The Patient Portal is integrated with the patient’s own electronic medical record, so it reduces the front office staff’s need to pull out paper medical records. Patients can create their own accounts (for themselves as well as their families), which house their medical history, billing statements, and lab results, among other things. Patients can send a request, such as prescription refills or referrals, through the Portal’s messaging system, and check on the status of their requests at their convenience. The staff can also utilize the messaging system for appointment reminders, tests reminders, or communicate issues with medications. The Portal also employs a self-service appointment scheduler, so patients can schedule their appointments online – therefore reducing phone calls.

Obtaining patients’ medical history and other information can also be done before the office visit. The Portal’s Instant Medical History includes different medical questionnaires patients can fill out, which then is submitted to their charts. There are also online templates that are used to collect information on medical and social history.  We like this feature as this reduces administrative time and the doctor can focus more on the patient’s reason for the visit.

There is also an online-paying option for patients – they can review as well as pay their bill online. Not only does it eliminate time in mailing out medical billing statements, but it also lets offices receive their money more quickly, which leads to increased revenue.

The Patient Portal has a wide range of security features, such as 128-bit encryption, firewall, anti-virus software, and intrusion detection software. Messaging features are also secure. NextGen also uses the following medical IT standards for its EMR system: Health Level 7 (HL7), Continuity of Care Record (CCR), Continuity of Care Document (CCD), XML, and https, among others.  NextGen also provides support services to help doctors demonstrate “meaningful use” and what they need in order to receive reimbursements from the feds as designated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

NextGen also provides training and pre- and post-implementation services to help doctors and staff adjust to their new EHR system. The Patient Portal is pre-loaded with diagnostic codes, insurance claim rules, fee schedules, and other data. The training and implementation program is based on the practice’s schedule and needs.  Doctors and staff have a few choices of training programs: on-site training at one of NextGen’s facilities, self-paced online courses, or virtual seminars via WebEx.  Finally, a customer service rep, assigned to the practice for six to nine months post-implementation, helps with general questions and any issues not covered in the training.

We recommend the NextGen Patient Portal for a busy small practice that does not want to spend a lot of time on administrative tasks and needs to reduce paper trails and data entry errors. We think patients will like this as well, as they can set appointments, communicate with doctors, and see their lab results and billing statements in their own time, without being limited to office hours.

For more information on electronic medical records (EMRs), please download our free whitepaper “Electronic Medical Records: Choosing the Best System for Your Practice.”

Having recently received the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) designation, one of Medisoft Clinical’s most important features is its Bright Note Technology, which helps doctors complete a patient’s chart based on one progress note. The chart is automatically updated once new information on a patient is entered (e.g. lab result, updated medication). There are also a variety of data entry tools, such as speech recognition, digital pen, dictation, and Web-based patient data entry. These tools help doctors focus more on the patient at hand. Doctors can choose from multiple progress note templates that are based on specialty.

There are also other tools to note that help both doctors and staff. First, there is a built-in coding advisor that analyzes a patient’s visit, using updated Evaluation and Management (E&M) codes, and then transcribes the reason for the patient visit into an accurate code. Second, the software loads the text that is transcribed and automatically populates the patient’s entire chart (e.g. medical history, medication lists, etc.). Also, there is a provider dashboard that places all information, such as a daily patient schedule or an entire patient history, in one place. Finally, the Medisoft Clinical system allows for pieces of patient information, or even a patient’s single health record, to be communicated between different practices, so that confusion and errors in treatment and medication are reduced.

Medisoft Clinical also provides an accessible knowledge base such as Web-based directories of disease and treatment information, diagnosis and treatment guidelines, and health maintenance information that are based on specific patient information (age, sex, medical history). It also utilizes the SureScripts electronic prescribing system, which links pharmacies and doctors and makes the prescribing process easier, safer, and more efficient. SureScript provides different kinds of prescription templates as well as a database of pharmacy information (i.e. drug interaction, drug allergies, etc.) and dosage advice.

Medisoft Clinical also includes features from the Medisoft v.17 system that aims to reduce administrative hassle for the front-office staff.  They are:

Medisoft Office Hours Professional Scheduler: Allows for quickly scheduling patient visits and inputting patient contact information.

