Re: AcerMed *WHY* discussions ...

What is the scoop about *WHY* Acermed couldn't cut it ?

Poor Sales ?  Couldn't afford to paying off Mark Anderson's AC GROUP any longer ?   Anyone ?

It was not too long ago they created their own in-house EMR and I am guessing that supporting 2 EMRs with different data bases probably didn't help matters much.  I remember the press releases that came out when they introduced their own product, separate from being a VAR.  I'm sure the support for both systems was probably not an easy transition and a bit costly. 

Being a VAR is completely different then being a software manufacture.  Software Manufacture has to be able to manage developers, timelines and resources to get to a end engineered product.  It takes many steps as the product enters different lifecycles.  Being a VAR requires supporting another companies engineered product to meet your customers needs, without control of the product.

Acermed I am sure saw a opportunity to make this transition from one to the other.  it is difficult because in many cases the software manufacture is also the VAR because of the nature of this vertical market.

It can be very difficult to not only report a bug or issue but also have to fix it.

I believe in the case of ACERMED they had the resources to make the initial transition, but cash is not something you can easily manufacture.  On the flip side they could come out of this or emerge from a new corporation that buys them out or funds them.

Its never over till it truly is over, when it is hopefully the consumer has a good working product to show for it (Ref:  Delorean Great Car, to bad about the whole arrest thingy).

My thoughts and best wishes for all in this unfortunate situation.

AcerMed is about 45 minutes from me. I just got off the phone with AcerMed after pressing the sales button. They have "Scaled Down," according to the gal I spoke with.  She became a little defense, and justifiably, when I told her about doctors discussing/wondering about the AcerMed demise on www.emrupdate.com. For what it is worth, she reiterated they are NOT going out of business.

 

When are you going to stop these liable comments?   Acermed issues have nothing to do with AC Group.  These kind of stupid comments show how unknowledgeable you really are.   This is why we usually do not participate in this site.   Individuals can claim anytime with no fear of anyone stopping them form posting lies.   When is this going to stop?

This site has numerous misquotes and lies, mostly from other vendors who are trying to hurt their competition.   Lets get the facts out before creating more rumors.   To make this site valuable, we need facts - not a much of lies.

Mr. Anderson, I completely agree that lies and deceit benefit no one, here or anywhere else. I, for one, will state nothing but facts that I can back up anytime, anywhere.

 Well Acermed might not be dead but they are out of the running of being a long term viable business. This is not unusual. Look at any list of the available EMRs from even two years ago and you will see maybe 40% are no longer around. Also many that still call themselves "in business" are really just servicing existing customers (for the support fees and the odd sales lead) Still others still have web-sites and phone numbers but they really are just "parking" their investment.

The number of EMRs spending on marketing has gone down, the vendors with other revenue streams are still advertising but how long this lasts is a question mark as well. Basically there are too many vendors with products almost the same (the curse of standards, but thats another story)

At Medscribbler, a EMR that is different because it is designed for handwriting, we just hired another programmer (for continued development), are in the middle of an expensive upgrade to our website and are preparing a new major marketing campaign.   

markanderson:

This site has numerous misquotes and lies, mostly from other vendors who are trying to hurt their competition.   Lets get the facts out before creating more rumors.   To make this site valuable, we need facts - not a much of lies.

Mark, when you make your EMR evaluations transparent, no one will question the results.  When an EMR that you highly rated goes belly up a few months after your positive rating, and you say you take into account financial viability of the company, people will wonder how good your ratings are.

That is a problem with this site. It is easy to say things you cannot backup. Still I would be interested to know.

 1. Where any payments made from Acermed to AC Group?

 2. Was Acermed a customer of AC Group?

  3. Is part of the AC Groups evaluation a financial strength evaluation? If so how did Acermed do?

4. As the result of Acermed "going down" will AC Groups change anything about the evaluation process?
 

I think the best defense against slander might be honesty.

-FT
 

 

 

 

Effective July 17, 2007, AcerMed scaled down its operations while exploring its options to recapitalize and reorganize the company.  In an effort to secure the best results for AcerMed and all of its clients, AcerMed has retained the services of a professional organization specializing in strategic and financial solutions in healthcare information technology.  Meanwhile, AcerMed continues to service and support its valued clients on a limited basis.“  

 For the record, I have no direct proof that AcerMed paid off Mark Anderson.  If an EMR rated highly by Mark Anderson goes "Belly up" overnight and leaves many physicians and patients in the lurch, people should draw their own conclusions.

A little birdie told me some inside information (after my post), but I'll leave the discretion of disclosure up to her/him.

 

I think Mark has a point. I just don't get the whole witch-hunt mentality. EMR's are still a new emerging market. It seems there's one that goes out of business or gets acquired every week. It's nothing new. PenChart was originally made by a doc who sold it to PfizerHealthsolutions who then created Amicore (along with M$ and IBM), which was then acquired my Misys. It'll prolly go through another 2 other companies in the next 5 years. I'm still using the same old PenChart as before, along with the same reliable service and support as ever.

The point is, why the sudden jump to conclusion that a company is going "out of business"? Why is there a tone of self-satisfation in these posts? It almost sounds like somehow the thinning of the herd helps one's cause.

Maybe it's a TEAM mentality? Maybe when you start using an EMR, you feel like you are oblidged to have some allegiance and loyalty? It would certinly explain the existence of the Praxite. Lemme see, who else had a "TEAM ______" banner going for a while? I can't recall. Was it TEAM DENDRITE? No, it sounded something like TEAM SYNVISC, or SANYO or SAMSUNG, something like that.

The reason to frankly discuss EMR Vendor problems is because the industry is so volatile and it's patients and doctors that get hurt.

I wouldn't want to be an AcerMed customer.