fsgl wrote on Monday, August 05, 2013:
How is the Messages module disabled? Nothing obvious in Administration->Globals. Never used it in the past year.
anonymous wrote on Tuesday, August 06, 2013:
Our practice does not make use of the Messages module per se, however we do use the “Notes” field on the main patient demographics page. By default, any new note is created as a message to the current user. My workaround for this is to select Close from the To: dropdown menu so it just makes a generic note in the patient’s chart. This is handy for keeping track of any conversations with insurance adjusters and other medical providers. Any possibility of separating these two modules in the future?
cverk wrote on Tuesday, August 06, 2013:
In a small office with one provider, I don’t see a need to send electronic notes, but it is nice to have a place to document stuff as a note that doesn’t involve an encounter. Stuff like phone calls and conversations such as a family member question. I also have been using the above noted close button to do that. It would be nice to set that as the default. Of interest, the issue regarding time stamping and locking notes seems to have been solved for these notes.
drkay wrote on Tuesday, August 06, 2013:
We use messages/notes extensively. The messages/notes module(s) need to be re-done though. It takes some time to train new staff on the messages/notes because it is not intuitive. The current system is better than the sticky notes we used to use on paper charts!
fsgl wrote on Tuesday, August 06, 2013:
Notes did not work well for us. Too much fussing about. Disclosures was commandeered for the job. If it is not a communication with a patient, we enter Internal in the Recipient box, then a note about a No Show, etc.
Fortunately Messages makes its initial appearance each morning and discreetly recedes into the background for the rest of the day.
It may also be a question of pairing with the Calendar. It would be nice to have Patient lookup instead Messages in the lower split screen to start the morning.
The unused part of Messages is something we all can live with, but I am in a tinkering mood. Is there a way to disable it?
yehster wrote on Tuesday, August 06, 2013:
You can change the initial page loaded in the bottom frame by changing this line.
It might be in a slightly different place in your current version versus the development tip.
change src=‘messages/messages.php?form_active=1’
to
src=‘finder/dynamic_finder.php’
and it should bring up the patient finder instead of the messages screen upon logon.
yehster wrote on Tuesday, August 06, 2013:
It might actually be this line. The logic for variations based on the athletic team settings isn’t easy to skim.
fsgl wrote on Wednesday, August 07, 2013:
Yehster = מענטש
fsgl wrote on Thursday, August 08, 2013:
Went->openemr->interface->main->main_screen.php and changed line 123 (no line 148).
Messages remained.
yehster wrote on Thursday, August 08, 2013:
Scroll up another 19 lines to line 102, there should be a line that looks very similar to the other one and make the same change.
fsgl wrote on Thursday, August 08, 2013:
YEHSTERUS VERE VIBRAT
bradymiller wrote on Friday, August 09, 2013:
I think you have just inadvertently crossed the OpenEMR Developer threshold 
Next step:
http://www.open-emr.org/wiki/index.php/Git_for_dummies
fsgl wrote on Friday, August 09, 2013:
Thanks for the encouragement, El Jefe.
After updating the article about the Dispensary and a new article about editing the Patient Statement, will hit the primers in earnest.
If half as good as yourself, will be quite pleased.