NexTrust’s BillFlash: Uploads existing patient statements from MediSoft via the Internet and produces easy-to-read patient statements. BillFlash will then print and mail billing statements directly to patients.

Revenue / Claims Management: With this feature, the staff can check for eligibility requirements for some insurance companies, review filings, and correct any errors before sending in the claim.

With Medisoft Clinical, doctors and staff get the best of both worlds: the ability to streamline workflow by automating administrative tasks while having accessible patient information on hand, which leads to better quality of care.

For more information on electronic medical records (EMRs), please download our free whitepaper “Electronic Medical Records: Choosing the Best System for Your Practice.”

Sum-up: Solid ink printers with good speed and acceptable consumables costs.

The Phaser 8560 family is one of the latest product offerings in Xerox’s constantly evolving line of solid ink printers. Solid ink printers (Xerox is the only company selling office printers with this technology) have little to do with the more common thermal ink jet printers of the small or home office. Instead, solid ink is a technology in office printing competing with laser and LED machines. We consider it a laser-class technology, and it compares favorably with standard color lasers.

Resolution: Solid ink printers offer what we consider to be excellent image quality. Even the default settings seem to produce pretty accurate color renderings, though this print technology is not intended for those who need exact color matching (unlike, say, Xerox’s own Phaser 7760 series).

These printers work at a variety of speeds, depending on resolution. As we have said, resolution is not the biggest issue when dealing with color quality, especially given the way a solid ink jet deposits ink on the page. On the other hand, if you demand extremely crisp black-and-white type, you’ll have to run at higher than the standard resolution.

This generation of solid ink printers offers very respectable speeds. The 8560 engines are rated for up to 30ppm, both in color and in black-and-white. Numbers don’t tell the complete story here -30ppm are achieved in the “fast” color mode, which is 225 x 400dpi. The default mode is “enhanced” mode, which is 1,200dpi interpolated. On the 8560 printers, that runs at 16ppm, a bit over half the speed of “fast” mode.

In addition, the Phaser 8560 models have two other modes. The “standard” mode prints at 300 x 450dpi at a speed of 24ppm. The “photo” mode has an interpolated resolution of 2,400dpi and prints at 10ppm.

You select a printing mode (other than the default) as an option in the print dialog box. Because solid ink technology is so different from toner, it is hard to make exact comparisons between these resolutions and those of other color printers in this guide. To our eyes, the “enhanced” mode is excellent for demanding design work. The standard resolution sounds low compared with the 1,200dpi claimed by some rivals, but we find that the resolution is totally acceptable, even in “standard” mode. Likewise, “fast mode” resolution (30ppm) is totally acceptable for drafts, memos, and most other internal documents. Again, this is more an issue about type rather than graphics. And while photo-quality printing is not very fast, it runs circles around the real-life photo printing speeds on most regular (liquid) ink jet printers.

Features: These models come with powerful 600MHz processors, ensuring that they will handle images fast enough to keep the engine cranking out pages. Indeed, this printer series is very respectable for everyday black-and-white office printing as well, especially because it is less expensive for printing in black than many rivals.

The Phaser 8560 printers are also very easy to maintain. For example, when you have to change consumables, you need only open the top cover of the machine and slide in blocks of ink that look and feel like crayons. The printer melts those “crayons” and sprays the melted extract onto the paper.

You can’t even make a mistake, as each of the four colors has a unique shape that only fits in the appropriate slot. Replacing supplies on some color printers can be a daunting task, but not on these models.

Per-page prices are moderate and compare well to similar small-workgroup color lasers. An average color page costs about 10.8¢, and a black-and-white page costs 2¢. These prices are for the default resolution, the so-called “enhanced” mode. Costs for “standard” and “fast” modes, since they lay down less ink, are less expensive.

Versions: There are four Phaser 8560 models. All of them come with both USB and Ethernet ports, as well as optional Wi-Fi. They are:

• The Phaser 8560N (street price $699), which comes with 256MB of memory, upgradeable to 1GB, and 625 sheets of standard paper input.
• The Phaser 8560DN (street price $899), which adds duplexing.
• The Phaser 8560DT (at $1,399), which has 512MB of memory upgradeable to 1GB and comes with 1,150 sheets of input.
• The Phaser 8560DX (at $1,999), which comes with 1,675 sheets of input and a hard disk standard.

