated on
March 17, 2005
This page includes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for sales & support.
Sales Questions
Support Questions
-
How do I create a backup file for my database in the event the system
should crash?
-
Is there any way to print out a sheet for each patient that looks like
page 22 in the Outcomes Program Manual, the cardiac outcomes info sheet?
-
Is there a shorter version of the Diet Habit Survey & Knowledge Test? Or
other with similar accuracy?
-
When you print the Cardiac Knowledge Test, why do the answers (a,b,c,d)
appear out of order (b,c,d,a)?
-
After upgrading to Orion Outcomes Version 2.0, how does one score old
SF-36 surveys? The scoring tool seems to have a different number
of responses than the survey I have.
-
I like the SF-36 scoring from from Orion Outcomes 1.0 better than
running through all the questions in the new SF-36v2 scoring. How
can I quickly enter my answers?
-
When we have patients enter the phase III program without going through
phase II first, can we enter them like others but check "involved in
maintenance" to separate from phase II?
-
When I open Orion Outcomes, I get an error that says: "The command line
you used to start Microsoft Access contains an option that Microsoft
Access doesn't recognize." How do I fix this?
-
How can I separate the cardiac from the pulmonary patients in Orion
Outcomes after importing from Quinton's Q-Tel?
Outcomes Questions
Benchmarking Questions
Sales Questions
Q: What type of computer do I need to run the software?
A: Click here to see our
product requirements.
Q: Is your product
networkable?
A: Yes, more information here.
Q: Is your product
HIPAA compliant?
A: There is no such thing a "HIPAA compliant" software. HIPAA
itself puts no requirements on software. Therefore, using the Final
Rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of
1996 as guidelines, we adhere to the industry best practices for the privacy
and security of protected health information. We have released version
2.2 of our software that adds the features need for facilities to claim
HIPAA readiness in regards to this application. Read our
HIPAA readiness statement.
Q: What is
the cost of your benchmarking?
A: In July of 2003, we introduce two levels of benchmarking:
standard and premium. Standard is free. Premium is a pay per year
service. More information here.
Q: Is the benchmarking database a national database or your company's?
A: The benchmarking database is owned and operated by Orion Software
Development. We combine all the data we receive from programs
throughout the nation into the database. It is the largest nationwide
CVPR outcomes database.
Q: What additional costs are there to interface with Quinton?
A: There is an additional cost that you have to pay Quinton. There
is a piece of "bridging" software that you need from Quinton in order to
transfer data from the Q-Tel into our software.
Q: What additional costs are there for support services?
A: None.
Q: How do upgrades work?
A: We have 2 types of upgrades: maintenance/service releases and
upgrades. The first type are free to existing customers. We
fix bugs and small to medium enhancements, etc. Keep the software running
flawlessly and keep up with the latest advances. We do those about once a
quarter. Then we have upgrades. These are major releases - like
Windows 95 to Windows 98. They come out less frequently. We came out with
version 1.0 in 1997 and then version 2.0 in 2000. Between 1997 and
2000 we had lots of service releases at no charge.
Q: What is the cost of
upgrades?
A: We can't speculate but can tell you our history. We started selling
our software at $350 back in 1997. In 2000, with version 2.0 we raise our
retail price to $650. If you had 1.0 and upgraded to 2.0, the cost was $200.
So you only had spent $550 with us and you had all the latest. So as you can
see we help you preserve your investment with us by offering low cost
upgrades that traditionally are less than 1/2 the price of the whole
product. We plan to continue that but you will see our retail price continue
to climb with new releases. Part of that deals with sub-licensing of tools
that we include in our software.
Q:
Will you share a client list so I may call them?
A: Yes. Click here.
Q: Is there a way to change or personalize parameters?
A: Yes. Orion Outcomes offers an add-on module that allows
you to add custom outcomes for a fee.
Q: Do you have individuals that come to our location to show us how to use the
software?
A: No. In order to maintain our low pricing, Orion isn't able to do
on-site training or education. Instead, the product comes with training
materials in the form of manuals and audio/video CD-ROM tutorials. The
combination of these materials and the ease of use of the software has allowed
hundreds of programs across the United States to start using the program
successfully within days.
Q: Can I see a copy
of the license agreement?
A: You can view it by clicking here.
Q: What costs are involved with using the SF-36 for my program?
A: The SF tools are included inside of Orion Outcomes but in order to
administer the SF tools, each program will need to secure a license from
QualityMetric, the copyright holder, by contacting them through there web site
at www.qualitymetric.com.
More information here.
Support Questions
Q: How do I create a backup file for my database in the event the system should
crash?
A: In version 2.1 and higher, you can create a backup by going to
the menubar and choosing File->Maintenance->Backup Database. In previous
versions to backup your data, close all programs. Enter the directory where you
installed Orion Outcomes. If you are not sure where its installed, use the
Windows find feature. There will be a file called odmsdt.mdb. It
contains all of your patient information and outcome data. You must make a copy
of this file to a safe place.
Q: Is there any way to print out a sheet for each patient that looks like
page 22 in the Outcomes Program Manual, the cardiac outcomes info sheet?
A: There is no page that you can print that looks exactly like
this one. But you can print a patient outcomes summary report which will
list all of the values for two sessions. If you only have one session worth
of data the other column will just remain empty.
