Migrating to a new EHR/EMR is an exciting time, but we know it can be stressful, too. To help lessen some of the stress and burden we’ve gathered some helpful information on what to expect with Communication Director when you migrate to MEDITECH Expanse in an article, including the required version and reconfiguration needs and what to expect with the API integrating which allows for on-demand faxing directly from MEDITECH. Read the full article here.
Our goal for this article is to give you a basic timeframe and guidelines for those updates to help you plan and manage Communication Director within your larger MEDITECH Expanse migration. These timelines and helpful tips are generalized based on the many migrations we have done and should be adjusted to your specific project as every instance of MEDITECH and Communication Director is a little different. As always, feel free to contact us for more information or to get your own customized recommendations on how to optimize Communication Director for MEDITECH Expanse.
Six months before go-live
Contact Forward Advantage about six months before your MEDITECH Expanse go-live to begin the process of setting up and planning for your migration. We’ll discuss your current system configurations, look at fax volumes, and review your options for moving forward. After which, we’ll put together a proposal for changes if needed.
Three months before go-live
About three months before you go live, Forward Advantage will schedule these tasks:
Communication Director version upgrade (if necessary)
Routing database import
SmartRoute reconfiguration
DesktopFax reconfiguration
Create a task with MEDITECH for MIS Toolbox configuration
You will need to schedule a task with MEDITECH for MIS Toolbox configuration for DesktopFax. We recommend doing this three months before your MEDITECH Expanse go-live.
One month before go-live
A month ahead of go-live, we’ll preform the reconfiguration and upgrades, including:
Upgrade to version 4.2 (if necessary)
SmartRoutes: reports must be in their final format
After your reports are in their final formats, we will modify your SmartRoutes to accommodate the new reports.
Expanse Person Dictionary should be populated for routing database import
MIS Toolbox change must be in place for DesktopFax configuration. We’ll configure either Expanse integrated faxing or DesktopFax (your choice) for use in the new web application.
Test all new configurations to make sure they are working correctly
System training
An important component during this time is training, especially for those migrating from MAGIC or a non-MEDITECH environment. There will be administrative training, but DesktopFax training is highly recommended.
Two weeks before go-live
A couple of weeks before your go-live, we encourage you to keep testing for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that we want to ensure that the SmartRoutes are working properly. The second reason is to ensure that your users have plenty of time to test out DesktopFax to avoid unforeseen issues when you go live.
Go-live
On or near your go-live day, Forward Advantage will help you cutover, if necessary, whether that’s to a new server, an existing server, or new SmartRoutes. How we help you on that day is entirely up to you. Some customers choose to do the cutover the night before go-live or on the go-live day. There’s a lot of things going on during that time, so we will accommodate whichever approach works best for you.
Early planning and open communication are the keys to a successful transition. Forward Advantage is here to help you every step of the way to ensure that Communication Director works as you expect in your MEDITECH Expanse environment.
