Convert a seven-day clinic

The best time to convert data from a practice managment system to Bp Premier is outside business hours, which presents a challenge to 7-day clinics. Running a conversion on a live system while your practice is operational can cause the conversion to fail or the system to run very slowly. You also can’t enter data into the live system during conversion.

Seven-day clinic conversions require extra planning to manage patient data. Best Practice Software can talk to you and your IT staff about the options presented below and tailor a plan to suit your practice.

Planning the conversion

Plan to run the conversion on the least busiest day or days of the week.

Read the Conversion Guide for the software you are converting to understand the overall process and requirements.

Choose a method for recording patient notes during the conversion period:

1. Manually record patient notes. This is the easiest option to follow. It requires less work after conversion, but doctors have to use a manual system for 1–2 days.
2. Set up an empty copy of your existing software package to record patient notes. You will be able to continue keeping electronic records. Best Practice Software will be unable to help set up your existing software package.
3. Run the conversion on a test server and record notes on a live server. This is the preferred option; Best Practice Software can help install Bp Premier.

Conduct a trial conversion at least 2 weeks before the live conversion.

Installing Bp Premier

1. Install the Bp Premier server on the live server and a test server
2. Install a Bp Premier client on all users' workstations
3. Test connection to the samples database (do this on a live server if choosing option 3 below)

Option 1: Manually record patient notes

During the conversion period:

• Manually record patients' notes
• Provide a separate server with the current software data so doctors can reference patients' notes (if deemed required)
• Turn off the importing of results into your current software
• Turn off the linking to any third-party billing packages (if you use the package during the conversion period, note any new patients and enter their details when the linking is set up again).

Perform the Live conversion on either the live server or a test server.

After successful conversion:

1. Carefully check ALL data before going live.
2. Set up the system ready for Go Live (linking to third-party billing package, results importing, permissions, etc.) See Set up the management module and Set up the clinical module for more information.
3. If new patients were entered over the conversion period, edit their details in the third-party billing package and save. This records their details to the patients.in file (used by Bp Premier to transfer patient data from third-party billing packages) and imports them into Bp Premier.
4. Have someone enter the manual notes into Bp Premier or scan in the doctor's manual notes.

Option 2: Use an empty copy of your existing software to record patient notes

During the conversion period:

• Set up an empty copy of your existing software package on a test server and use this for entering patient notes
• Provide a separate server with the current data so doctors can reference patients' notes (if deemed required)
• Turn off the importing of results into your existing software package
• Turn off the linking to your any third-party billing packages (if you use the package during the conversion period, note any new patients and enter their details when the linking is set up again).

Perform the Live conversion on either the live server or a test server.

After successful conversion:

1. Carefully check ALL data before going live.
2. Set up the system ready for Go Live (linking to Pracsoft, results importing, permissions, etc.). See Set up the management module and Set up the clinical module for more information.
3. If new patients were entered over the conversion period, edit their details in the third-party billing package and save. This records their details to the patients.in file (used by Bp Premier to transfer patient data from third-party billing packages) and imports them into Bp Premier.
4. For any patients seen over the conversion period, export (as XML) their Patient records from the empty dataset and import these records into Bp Premier.
5. Merge the imported patient records with the patient records converted from Bp Premier.
6. Select the converted patient first, otherwise the link to Bp Premier will be lost.

Option 3: Run the conversion on a test server and record notes on the live server

During the conversion period:

• Use the live server for entering patient notes
• Turn off the importing of results into your existing software package
• Turn off the linking to the third-party billing package (if you use the package during the conversion period, note any new patients and enter their details when linking is set up again)

Perform the Live conversion on the Test server.

After successful conversion:

1. Back up the Test server.
2. Carefully check ALL data.
3. For any patients seen over the conversion period, export their Patient records (as XML) from the Live server dataset and store the patient records in a private, secure location.
4. Back up the Live server.
5. Restore the backup from the Test server to the Live Server.
6. Set up the system ready for Go Live (linking to third-party billing package, results importing, permissions, etc.). See Set up the management module and Set up the clinical module for more information.
7. Import the exported XML records into Bp Premier.
8. If new patients were entered over the conversion period, edit their details in the third-party billing package and save. This records their details to the patients.in file (used by Bp Premier to transfer patient data from third-party billing packages) and then imports them into Bp Premier
9. Merge the imported patient records:
   • for existing patients: with the records converted from Bp Premier
   • for new patients: with the records from the third-party billing package

   NOTE  Select the converted or third-party billing package patient first, otherwise the link to Bp Premier will be lost.

10. Turn off the instance to the test server so no one can accidentally link to it.