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SCANNER: 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 the Panasonic KV-S2026C. This scanner (click for details) 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. A faster scanner, the Panasonic KV-S3065CL (click for details), has all the features of the KV-S2026C but scans at 65 pages a minute and has a 300 page ADF, appropriate for record rooms and large practices.
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KV-S2026C Panasonic scanner: You will be taken to Promark Technologies, Inc,, our scanner distributor for this model. You will be asked for contact information, but not for a credit card. A Promark agent will contact you to confirm the purchase, take payment information, and arrange delivery of the scanner. The price is $1,049 (list price $1,339), including shipping, handling, and no sales tax charged, except in CO, IL, MA, MD and WA. Or, you may order the scanner by clicking Order Form. |
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KV-S3065CL Panasonic scanner: This scanner comes from Promark Technologies, Inc. The price is $4,469 ( (list price $6,695) including shipping, handling, and no sales tax charged except in CO, IL, MA, MD and WA. Or, you may order the scanner by clicking Order Form.. |
The Fujitsu fi-5120C (click for details) is an alternative. However, it holds only 50 pages in its ADF. The Panasonic KV-S1020C and KV-S1020C are slightly less expensive than the KV-S2026C but also only hold 50 pages in their ADFs, and have a daily duty cycle of 1,000 pages, compared to 4,400 pages for the KV-S2026C.
WARNINGS: Do not buy the Fujitsu 15C as it runs slow with Windows XP. Do not buy the Fujitsu ScanSnap as it is not TWAIN compliant. Do not buy Visioneer scanners as they do not seem to hold up in an office setting. Do not buy Kodak or Bell & Howell scanners as both use NON-standard Twain drivers and do not allow all the features of PCArchiver.
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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Sit back and watch how SCAN9 works. |
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Sit back and watch how SCAN10 works. |
DESKTOP PC: PCArchiver runs on Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/Vista. It will NOT run on Macs. It will NOT run on 64-bit PCs.
TABLET PC: We continue to evaluate tablet PCs. Before purchase, please Email us for our present best recommendation, as models change rapidly.
HARD DRIVE: The capacity of your present system is nearly always adequate for
your scanned records. The typical hard drive (HD) is at least 60-80 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: Let's assume that every office with computerized billing already has 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.
The best methods to backup large amounts of data on-site 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 (60-120 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.
 Recommendation: 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. We recommend the 160 GB portable Imation Apollo drives. These units have a 3 year warranty and free support from the manufacturer, and come with backup software. You may order these hard drives in packages of two from our BuyNow page for $160 plus $15 for S&H for the pair.
Fast but more expensive tape backup systems, in either internal or external versions, are made by several manufacturers, including Quantum and HP. Tapes, either DDS-3 or 4 DAT or Travan, back up 24 GB or more. Models with 24 GB capacity cost about $500. The internal versions usually require an internal supporting card and professional installation. However, some models of tape drives are external and need only to be plugged into a USB socket. These include the Iomega REV 35GB/90GB Removable Hard Disk Drive, which costs $400 with $60 for a spare cartridge and connects to USB-2 socket.. It is prudent to use enough tapes or other removable media to allow a rotation each week of the month and an extra one for off-site storage. An advantage of tapes is their small size, as they can be easily put in a briefcase.
Recommendation for backup software packages: Use the free software that comes with your backup hardware or software you already are using. Or, you may 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. Another alternative is PC BackUP for about $60 which allows backup to tape drives, a format that SyncBackSE does not support.
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, we recommend Carbonite.
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.
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Carbonite gives you unlimited storage for $54.95/year. |
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© 2008 PCArchiver, Inc. - PCArchiver™
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