Getting Started With the Encounter: FAQ

Existing clients often ask similar questions about the Encounter. Here are some answers:

  • There is no extra charge for the Encounter. It’s included with full functionality in every version of ECLIPSE so you can easily track your clinical documentation / S.O.A.P. electronically along with all your other patient information.
  • The Encounter is a robust, flexible and customizable solution for chiropractic & physical therapy documentation/SOAP notes. Here’s an independent case study of a multi-doctor, multi-site practice that uses the Encounter in real time to see 10,000 patients monthly.
  • Auditors prefer the Encounter’s data centric approach as compared with other systems that provide lengthy narratives for every visit. Don’t get bogged down in decades old archaic approaches that randomize text, create narratives, and have become DHHS audit targets where the pretty picture you clicked to create the note can’t rescue you from trouble.
  • We protect you from common audit targeted software features that you may not even be aware of.
  • The Encounter can be extensively customized “on-the-fly” inclusive of determining what you see in daily notes vs. exams.
  • The Encounter can be as efficient & fast as you want it to be. Here’s unsolicited feedback from a chiropractor in Kentucky immediately following training: “I worked on some of the notes last night. One of the main ones I did was a PIP patient… I love it ! This system, especially with the fact that it is Windows-based… was so much faster than what I had used before. I really love the interface where you can very easily transition from inside the note you’re working on to any other screen to review any other information in the patient’s file. I have to tell you… as you know I used one of the more expensive EHR programs before, and usability as well as the speed blows the socks off of it. I don’t mean to compare or knock the other one but that is the only example that I have and I’m really blown away about this.
  • Our KIOSK software — which loads subjective data directly to Encounters — is free (if you maintain a subscription), provides a graphical user interface that includes VAS controls, forms (e.g. OSWESTRY, Neck Index), and allows any # of patients to simultaneously fill & send data to ECLIPSE without exposing your existing database to as yet undiscovered HIPAA security flaws.
  • Yes, we’ve done SOAP before. The Encounter is a new design based on over a decade of feedback. Here’s a quote from one of your colleagues who uses it daily: “I’ve been using the ECLIPSE EHR to scan EOB’s (among other things) for years, have all my SOAP in ECLIPSE and have worked through subsequent generations of SOAP as they improved the product. The Encounter – which is a completely new design – allows me to handle my notes in seconds… a feat rare among friends & colleagues with various SOAP systems.”
  • Since the user interface is consistent with the rest of ECLIPSE, there’s virtually no learning curve. Of course, with experience, you’ll be able to complete clinical documentation faster. Most users report that they can complete standard follow-up visits in well under a minute.
  • It’s reasonably simple to get started. Download the latest update. Access the Encounter on the patient’s EHR tab. Press the F1 key to review the HELP. The HELP screen quickly takes you step-by-step through the basics. From either the HELP screen or the ECLIPSE Help menu, access & view the training videos. If you still have questions, ask us about training.
  • Yes… you can run it on an iPad. We recommend you use the Encounter with a PC, tablet or touch screen. We prefer wireless tablets. Call the Help Desk for details.
  • Any supporting document can be imported or scanned, then annotated and included with your Encounters in one simple PDF to accompany paper or electronic bills. Translation: Scan in a patient’s blood work, attach the radiologist’s x-ray findings, put a sticky note with circles and arrows on each, and bundle it all with your bill(s).
  • Though you already know the user interface, the data layout will certainly take some time for you to master. So, here’s an unsolicited quote from a doctor running a busy multi-disciplinary facility in an urban NJ environment to demonstrate that it just may be worth your while: “I feel it’s by far the best software on the market. We have implemented it into a very busy office and its not just the speed in which you can enter a note but the quality of note along with its integration with the rest of the software. I have demo’ed everything and really wanted to say thank you for Encounter.”
  • And finally, here’s another unsolicited quote from a doctor in OR who has used ECLIPSE for years and had tried to implement a nationally distributed, well-known, SOAP program: “PLEASE let your long time subscribers know that you already have EHR on your system BECAUSE when I was looking I saw ***** and I bought their system. I am VERY UPSET that I have been working with them for over 10 months and still do not have a workable system. I then found out that I had EHR all along on your Eclipse System (I’ve been using your software since 1999) I found your EHR to be much easier, intuitive and infinitely cheaper.”
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