Issue 1          30th March 2010
 
Hello and welcome to TechTalk, our newsletter offering more in-depth information about our products and how to get the most out of them. We'll take the feedback from the first few issues and if the love letters outnumber the death threats then TechTalk is likely to become a regular feature.

In this issue, we'll be focusing primarily on the MDS. In future issues you can expect handy tips for getting the most out of iCare, notes on good practise regarding data security and backups, the importance of personal hygeine and exciting word puzzles*. If you want to see information on a particular topic then let me know.

Phil Crimmins
Technical Support, SMI
 

MDS Report 2010
 
MDS Season is fast approaching and it makes sense to be prepared. By checking these points off now, you can make the task of compiling your report run a lot smoother come next month.

  • You'll need to make sure you're using a recent version of the MDS Report. Click on Help, then About. If you're running a version earlier than 1.0.295.0 you'll need an update. You can get the latest version of the MDS report from the Customer Zone at www.smicare.com/cmrzone. If you've used the MDS Report in the past, be sure to back up your setting first by clicking File then Export Setup File before installing the latest version.

  • iCare users will also need to make sure you're running a recent version. Click on System and then About iCare. Again, versions earlier than 1.0.295.0 will need to be updated. iCare updates typically take about 15 minutes and cost nothing. They can be carried out by your own IT guys or SMI can perform them remotely. Contact us for more information.
  • Many of you have taken the migration to iCare as an opportunity to sort out your coding. If this is the case, be sure to check the MDS Report setup to be certain it matches up with your new codes.

  • If you're still using Pal.Care v10, you'll need to re-convert your data into iCare/SQL format with the Database Converter tool. We recommend all users still running Pal.Care contact us for the latest version of the Database Convertor. If you decide you want to migrate over to iCare, get in touch – we can perform the work for you remotely and it's all covered by your annual support.
  • If you're using a version of Pal.Care earlier than v10, you'll need to contact us to discuss running your MDS. Keep in mind that you're also eligible for the migration to iCare.

  • If you're using Smart Forms in iCare or SoftForms in Pal.Care you'll save yourself a lot of time completing the MDS because a lot of the information you'd have to provide manually can be automatically deduced. If you've not got your MDS Smart Forms or SoftForms, contact us for an update route.
     
The MDS will never be fun, but by completing this checklist you can make it easy. Take your time when setting up the MDS and be thorough when picking your codes. Once you've got your MDS setup to your liking, you can run it as often as you like – indeed, many of our customers run it every month to take advantage of the useful statistics it generates.

For more tips when running your MDS, refer to our MDS manual which available on the Customer Zone at www.smicare.com/cmrzone.
 

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