Q: Is there a shorter version of the Diet Habit Survey & Knowledge Test? Or
other with similar accuracy?
A: There is not. These tests are meant to be exhaustive so that
they are able to cover the wide range of patient levels.
Q: When you print the Cardiac Knowledge Test, why do the answers
(a,b,c,d) appear out of order (b,c,d,a)?
A: This defect has been fixed in version 2.00.008 and higher. Download the latest service release to correct the
problem.
Q: After upgrading to ODMS Version 2.0, how does one score old SF-36
surveys? The scoring tool seems to have a different number of
responses than the survey I have.
A: To score version 1.0 SF-36 surveys, you must use a
different scoring tool, not the SF-36v2 scoring tool. An option has
been added to the software to allow you to choose which scoring tool you
would like to use. To select this option, open the Orion Outcomes. On the
menu bar, choose Tools -> Options. You will see 3 tabs along the top of the
Options dialog. Choose the Tools tab. The dropdown list gives you the option
to use version 1.0 or version 2.0 scoring. You can even have it prompt you
on a case by case basis. This option was added in version 2.01.000. Download the latest service release to obtain this
option.
Q: I like the SF-36 scoring from from Orion Outcomes 1.0 better than
running through all the questions in the new SF-36v2 scoring. How can
I quickly enter my answers?
A: The new SF-36v2 scoring form actually supports quick keyboard entry of
data just as the older scoring form did. Open the SF-36v2 scoring form
and advance to the first question. Press the number on your keyboard
of the response. You will notice that the answer is selected and the
focus is moved to the next question. Using this mechanism, you can
quickly enter the data just as in the last version with the added benefit of
seeing the questions. This option was added in version 2.01.000. Download the latest service release to obtain this
option.
Q: When we have patients enter the phase III program without
going through phase II first, can we enter them like others but check
"involved in maintenance" to separate from phase II?
A: No.
Q: When I open Orion Outcomes, I get an error that says: "The
command line you used to start Microsoft Access contains an option that
Microsoft Access doesn't recognize." How do I fix this?
A: Your system has been infected by the W32/SirCam@MM virus.
More information on this virus and a standalone removal download can be
found on McAfee's
Virus AVERT web site.
Q: How can I separate the cardiac from the pulmonary patients in Orion
Outcomes after importing from Quinton's Q-Tel?
A: If you are a legacy Q-Tel user, unfortunately there is no way
to separate cardiac and pulmonary patients going into Quinton's Outcomes 2.
With Q-Tel RMS, the customer needs to have the appropriate program chosen in
"Program Type." This then outputs to Q-Progress and can be downloaded into
Orion Outcomes into the two buckets - cardiac and pulmonary. Quinton
does not have this functionality in the original Q-Tel. Orion has
provided a workaround in version 2.45.000 and higher that allows users to
turn on a manual resolution mode that lets you choose the patient program
type the first time the patient is imported. Look for the option on
the Tools->Options dialog.
Outcomes Questions
Q: Is it possible to enter 12 minute walk data into the 6 minute walk data
entry screen?
A: No you can not use 12 minute distance walk data in place of 6 minute
distance walk. Why spend the time doing a 12 minute distance walk when the 6
provides the same quality of results and uses less time and provides
consistency between CR and PR patients.
Q: How do you ask questions on % compliance with diet & medication?
A: On page 33 of the manual the questions are listed as follows:
What percentage of time do you follow our medically prescribed diet?
What percentage of time do you take your medications as prescribed?
Q: Is it possible to use your own knowledge test or does the program
require that we use the provided test? The provide test seems too hard.
A: No, you must use the test that comes with the software.
Concern regarding the difficulty of some test questions has been expressed
by other clinicians. Remember that the test is designed to measure change in
patient knowledge through rehabilitation. In order to do that the minimum
number of questions needed is 40 and the questions must be difficult enough
so that very few people can answer them all correctly. Compare it to
something like the SAT college entrance exam. Only the very best students
can ace this test. The percentage that does is less than 1%. It is a test
that measures knowledge. Focus the patient on knowledge change rather than
acing the test.
Q: Do you have any information on AACVPR certification?
A: Yes, we have a special
page for this here.
Q: Where do we get a copy of the Diet
Habit Survey?
A: It is in the Outcomes Program Manual that came with your software
if/when you purchased it. If you can't locate the hard copy, you can print a
new one from the Help menu within Orion Outcomes.
Q: Do we just ask the patient to estimate his compliance with diet and meds?
A: Yes, but some programs get more scientific and issue log books to
the patients for tracking.
Q: What is
involved with a Treadmill Test?
A: Its just a normal treadmill stress test. Most people do not use it
because its expensive and not available. The Six Minute Distance Walk is the
preferred clinical outcomes tool.
Q: To score the DASI, do we have to input every question instead of just the
score which is easily computed?
No, you can just type the final score in if you know it but most people
use the scoring mechanism for accuracy.
Q: What are
the MCS and PCS scores for the SF-36?
A: Definitions are included in your Orion Outcomes online help.
Search for MCS or PCS.
Benchmarking Questions
Q:
How do I sign up for the Limited Benchmarking Service?
A: There is no need to sign up. Simply submit your data as if
you haven't paid for the Premium Benchmarking Service, the Limited
Benchmarking Service is assumed.
Send your question to
support@orionsoftwaredev.com |