Each model starts with a 100-sheet bypass and a 525-sheet standard paper tray. Second and third 525-sheet paper trays are available (optional on the lower-end models). The maximum input capacity for the models is 1,675 sheets. The bypass can handle up to 80lb. cover stock, which is heavier stock than 110lb. index. Output capacity is a simple 250-sheet tray.

PostScript and PCL are standard features on all models. Direct PDF printing requires a hard disk, which is standard on the 8560DX.

When it comes to pricing, the Phaser 8560 series is very competitive with its laser and LED counterparts at the low end of the midrange level of the market. But the Phaser 8560 family is really in a category by itself.

One additional plus, these machines are small in dimension and weight, unlike some laser competitors.

However, the Phaser 8560 models are not intended for really high-volume use. Xerox rates them for 85,000 pages per month, but the small output tray is a clear indication that this printer series is better suited for a moderate flow of work. The warm-up time may be an issue as well. It’s considerably longer than that for LED and laser, but this should be a once-a-day issue. The first-page-out time once the machine is warmed up (around 5 seconds in both color and black-and-white) is outstanding.

These machines are capable of producing very good color output and good black-and-white documents as well. They are easy to use and can be pretty fast when it comes to full-color output, though not at the highest resolution. Keep in mind, however, that this series does not have the paper-handling capability to be used in place of a departmental laser printer.

If you plan on printing heavier volume, you should look at the Phaser 8860DN below. But all things told, we really like the Phaser 8560 family. We find its attractive pricing, small footprint, quiet operation, and reasonable sticker prices to be excellent features – so excellent, in fact, that the 8560 family earns our Editor’s Choice Award for a third year.

Xerox Phaser 8560N

Xerox Phaser 8560DN

Xerox Phaser 8560DT

Xerox Phaser 8560DX

30ppm color (“fast” mode)

30ppm black & white (“fast” mode)

The DR-2020U comes with a good bundle of applications, including Canon’s CapturePerfect software, as well as PaperPort, OmniPage SE, and Adobe Acrobat. It also feature Presto!BizCard for scanning business cards. This model has a special slot for two-sided scanning of identity and insurance cards.

This machine can be used for non-document scanning, including scan-to-email and scan-to-file.

Connectivity to a host computer is via a USB port.

Canon’s proprietary imaging software offers features such as text smoothing, deskewing, and blank page removal.

For a full review and information on other similar products, see the Better Buys for Business Scan-to-File Guide.

The maximum paper capacity is 1,000 sheets.

Standard output consists of a 250-sheet exit tray that supports offset stacking. A 40-sheet reversing document feeder (RADF) is standard.

Printing is host-based only. You can add a kit that includes PCL, Ethernet, and network scanning. You can add PostScript to that configuration.

Scan-to-PC (TWAIN) is supported in the standard configuration. The network print/scan package also supports scan-to-FTP and scan-to-email with LDAP support. Bundled with the upgrade is Sharpdesk scanning software and various other utilities for managing these devices over the network.

The fax option runs at 33.6kbps and supports JBIG compression.

This machine has its environmental credentials, including toner recycling and RoHS compatibility.

This would be a reasonable choice for a small office environment, especially if you can negotiate good cost-per-impression running costs.

For a full review and information on other similar products, see the Better Buys for Business Office Copier & Multifunctional Guide.

USB and Ethernet (including Gigabit Ethernet) are supported.

The CLX-8540ND has a 7″ color touchscreen LCD control panel with a strong graphical user interface.

Total paper input capacity is 2,720 sheets. On the output side, there is a standard 500-sheet catch tray. Samsung offers a 2-bin finisher with 600-sheet capacity and 50-sheet stapling. It also offers a 4-bin mailbox that holds up to 100 sheets per bin.

There is also a 100-sheet duplexing automatic document feeder (DADF).

Printing supports PCL and PostScript output. You can also print PDF files directly.

Color scanning is standard, and supports scan-to-email, scan-to-FTP and network folders.

The optional fax function includes a 33.6kbps modem. Fax forwarding via e-mail and color faxing are included.

