Tricks of the Trade: NPR Report Writing Doesn’t Have to be a Resource Intense Process

Contributed by: John Sharpe, President, Comstock Software, Inc.

If your healthcare organization is like most, even the simplest of NPR reports include graphics. A report writer can consume a lot of paper (and toner) printing to the printer, during the development and testing of a report. Graphs, bar codes, labels, font formats and layout all require print intensive testing.

At times, I find myself using up to 100 pieces of paper in developing a single form or graphic overlay. After awhile all that paper and time retrieving reports from the printer can add up!

Interbit Data has a solution: NetDelivery. NetDelivery allows you to securely distribute reports from your organization's information system via fax, encrypted print stream, encrypted file or email. NetDelivery is integrated with the MEDITECH faxing functions, but allows you to define (by user/location) whether to send the data as a fax, a file, an email, or a print out. Remote locations can have virtual printers via the Internet, which on demand, on schedule, or in real-time, retrieve data from your system. All connections are validated and all data passing through the Internet is encrypted using 128-bit encryption algorithms.

I use NetDelivery to convert the Meditech Print Stream into a PDF which lands in a Windows Folder. This allows me to see the way the report would look if it was printed to a physical printer. This benefits me in 2 ways:

1. Working off-site, I can see the NPR Report just as it will print on my client’s printer.

2. Working on-site, I can work uninterrupted at my workstation, without getting distracted on the way to the printer across the room or down the hall.

My favorite feature is the ability to automatically convert the print stream to a document format of your choice; PDF, TIF & TXT being the formats I use the most.

If your site is currently using NetDelivery, having your NPR Report Writers print to PDF instead of paper just makes sense (and saves cents). As an NPR Consultant, I think each NPR Programmer should have their own Meditech Printer - NetDelivery Folder. I have found this software to be straightforward to install, setup and use. If you are interested in learning more about this product, you can contact Interbit Data at:

Interbit Data, Inc.
Web: http://www.interbitdata.com/
Phone: 508-647-0013
Email: info@interbitdata.com

John Sharpe is President / NPR Consultant at Comstock Software, Inc. John hosts the ‘Meditech NPR Report Writing’ blog at http://comstock-software.com/blogs/npr/ where you can learn and read more about NPR Report Writing.