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Recommended Hardware
and Supplementary Software
for use with
PCArchiver and PCEncounter.
Our suggestions (and preferred pricing) below.
System Requirements:
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PCArchiver10/Scan9/Scan10 runs on 32-bit Windows computers. PCArchiver12/Scan12 runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows computers. Click HERE for a comparison of version 10 and version 12.
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Neither PCArchiver10 or PCArchiver12 run on Macs, but do run on Macs using a PC-Windows operating system under dual OS software, such as Parallels.
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The software runs in Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:
To use PCArchiver, you will need:
- A high-speed (at least 25 ppm) scanner which must be TWAIN complaint (about $1,000; see below for Recommendations). NOTE: For the FREE TRIAL, you do not need to own the scanner yet.
- PCs running Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7 on 32-bit (PCArchiver10 or PCArchiver12) or 64-bit (PCArchiver12 only) Windows computers.
- Reliable and redundant backup with at least one copy offsite or on the web. Click here for suggestions on storage and backup . We advise letting a professional IT consultant do the backup setup, which is usually a one-time event. NOTE: PCArchiver, Inc. is not responsible for backup of data. We offer suggestions, but depend on the prudent user to have reliable, redundant, automatic, and off-site as well as on-site backups. Computers WILL crash, get stolen, burn up, or erased by staff. Get local professional advice and test the system on occasion.
our recommendations
We continually test new hardware and software to enable or improve your experience running PCArchiver and/or PCEncounter. Certain products stand out from the rest as most compatible. Others we have found do not work as well. This page contains those recommendations.
In some cases, because of our recommendations, suppliers of these products offer our customers preferred pricing and a direct ordering process. As a convenience, we offer you these opportunities on the Price and Purchase page. You are welcome to buy these tools elsewhere, but we think you'll find these prices better and the process simpler.
You are also welcome to purchase different products than those we recommend. If you do not see particular products mentioned below, you may wish to contact the Support Desk before purchase to find out if we have any experience with these products and how well they work with this software.
PCArchiver provides these recommendations as an aid to our customers. We do not take responsibility for their delivery or performance. As with any such purchase, we suggest that you evaluate the options yourself and decide which products sound best to you.
Scroll down for recommendations on:
scanner recommendations (and cautions!)
To scan patient charts into your computer, you must own a high-volume, TWAIN compliant scanner with an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) able to scan at least 25 pages/minute, with duplexing capabilities.
| WE RECOMMEND: |
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Our first choice: Allows both single and double-sided scanning at 24-35 pages/minute, has a 120-150 page ADF, detects if 2 pages are stuck together, accommodates paper sizes down to 2.1 x 2.9 in, and can automatically detect and discard blank pages. |
For pricing and purchase, go tothe Price and Purchase page. |
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This is a faster scanner than the KV-S2028C, and comes with all the same features. It scans at 65 pages a minute and has a 300 page ADF, appropriate for record rooms and large practices. |
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| MORE SCANNERS TO CONSIDER: |
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40 ppm but holds only 50 pages in its ADF. The feeder holds pages vertically, not as easy to use as the Panasonic KV-S2028C. |
List price is $1,299. |
Panasonic KV-S1020 to KV-S1045 |
25-40 ppm and slightly less expensive than the KV-S2028C, but holds page verically and only half the number of the KV-S2028C. The daily duty cycle is less than the KV-S2028C. |
List price is $949 (KV-S1020C), and $1,299 (KV-S1045C) |
| FOR THIS PURPOSE, WE RECOMMEND AGAINST: |
Fujitsu 15C |
Runs slow with Windows XP |
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Fujitsu ScanSnap |
Not TWAIN compliant |
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Visioneer scanners |
Do not seem to hold up in an office setting |
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Kodak scanners
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Use NON-standard Twain drivers and do not allow all the features of PCArchiver |
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Bell & Howell scanners |
Use NON-standard Twain drivers and do not allow all the features of PCArchiver |
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Flatbed scanners |
Flatbed versions of these scanners are available, such as the Fujitsu fi-5220C, but the cost difference is not justified as a flatbed is rarely needed. If you want a flatbed for books, buy a $99 scanner from Office Depot/Staples. |
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SUPPLEMENTARY SOFTWARE:
Handy options you may find useful include AppendTIFF, Markup Tool, and the ZAN Printer. Please review details on the Price and Purchase page.
DATA STORAGE:
Good news: You're probably all set!
Happily, the capacity of your present hard drive system is nearly always adequate for your scanned records. The typical hard drive (HD) is at least 250 Gbytes in size. Most large medical billing systems take up 5 Gbytes. Images created by PCArchiver are stored as tif files, an industry standard and more universal in EMRs than pdfs. Each Gbyte of HD space holds 100,000 pages (tif images). Thus, 1 million pages are stored in about 10 Gbytes. Clearly, sufficient HD storage space is NOT going to be a problem.
DATA BACKUP HARDWARE AND SERVICES:
If your office does computerized billing, you probably already have a reliable backup system in place. Patient chart data saved by PCArchiver on the server are simply backed up at the same time that the billing system is backed up, using your existing software. You're set! NOTE: PCArchiver, Inc. is not responsible for backup of data. We offer suggestions, but depend on the prudent user to have reliable, redundant, automatic, and off-site as well as on-site backups. Computers WILL crash, get stolen, burn up, or erased by staff. Get local professional advice and test the system on occasion.
If you do need to add backup, you'll need backup software. In most cases, free software will come with your backup hardware. If not:
WE RECOMMEND: BACKUP SOFTWARE
Purchase a $30, easy-to-use software we like, SyncBackSE, that synchronizes files on your external and internal hard drives. It does not require that unchanged files be backed up each time, and can be set to process your files in the middle of the night. |
Where to store your backups? Every installation must have multiple backups, including off-site or web-based storage, for all your data.
The best places to backup large amounts of data are either an external hard drive or a tape backup system. These are far better than CD-ROMs, DVDs, or Zip drives because they are more reliable and can be run unattended. See our FAQs on this subject. Both external hard drives and tape drives have enough capacity (160-250 GB for the HD and 24 GB for the tape drive are typical) that full and unattended backups can go on at night without the need for someone around to change disks. Alternatively, you can also consider web-based storage.
WE RECOMMEND: EXTERNAL, PORTABLE HARD DRIVES
The easiest, most economical way to backup PCArchiver files--and everything else on your computer, including your billing system--calls for at least two external, portable hard drives (4 are even better). You simply rotate the hard drives every week, and keep last week's backup in your briefcase or purse.
SInce storage space for PCArchiver is efficient, small offices can backup the image files and the database on simple flashdrives. Buy 4, along with software to synch the computer and the flashdrive for less than $100. For details, click HERE. |
| WE RECOMMEND: WEB-BASED BACKUP
Although we recommend portable hard drives (minimum of 2) as primary backup for data, web-based backup provides an additional secure backup method for patient charts and other records. Web-based backup prevents loss of data from a major office disaster, such as a fire or flood, that destroys your on-site computers and backup. It cannot be your primary backup system, however. Saving and recovering data from the web takes several hours or even days. After reviewing all options for web-based backup systems, our preference:
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Carbonite encrypts all data, only you have access, and recovery is easy.
See the How-To Geek daily newsletter for a recent review of Carbonite. |
Unlimited storage for $54.95/year.
Click to Purchase. |
Want to find out more? Click on any of the following:
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