Converting from other software with no conversion utility

There are a number of third party clinical packages that require a manual conversion to transfer patient details to Bp Premier, including:

  • Monet
  • Surgiware
  • RXMedical
  • CSS
  • ZedMed
  • Compudoc.

Best Practice Software recommends carrying out a trial conversion from your old software at least two weeks prior to your proposed Go Live data.

Follow the instructions to convert data from another practice management software. Read the checklist summary in Conversion Checklist before following the instructions.

Obtain update-to-date version of Bp Premier

Please check with General Products Support via phone on 1300 40 1111 or email bpconversions@bpsoftware.net. The latest version at present is Bp Premier - Saffron edition but it is recommend to confirm the version before proceeding.

NOTE  If an (old) previous installation of Best Practice is present on the server you should either upgrade to this latest version or uninstall completely and reinstall if the version is too old to upgrade.

Confirm the Hardware Requirements

Ensure all machines that will be required to run Bp Premier meet the hardware system requirements.

Confirm Hard Disk space Requirements

By default, Bp Premier program files and databases are installed to the C:\ drive. It is recommended that prior to GO LIVE that an estimate of the disk space requirements is made to ensure that there is sufficient space on the server on the C:\ drive to cater for:

  • Size of the Bp Premier databases (following the import of your clinical data)
  • Sufficient room for expansion of the databases due to normal operation.

If compressed backups are to be performed, there will need to be free space approximately twice the size of the Bp Premier databases to allow for temporary files to be created during the backup process (for example, 6 GB of databases will need approximately 18GB free space to perform compressed backups)

To check the size of the databases following the data import, check the size of the databases stored in the folders (these are the default locations – you may have installed your data to another folder during installation):

  • SQL Express 2008 Installations - C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.BPSINSTANCE\MSSQL\DATA
  • SQL Express 2008R2 Installations - C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.BPSINSTANCE\MSSQL\DATA
  • SQL Express 2012 Installations - C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.BPSINSTANCE\MSSQL\DATA
  • SQL Express 2014 Installations - C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.BPSINSTANCE\MSSQL\DATA

TIP   The full installation DVD of Bp Premier provides the ability to create your data in an alternate location.

Confirm software required for data migration

The procedure required to move your data without a utility requires a software printer. There are several options available for this and commonly available programs include:

  • Microsoft Office Document Image Writer or other image viewing software
  • Adobe Acrobat PDF writer
  • Cute PDF writer, a free PDF Software Printer.

Move your data across

There are two options for transferring your data to Bp Premier:

  • Write a database migration script unique to your installation
  • Transfer patient demographics to Bp Premier and transfer patient information as needed.

Option 1 - Write a database transfer utility or script

This option is not a process that Best Practice Software has input in and therefore it is the practice’s responsibility to ensure the data that’s converted by the 3rd party is accurate and complete. You may need an database administrator or IT technical resource to create a migration script for your installation.

Once these checks are complete, the practice should complete the Trial Conversion completion form (PDF) and fax to General Products Support on +61 7 4153 2093. Best Practice Software will then issue a 30 day key and invoice.

Option 2 - Perform a patients.in demographics transfer and transcribe patient information

IMPORTANT  As the processes requires interaction by staff other than Best Practice Software, any data that is lost during this procedure is the responsibility of the practice.

This process is performed in two parts. The first is to generate the list of patients and the second is to import the patient information.

NOTE  Items like prescriptions, outstanding pathology requests, reminders, actions and allergies will need to be entered again.

Import patient demographics

  1. Install Bp Premier as a Server
  2. On first opening Bp Premier, new practice details and a new user will need to be created
  3. Configure Bp Premier to link to an external billing package. See Link to a billing package for more information.
  4. In your existing clinical package, ensure that the patients that are active are the patients required for the transfer.
  5. From your existing clinical package, perform a bulk demographic export. This should create a file with the demographics of all of the currently active patients. The file must conform to the patients.in format (ASCII v2 or v3).
  6. Rename the file created in step 3 to patients.in.
  7. Copy this file into the location that Bp Premier is configured to find this file.
  8. Bp Premier will import this file and generate a list of patient demographics with empty clinical records
  9. Configure the Clinical and Management components of Bp Premier.
  10. Part of this setup should include a new document type, which can be added in Setup > Configuration > Lists. Click the Add button below the list and enter a new category for health summaries e.g. Converted Health Summary.

Copy clinical data across

  1. Ensure the printer settings in your existing package are set to use the software printer mentioned in the Prerequisites section above.
  2. For the process of printing a patient health summary or complete patient record from your existing package, consult their documentation and help files. Ensure that when this is being printed to your software printer, that you to save it in an accessible location.
  3. Once you have printed the health summary to a PDF or similar file you can now import this intoBp Premier.
  4. Open the patient record in Best Practice and click on the Patient Tree item for Correspondence In.
  5. Click the Add button and navigate to the file created from the software printer and open it.
  6. You will be prompted for the document information. Enter details relevant to the file.

This information will now be accessible from the patient’s Correspondence In. Each patient’s prescriptions, outstanding pathology requests, reminders, actions and allergies will need to be entered again.

TIP   It is worthwhile making a note against a patient record or inactivating them completely in your existing system once a patient has been exported so that you can see whether or not you need to produce an electronic summary for that patient.

TIP   The appointment book can be a useful tool in staying days or weeks ahead of what’s booked by doing the following day or week’s patients in advance.

As the process in this FAQ isn’t something that can be easily done for all patients at once, conversion will be a continuing process until all of the patients have been brought across. There will be no log files generated as part of this process. However, Best Practice Software need to be advised of your expected Go Live date and practice details so that a licence key and invoice can be generated.

Last updated 23 July 2020