Laptops are invaluable machines that allow you to take the office with you, without having to lug around a massive desktop. What is also really useful about them is that most new laptops have the same power as desktops but in a much smaller case. There is a price to be paid however: Cram enough components into a small space and they will generate heat.

One of the most asked for features in today’s electronic medical record (EMR) technology is a secure built-in messaging system. This is an important feature and many providers are integrating this feature. One project aims to make that easier, Direct Project.

Communities in which health-care providers work together to coordinate evidence-based hospital discharges can see a six percent drop in hospitalizations and rehospitalizations in just the first two years, according to a new project study.

For the project, described January 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association
(JAMA), the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC) coordinated 14 of Medicare’s Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), which are funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help achieve national quality goals through focused efforts at the community and provider level.

It seems that nearly every month there's a new security threat to a company's networks and computer systems, it really never ends does it?. A lot of the recent threats have taken advantage of software bugs or glitches, but a recent warning from numerous security institutions takes aim at hardware found in every office and home.

As most of you have noticed we are slow to adopt new operating systems. Dental software tends to be about six months to a year behind the consumer and small business market software when it comes to being fully compatible with the latest operating systems. That being said Windows 7 and the consumer pc market have made a switch to 64 bit operating systems. The nice thing about the new 64 bit OS is that you can utilize more hardware in the PC. Windows 32 bit systems max out at roughly 3.5 gigabytes of ram. Ram is cheap and more is always better, and the newer processors are all optimized for the new 64 bit operating systems. You are probably saying “That’s great Clay but what does that have to do with me?” Most practice management software is now 64 bit ready. The caveat is there may be updates that need to be done to your system to “prepare” for the latest systems. Many of you have already gone through this process but if you haven’t here is a short list: PracticeWorks needs the latest version of Pervasive and PracticeWorks Software, Dentrix needs to be G4 with Productivity pack 7 and Eaglesoft needs to be version 16. There are specific updates for all of the smaller software programs and accessories as well. The good news is that once your office is over the 64 bit hurdle, you can use the best computers for the price and protect your investment by assuring your computers do not become obsolete before their time!

You may  have seen one of those small, digital-looking images in your favorite magazine, or at your local sandwich shop and you are wondering…What is it? It’s called a  “Quick Response” code or QR code for short. A QR code is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable only by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. QR codes have been largely adopted by advertisers to target the new smart phone users. QR codes can be used to display text to the user, to add a vCard contact to the user’s device, to open a URL or to compose an e-mail or text message. Users can also generate and print their own QR codes for others to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR code generating sites. So how could your practice profit from this? Many companies are using this technology to drive sales by allowing people to to buy much faster than these types of media originally offered. Others are putting QR codes on permanent coupons or on their business cards to allow would-be prospects an instant way to get more information about a business. You can get a free QR code by going to https://qrcode.kaywa.com. Some practical uses: • The back or front of your business card • Your brochure or marketing materials • Appointment Reminders • Signs – inside or out