Tech Talk

Tech Talk - Lawson Update

2008-11-19T17:27:00Z

Jamie: I hear the Lawson project is making great progress. Can you update me on what is being done?

George: The Lawson project kicked-off on September 9^th. Since then the project team has been going through extensive training.

Jamie: There is already training on how we will use the software?

George: No, training on how the software functions so the project team can begin exploring how best to configure it to meet our business needs.

Jamie: Who is determining our business needs?

George: The project team is responsible for gathering their department’s business needs and the needs of the customers they support. Each functional team (i.e.-Finance, Materials Management, and Human Resources) has formed an Advisory Group. The Advisory groups are comprised of a cross-functional group of representatives from multiple facilities and functions from across the Community hospital system. The role of the Advisory Groups is to provide input on their business needs and to review recommendations by the project team for their areas.

Jamie: Interesting. My kids act and function like an Advisory Group as they collectively discuss their business needs with me (mainly regarding allowance policies).

George: (Ignoring Jamie)...As the project team continues to progress through the implementation we will update you on the project status and Advisory Group activities. Did you happen to see the videos from the Project Sponsors, Steve, Debbie, Ginny, and Tony talking about the Lawson project?

Jamie: No. Are these videos on YouTube?

George: No, but they are still viewable from the Forum. Just click on the Video Library tab, enter Lawson into the Search box and click Search.

Jamie: Thanks for the update. Let me know if you would like me to participate in one of the Advisory Groups.

George: Sigh.

Tech Talk- When Can I See a Model of Epic?

2008-11-10T18:41:00Z

George- "Now that we are in the middle of testing the new Epic system with our subject matter experts, how long will it be before all staff can see Epic in action?"

Jamie: "Not long"

George: "What does that mean?"

Jamie: "Soon."

George: Grrrrrrrr..."How soon is soon"

Jamie: "Now."

George: "Why didn't you just say that earlier?"

Jamie: If I had said "Now" at the start it wouldn't have been very entertaining.

George: Sigh...How do I see it?

Jamie: Go to Community Forum....click on Learning Opportunities and Epic Training Portal. You will have access to training modules that give an overview of model Epic builds for some of the modules we will be bringing live in our first stage next summer. These are not Community's final versions but they will give you an idea of what we will be using...soon.

George: Thanks for the information (finally)

Jamie: Later.

Tech Talk - Is that my new PC?

2008-10-22T18:47:00Z

Jamie: So George, I hear we are replacing over 900 PCs this fiscal year.

George: We sure are! It's important to keep Community's PC infrastructure up to date and this year's replacements are a great step.

Jamie: I'd like a new PC, how can I tell when mine will be replaced?

George: That's a good question Jamie!

Jamie: Thanks! I always get in one good question a week...

George: Moving on... Check out the Help Desk website where we have published a Replacement Schedule to give folks an idea of when we'll be doing replacements in their department. You'll also find an excellent FAQ document to answer many of the common questions we receive about replacements.

Jamie: I only have one concern.

George: I can only imagine......

Jamie: Will you be the one who installs my PC?

George: sigh.

Tech Talk- Testing, Testing, 1-2-3 Testing

2008-10-06T22:57:00Z

George: So I see our CIS staff and other hospital staff writing and studying their scripts...

Jamie: Yes.

George: Is there a stage production going on that you haven't told me about?

Jamie: Nope.

George: Can you reply in something other than a monosyllabic response?

Jamie: Yes.

George: (grumble) So what are these scripts all about?

Jamie: Testing.

George: TESTING FOR WHAT !!!!!

Jamie: Epic.

George: I didn' t think the first go-live for Epic was until next summer?

Jamie: Right.

George: Why are we testing now?

Jamie: Because.

George: BECAUSE WHY?????

Jamie: Safety.Quality.Satisfaction. Financial-performance.

George: Gotcha...that's two words.

Jamie: Nope

George: How do you figure?

Jamie: Hyphenated

George: "Financial Performance" is not a hyphenated word !!!

Jamie: Fine.

George: So we have started the first of many tests of the Epic applications to ensure that our desired workflows to support the overall goals of our implementation work according to our intended design to enable effective training and a successful go-live?

Jamie: Yes.

George: WHY DID YOU MAKE ME GO TO SUCH LENGTHS TO GET THIS UPDATE OUT OF YOU ??????

Jamie: I was just testing you.

George: (to himself: and I thought the Biden/Palin debate was tough!)

Tech Talk - Printers Have a Web Page?

2008-10-06T15:00:00Z

Jamie: You know what George?

George: Yes, I know what, but how can I help you?

Jamie: The other day I wanted to print a document to a different printer than I normally use and I couldn't figure out how.

George: Did you go to the Printers Page?

Jamie: Printers Page? What on earth is that?

George: It's the fastest way to add printers in the entire universe!

Jamie: Faster than Windows' Add a Printer?

George: A thousand times faster! Plus the Windows Add a Printer won't work in our environment because we use a print server, but I digress... To get to the Printers Page, just open Internet Explorer and type "printers" in the address bar.

Jamie: That's it?

George: Yes - well, mostly. Once you get there, you need to find the printer you would like to add. There are two ways to do that. First, if the printer is near you, just click the "Find Closest Printers" button and it will return a list of printers in your area (based on the PC that you are using). Find the printer you want in the list and click on the printer name. A new window will open and under "Printer Actions" in the left menu, select "Connect w/Permissions". The printer will then be added to your PC and available for you to use!

