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Eric Lessard — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:07:48 GMT

Hi,

I read your post "How to get rich quick." I agree with your explanation of why it is impossible for a doctor, who has a practice to run, to fully investigate the dozens of EMR vendors out there before making a decision.

I see this as an opportunity for me. I can spend the time necessary to research the products, then share my knowledge with many doctors. It will be more efficient for many doctors to benefit from my effort, than to force each doctor to research this complex (and deception-filled) industry on their own. I intend to sell and service EMR software, and I hope that my approach helps me find success.

I am in the research phase right now, looking for an EMR that I can believe in and recommend in good faith. I am intrigued by Praxis, as they seem to have a unique approach. Would you be able to give me any feedback or comment about this product? If not, do you know anyone who currently uses it?

Thank your for your time.

Eric Lessard

e-MDs Web EMR

JoeSoftware — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:21:17 GMT

Some history on the project:

In the summer of 2007 e-MDs started looking at moving their entire platform to C#/.Net using WPF. At that time they did have some web projects, but not the EMR Web Chart thingy from what I understand. They actually contracted a firm to do extensive designs for this new *desktop* based system. I was told by someone at that company that e-MDs spent nearly $2 million on design with them. It is my understanding they had also hired on some non-Delphi programmers - .Net and ASP.Net people to work on this and other new projects. At the same time some new management was pushing for a web based solution. The owner (Dr. Winn) was having health issues and really wasn't running the company so various VPs and the like were pulling priorities and projects in several, often conflicting, directions. I am not sure when the new president came in, Dr. Stearns, but it was during this time. And I am not sure how clear his authority has ever really been.

The web based charting project was started perhaps in the fall of 2007? I don't have all the dates. It was to be built on top of some of the work they were doing for their .Net desktop effort. They planned on utilizing some of the same data base changes, the same C# logic they were writing for their desktop migration. In early 2008 e-MDs laid off a number of programmers. It is my understanding they basically laid off all the most expensive programmers they could to deal with the economic climate. This seems like it was the .Net people. I say this because I think they kept many of their old hands that had worked there for years and were probably experts in the old desktop Delphi stuff. I could be wrong - perhaps some of these people were laid off as well. If you think about this it makes sense if they needed to stop the bleeding yet still support the product in the field that is actually making money. There were also sweeping layoffs throughout other departments. I think the developer layoffs were first, but this is just from what I know.

In any case, they basically got rid of all of the developers that were familiar with the web EMR Web project and the software upon which it was being built. At the time this occurred (spring 2008) I believed they were gearing up for summer beta trials, and planned to have the product released in the fall. This was behind schedule already from what I understood.

After the layoffs they brought in a new development manager firing their long-time CTO, and he brought in a couple of people he knew to do the development. At this point I am not sure exactly what happened, because a lot of people at e-MDs with which I was familiar had either been laid off or left on their own accord during/after all the layoffs. So it has been a bit of a mess up at e-MDs business-wise. A contact told me that today was the last day for the *new* guy they brought in to get the new web EMR and other project done, and none of those things are actually done. It sounds like there has been a lot of brain-drain at the company with many of the software developers that knew the software having left, and the rest are demoralized or are contractors just maintaining the project.

I would not expect a web EMR charting solution from e-MDs anytime soon though I did learn today they are actually still working on it. Its really too bad, because if they had just chosen a path and committed, and made a commitment to a lot of talented people that have now left, they would probably have a great product on the market.

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e-MDs Web EMR