Here is a link to a March 2009 article in Physicians Practice regarding appointment reminder systems by Jonathan McCallister.

In previous articles, I have discussed using Windows' Remote Desktop to connect to your ReminderPro computer. It's actually a great tool you can use when the computer is in a location that is, well, less than convenient to get to. However, there are some things to be aware of.

The primary issues with using Remote Desktop center around sound. That is, how does Windows handle it? After all, we have two computers that are connected here, and both have the capability of having sound. Which computer gets it? And what if there are conflicts that can cause problems?

When you connect via Remote Desktop, the first thing you want to do is set the sound to remain at the remote computer. In other words, open your Remote Desktop connection window and click the Options button at the bottom. Then go to the Local Resources tab, and set the sound option to Leave at remote computer. In essence, this just leaves sound active at that other computer, ensuring ReminderPro can record messages and play them.

The other suggestion I want to make is that you disconnect your remote session after starting the call session. There can be problems arise when incoming messages are being recorded by a patient, or automatically due to an operator intercept — again, an issue with sound. Now, I want to emphasize the word disconnect. You do not want to log off, because that will close the programs you have running, including ReminderPro. But if you disconnect by clicking the X on the yellow toolbar at the top of that window, your programs will continue to run, and when you reconnect, you will see basically what you saw when you disconnected. In short: Disconnect — do not log off.

Hopefully these tips will help you use Remote Desktop more effectively with ReminderPro.

If you use Remote Desktop and have some tips you would like to share, please do so by clicking here.

Healthcare IT: Obtaining Stimulus Grants & Incentive Money

You do not need to be a LinkedIn user to access this page.

In the Microsoft Windows world, malware like viruses and spyware are a part of our daily lives. I particularly enjoy the ones that install a program on your computer that continually nags you to buy their software to remove it. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. And the software that is installed can bog down your computer and interfere with the programs you run. Quite a pain.

Last weekend, a conversation with a friend gave me an idea to blog. I've always dealt with the situation I described quickly, and never really gave thought that some folks may not know what to do (outside of paying Geek Squad to fix it), just as my friend didn't.

So here's what I do: The easiest way that I have found to rid your computer of the effects of this stuff is to perform a System Restore. Of course, this assumes that you have that option enabled. (You can turn it off.) Performing a System Restore returns the state of your computer to a previous time. Its like this: Windows takes a snapshot of the computer periodically, and then lets you return to that time in history. Its as though the infection you just got never happened. And none of your documents or other data is affected. What a great feature of Windows! Go Bill Gates!

Now, let me tell you how to make sure the System Restore option is available. First, go to Start and then right click My Computer and open Properties. From there, go to the Sysytem Restore tab, and make sure the Turn off System Restore box is unchecked. That means its on. And that's it. It's now available.

So should you ever need it, you can restore your computer to an earlier date by simply going to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. You can select a date to restore to and then the tool guides you through the remainder of the process. Pretty slick. In fact -- and this is recommended -- you can even create a "restore point" on that window that will then be available. Of course, you will want to do this while your computer is healthy, but it is a good idea if the System Restore option had been disabled.

Have you ever used System Restore before? Do you have other ways to recover from a malware infection? Let me know your thoughts.

Perhaps I should have titled this post, “Everything I Needed to Know about Customer Service I Learned from My Endodontist.” 

Yes, I had a root canal (endodontic therapy) last Friday, just in time for the holiday weekend.

I hope I never have to have another root canal.  But if I do, I know who I will ask to perform the procedure, Dr. Daniel Funk.

Dr. Funk is a professional.  He is great at what he does.  Perhaps what impressed me most was that he took the time to make sure his somewhat anxious patient was calm and understood exactly what was happening (at my request) throughout the procedure.

What does this have to do with appointment reminder software?

Sometimes customers can feel anxious about implementing software solutions.  They are professionals and often specialists, but not necessarily IT specialists.  We try to make the installation and implementation process as smooth as possible by providing online training as well as remote implementation assistance.  We also provide phone and email Technical Support, forums, a Wiki and this blog.  If you have suggestions on how we can improve our customer service or Technical Support offerings, please let us know.

InphoniteVoice can now send automated appointment reminders and mass notifications to Twitter accounts. This capability adds to InphoniteVoice's growing arsenal of existing notification methods of voice, email and text messaging. To configure Twitter notifications set the source account and password in the Account Settings.

Twitter Settings in Account Settings

If the Twitter account is not specified then the tweets will come from @InphoniteVoice. The 'Twitter follow-me message' is used to specify the generic message that the recipient Twitter account will receive if they are not following the source account. The only other step is to fill out the Twitter user name in the account's contact information. Here is how the work flow is processed.

1. The Tweet will be processed just like a text message.
2. If the source account as specified in the Account Settings (or @InphoniteVoice) is being followed by the recipient then the message will go through immediately. Work flow is complete.
3. The source account will then follow the recipient Twitter account.
4. The source account will send a reply message to the recipient using the 'Twitter follow-me message'
5. The service will continue to 'wait' until the recipient follows the source account. Once the recipient follows the source account the message will be delivered.
6. If the recipient does not follow the source account within 24 hours the service will 'give up.'

Give it a go and let me know what you think. I always welcome feedback!

Do you use a Remote Desktop Connection to access the ReminderPro computer? A number of our users do. The process is normally to launch the Remote Desktop Connection from the Start menu, but did you know that you can create a shortcut on your desktop to automatically launch a direct connection to that computer? No need to dig through the Start menu to find the icon, or type in the name or IP address of the computer. Creating a shortcut like this is a quick and convenient way to access the ReminderPro computer.

What you do is right click on your desktop, and go to New > Shortcut. In the Type the location of the item field, type something like:

%SystemRoot%\system32\mstsc.exe /v: computer_name_or_ip

Or, for example:

%SystemRoot%\system32\mstsc.exe /v: rpws-1

When you complete the wizard and save the shortcut, you can double click it and launch the remote connection. The next window that appears should be the login prompt for that computer. Handy, huh?

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