cverk wrote on Friday, September 21, 2012:
Having used openemr exclusively for a year now, I thought I would compile a list of outstanding issues I have found, and if available some hopefully temporary work arounds. The pace of improvement seems to be increasing, so I hope I can stir up some ideas while creative juices seem to be flowing.
1. Using the patient/client/records/patient record request button in the left menu produces a database line in amc_misc_data called provide_rec_pat_amc with a created date but a null entry for date completed and thus does not get reported correctly in AMC. Work around is to manually correct each entry in phpmyadmin and add a completed date.
2. Under lists/immunizations having made a list of the immunizations we use with a CVS mapping code, when we give a patient an immunization such as a flu shot it won’t update the patients clinical reminder. Work around is to go to administration/lists/immunizations and look at and then save the immunization list again. It them updates the patient reminders.
3.Reports/documents will visualize scanned PDF files using imagemagic, but will only print the first page of multipage PDF’s. My work around is kind of convoluted.Sites/default/documents is protected under apache so I wrote a script to mirror it to my windows local network shared directory so I can look up a file of scanned pdf’s by patient ID number. I can then copy them as desired to paperport and stack them. It would be much better to be able to print to pdf directly from the report.
4. When performing a more comprehensive visit like a physical, it is important to be able to place all the current issues and history items in the documentation for the current visit, as they are often changed over time as you update lists. My work around is to run a report, checking history and each issue item, and then copy and pasting it into a speech dictation box.
5. If you code an encounter and post a copayment for which a patient wants a receipt as comes up for flexible spending plans, the fees/checkout creates a screen for that. However if you save and print that for the patient, it marks the claim as already billed so it doesn’t get billed to insurance. A work around is to make sure you individually make sure you have all the claims before billing.
6. Sending secondary claims electronically always requires correcting the primary payment fields at the clearing house level. Work around is to do those corrections each time, kind of a pain.
7. There is no way to remove the social security fields in demographics and you have to put something in the social security box for the primary insured if it is different from the patient or it won’t save. We have worked around it just putting a 0 in the ss box.
8. Using batch payments/ERA posting to electronically post ERA’s frequently leads to duplicate codes that have to adjusted off. Then you have to authorize them under miscellaneous and then under billing manager you have to mark them as billed.
So there is my current list of observations, but I want to make clear I think this project is the greatest thing that has ever come to my practice and it is coming this close to being the best package anywhere.