Security features include LDAP authentication and secure print.

This MFP, like some of Samsung’s other models, has a strong set of features, especially for those who don’t need ledger-size output for their color printing needs.

For a full review and information on other similar products, see the Better Buys for Business Color Printer Multifunctional Guide.

The MFX-4555’s maximum paper supply is 3,240 sheets. It comes with a 100-sheet duplexing document feeder (DADF). There is a 7″ color touchscreen control panel.

A 500-sheet output tray is standard. This machine offers a two-bin finisher with 600-sheet capacity and 50-sheet stapling as well as a four-bin mailbox with a 400-sheet output capacity.

PCL and PostScript printing are standard. Two-sided ID copying (for identification or insurance cards) is supported.

Color scanning is supported, though output is black-and-white only. Scan-to-email, to folder, and to FTP is supported, along with scan-to-USB flash drive.

The optional fax function includes a 33.6kbps modem and JBIG compression. Network and PC faxing are optional.

Security features include LDAP authentication and secure print.

The MFX-4555 fits the needs of a small-to-midsize office that needs speed and versatility at a reasonable price.

For a full review and information on other similar products, see the Better Buys for Business Black & White Printer Multifunctional Guide.

PostScript and PCL are supported, along with support for PDF, XPS and TIFF.

Connectivity via USB and parallel ports is standard. Both models support standard gigabit Ethernet—not a necessity in our opinion since plain old 100BaseT Ethernet is fast enough to keep the printer maxed out, but a nice little plus.

The W850 models support Lexmark’s Embedded Solution Framework (eSF) that allows addition of workflow solutions accessible through the operator panel.

The maximum input is 5,100 sheets. Output capacity is 500 sheets. A 3,500-sheet finisher is optional.

The W850 models have an excellent cost per page of 0.99 cents from a 35,000-page toner cartridge.

Security features include hard disk wiping and encryption, access controls, and secure print.

The Lexmark W850 series is an excellent addition to offices seeking fast ledger printing with basic finishing features.

For a full review and information on other similar products, see the Better Buys for Business Office Laser Printer Guide.

Maximum paper supply is 2,200 pages and Kyocera estimates the maximum monthly duty cycle at 100,000 pages.

There are two optional finishers and an optional 75-sheet reversing document feeder (RADF).

The print function supports PCL, PostScript and Kyocera’s own PRESCRIBE printing languages. Secure print and job storage are included with the hard disk, as is a mailbox system.

The scanning function features color scanning and supports scan-to-email, scan-to-FTP and TWAIN scanning. Scanned files can be in PDF, TIFF, JPEG and XPS. Encrypted PDF files and high compression PDF formats are included.

The faxing option has a 33.6kbps modem that includes JBIG compression.

Kyocera offers its optional KYOcapture scan software. There is also security software for disk overwrite and encryption available.

This is a very competitive copier-MFP in its speed range. We recommend you consider this model for a small-to-midsize workgroup.

For a full review and information on other similar products, see the Better Buys for Business Office Copier & Multifunctional Guide.

The 65ppm C9065 PRO lists for $40,000 and the 75ppm C9075 PRO lists for $50,000. Both MFPs have first-copy-out times of 4.4 seconds in black-and-white, 6.0 seconds in color.

Maximum number of input is 9,300 sheets. The C9065 PRO and C9075 PRO offer a range of output devices. There is a 100-sheet multiposition finisher with three output trays for a total of 4,250 sheets. The booklet-maker finisher can stitch booklets up to 20 sheets.

There is also a 40-sheet booklet trimmer, 2/3-hole punch unit, and a Professional Puncher Unit.

Standard printing makes use of Canon’s UFR II host-based print language. PCL and PostScript printing is optional.

Canon’s Universal Send software supports a wide variety of scan-to formats including email and Internet Fax. You can also create a wide variety of file formats, including TIFF, JPEG and XPS.

The optional fax function uses a 33.6kbps modem with JBIG compression.

Three optional EFI’s Fiery controllers are the imagePASS-A1, ColorPASS GX-300, and MicroPress.

The imageRUNNER ADVANCE C9000 PRO series are definitely worth looking at for the light production market.

For a full review and information on other similar products, see the Better Buys for Business Color Copier Guide.