CrystalSolutions & SoulTrader FAQ & Forum

hi H u don't want much do you 

there are many ways to skin cats so the following is my first take on your questions...
will send more later but for now...

ok
1/
accounts

the way we do it...

when i evolved this software it was important not to reinvent the wheel - thus there was no requirement for me to invent an accounting package, but the software my accountant used (and wanted from me to keep my accountancy costs to a minimum) was un wieldy time consuming for everyday accounts...

to that end i designed this software to assemble my figures for input into  the software package - in this case Sage...

i am just doing my accounts at present so i'll give you a rundown..

i go to Accounts and do a Find for the time period i require - gets a global figure - use it for rough checking later --

then either

a/ 'modify' the Find to just compute 'cash' ---- choose list view/ print layout  --and then print out the result, repeat and this time  'modify' the Find to just compute 'cheque' ---choose list view/ print layout  and then print out the result. (repeat if necessary for credit card or 'trade' or ''unpaid' etc )

you then have 2 totals to input to your account package or accountant, one cash and one cheque (and the required hard copy details of who has been treated and when.)

or b/ as we do

similiar to above but i print out the cash and cheque totals for each month of the year and input 12 month period figures for cash and 12 for cheque into Sage, and give the accountant 24 sheets of paper with the totals on each......


this can be done in less than an hour and has saved me a lot of time over the years, as account packages such as Sage are horrible to input individual treatments - better to input a month figure for cash and one for bank

(clear as mud? -- if  u wanted this is something i can guide you through on Skype)

ok 2/

much more complicated and from experience destined for problems if you try syncing iphones and different computers all of which take bookings.... more later

if you really want 'booking on line' i would recommend a a site which you on your phone or computer can access, or indeed your patients with the necessary permissions, but at least it would be one booking centre, only capable of one booking at a time ... the danger of syncing is that someone has put in a reservation just as you are starting/finishing your sync or that one careless 'syncing' in the wrong direction -- messes you up

the one site - log in and book - or view your bookings is fine and there are solutions out there who charge monthly for the privilege - an australian outfit comes to mind...

my experience with that is it is expensive...(as indeed is really what you are asking for here - for something that  can really be sync'd with  confidence)

i can provide a system perhaps for about a £100 a year, but it would be best separate from the crystalsolutions database, i could allow syncing, and even webserve crystalsolutions but i would advise against this for many reasons - mainly because of the sensitivity of the data and the cost and complexity. - ie "it has to be on the web" and i would recommend a solution where your patients join the practice site and enroll with a nickname if they  want anonymity. -- you would have to still input the names and treatment account and diagnosis details into crystalsolutions at the end of the day (the way we recommend you use it if you are busy and don't have a PA  or colleague who is  allowed access to patient notes......but it would allow bookings to be made and viewed from anywhere, without problems --- that is until the server goes down -- your power goes off etc which is all to prevalent from san francisco to sheffield these days -- be warned - how would you then make a booking? or be able to view your diary?

the beauty of CrystalSolutions is its stabllity - we as group have had had versions running for over 10 years with no trouble, but  syncing data is perilous and for example -- i sync my laptop crystalsolutions with my desktop crystalsolutions - a database of thousands of patients i have seen these past 21 years,.

all is well if i am consistently syncing one way  - say laptop to desktop - i use a program that chooses the last modified file and syncs it - takes less than a minute. Problems can occur though if you have maybe added a patient to one solution - ie it is the newest up to date file, but then access the other to view a phone number or something - it becomes the last modified, but it is not in reality the most up to date, as it hasn't got that newly added patient.

if you are careful, it can be ok, and i can give you the name of the software if you use a mac.....

real time booking solutions are a speciality of a good friend of mine who provides booking for large leisure complexes that are often networked, and they work well but they do not come cheap and i think they are unnecessary for the majority of alternative practices...


a diary and a pencil is your best friend believe me!! but folks do use our software for booking and i do provide online booking capability for property rental and could provide you with something if you were interested, --- have a look at our FAQ http://www.soul-trade.com/CSForum/calendar.html;a=calendar for example - look at the Calendar - top menu  -- it is on this that my online booking systems for rentals are based...also it can be linked to a patient forum and your website quite easily..

but then again -- ask yourself do you want your patients booking in when they want - yes maybe - but will they cancel that booking if they make another?

there are many considerations to be made (ie ideally if a patient logs in - are they auto reminded that they have an impending booking - which they may or may not cancel before making another...


ok

on to the iphone...

our software can certainly be  synced with the iphone - ive done it, but  only for the basic patient details; name address and phones ---

it can be synced via ical on a mac, but it means that all your patients are on your iphone - as a pre designated group.

but what /how does this really help? - yes if the booking is an online system -


a lot of modern technology can be used together - but is it necessary and indeed more efficient ?
in many cases it is a distraction and a time waster for sure, offering very little advantage to patient and practitioner alike ...

our free to use and try software is useful for keeping real details of patients, their diagnosis and treatment, it allows for subsequent audit and indeed our future release is offering more with  patient feedback if required. at £68 it is good value and can manage multiple room/practitioner booking but if you wanted an online booking system then you would have to pay considerably more.

we may be able to help you with a solution if you still wish to travel that route..

and indeed if you have found other software that you feel can achieve your needs at a reasonable price - please let us know as we would be very interested - and could perhaps give you some pointers to possible problems -- i am an optimist by nature, but software design necessitates seeing all the possible bad input and effects..

if your solution is web based - is it backed up / how secure etc
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compare the above to a diary booking system - there can only be one -- trust me - we have many of us tried to co-ordinate more than one copy -- but it is fraught with problems.

similarly the electronic booking system ---

some crystalsolution users do though co-ordinate paper diary and software to good effect, and they use it in differing ways; some in a clinic environment, prepare the day's bookings and print out a sheet for each practitioner/treatment room....

but most receptionists prefer to take bookings 'live' with a paper diary and a pencil - with a rubber!

the iphone can take that patient call - and you can get back to them with a booking time if you haven't got the diary to hand, or you can get them to ring your reception....

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i like the look of the booking system you have attached, and as i said above there are various flavours out there, some more suitable than others...

ok these are my first thoughts .and i hope you can find a solution that suits you.
do let me know how you get on..

you can also combine solutions, so let me know if you need to know anything further

regards

j

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ps we can serve the whole crystalsolutions programme online, including calendar online - with patients only being able to access the calendar, and practitioners and receptionists having higher access, but it is only feasible for very large busy clinics and  we would charge in excess of 200£ a year for such, with a minimum 3 year contract.