Jamie: I am impressed with your knowledge in this arena George...is there a button I can click for "Find Closest Chief Technology Officer" so you can do this for me?

George: sigh.

Tech Talk- Now that I upgraded to Office 2007.....

2008-09-22T15:04:00Z

Jamie: OK, Mr. Vasquez...I've completed the upgrade to Office 2007, but when I try to use Word or Excel I am still getting the 2003 versions, why?

George: We intentionally left Office 2003 functional on all computers for a short time, as a safety net while everyone gets used to the new look and feel of Office 2007. Because of that, your existing shortcuts are still pointed to Office 2003. Visit the Help Desk website’s Office 2007 Upgrade Quick Reference Guide page for instructions on how to edit your existing shortcuts to launch 2007.

Jamie: I can’t figure out how to find some of the common functions that I used in Excel 2003 in the 2007 version, help!

George: Check out the interactive guides from Microsoft on the Help Desk website’s Office 2007 tutorials page. Note that you will need internet access to use the guides! You can just click on what you want to do in Excel 2003 and the guide will show you how to do the same thing in 2007. Guides are available for all the Office applications, not just Excel! Thanks to our top notch Help Desk for discovering this great feature!

Jamie: You are a pretty savvy guy!

George: That's because we have a pretty savvy Help Desk...

Jamie: After my upgrade, I am getting prompted to install Instant Search, what should I do?

George: Instant Search should not be installed. Instead, please check the box to not show the message again and close the window. If the message persists, please contact the Help Desk. As part of the installation, this is set to be disabled, but we have noticed a few customers are still getting prompted.

Jamie: Is it true that all computers with Office 2007 will now have Microsoft Publisher? Will there be a cost?

George: Yes! It’s true, and there’s no charge to your department. As part of CMC’s enterprise agreement with Microsoft, CIS is now able to provide Publisher on all computers that already have Office.

Jamie: One last question...

George: sigh.

Jamie: Ever since I upgraded to Office 2007, the Access databases I use don’t seem to work, what’s up?

George: Access 2007 has some stringent...

Jamie: Stringent?

George: Access 2007 has some rigorous...

Jamie: Rigorous?

George: Access 2007 has some rigid security features that we can’t suppress and, as a result, macros and other database functions are disabled when you open the database.

Jamie: What's your advice on this one Mr. Savvy....

George: Look for a “security warning” bar near the top of database window and click on the Options button and then Enable. The database will work fine for the rest of that session. At this time we have not found a way to get around these security features, and it will happen each time you open a database.

Jamie: Database?

George: ....have you ever considered calling the Help Desk?

Jamie: Now, more than ever.

George: Sigh.

Tech Talk- My Microsoft Office is Changing?

2008-09-11T14:51:00Z

Jamie: I overheard that you are in an upgrade mode again...

George: You must be referring to our organization-wide move to Office 2007

Jamie: That too....I was actually noticing some new neckware you have been sporting. So what is the goal of this upgrade?

George: To have my ties actually coordinate with my shirts?

Jamie: No, what is the goal of upgrading to Office 2007?

George: We have access to the latest Microsoft Office capabilities through our enterprise license. For ongoing support from Microsoft and to achieve the latest in integration capabilities for all of the Microsoft products, it now makes good sense to upgrade.

Jamie: I was sent a document in Office 2007 format the other day, but I don’t have 2007 yet and can’t open it, what should I do?

George: Just ask the sender to “save as” 2003 and resend it to you

Jamie: If I haven't gone to class yet, is it possible to upgrade to Office 2007 before I do?

George: Yes, just contact the Help Desk with the asset tag of your computer to request the upgrade.

Jamie: Can I view the handouts from the classes electronically?

George: Yes, just visit the Help Desk website and look for the special Office 2007 section or click HERE

Jamie: These are busy days and weeks, why are we doing this upgrade now?

George: With big technology projects like Epic and Lawson on CMC’s plate, it’s only going to get busier. So we are trying to get this upgrade completed and out of the way so that everyone can focus on these large initiatives!

Tech Talk: So What Will We See First?

2008-09-09T21:19:00Z

Jamie: Are you ready for the what?

George: What?

Jamie: What we are going to do first?

George: When?

Jamie: First.

George: What?

Jamie: That is what I want to tell you.

George: That took longer than it should have.

Jamie: Hopefully you won't say that when we are done with the first stage...

George: Which is?

Jamie: "The foundation stage"

George: I think my grandfather used to ride that....

Jamie: Sigh....We will be laying the foundation for the next clinical stages over the coming months

George: How will we do that?

Jamie: By converting our current billing, registration, ADT, scheduling (including surgery), general financials, human resources, payroll, materials management and emergency department tracking and triage to their counterpart systems in Epic and Lawson.

George: That sounds like a lot for a stage....

Jamie: We are making sure that we have enough input (100+ staff in addition to our Corporate Information Systems staff) to help this stage be successful.

George: How far along are we with Epic?

Jamie: We started Epic in January and we are aiming to be done with this stage next summer. How about with Lawson?

George: We had the formal project kickoff this week and we are headed for an October 1, 2009 go live.

Jamie: Let's talk about the major steps the next time we check in.