AbelMed Inc.

About the Vendor

ABELMed Inc. is an incorporated division of ABELSoft Inc. ABELSoft is a privately held corporation and a Microsoft Gold Certified partner. As a self financed, debt free company using the latest Microsoft .NET technologies, we are well positioned to offer the best value to physicians for their investment in our products and services. This value includes any necessary customization on a timely basis to ensure that our software quickly adapts to your existing workflow and continuously changing market requirements. We also offer on-site / on-line training, 24/7/365 telephone support, patient and practitioner portals and more. 

Website URL

http://www.ABELMed.com

What type of business are you (e.g. public company, sole proprietorship, partnership, etc.)?

ABELMed Inc. (herein after referred to as ABEL or ABELMed) is a self-financed, debt-free, privately held incorporated company.

In what year did you start business in the health information technology industry?

ABELSoft Inc., the parent company of ABELMed Inc., started business in the Health Information Technology industry in 1977.

In what year did you start to sell the current practice management component of your EMR Offering? In what year did you start to sell the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) component of your EMR Offering?

ABELSoft Inc., the parent company of ABELMed Inc., started to sell an early version of the practice management component of its EMR Offering in 1979 and the electronic medical record component in 1996. The current product, ABELMed EHR - EMR / PM v12, a fully integrated Practice Management and Electronic Medical Records solution has been updated several times, in accordance with the changes in the healthcare industry needs. We have also introduced several complementary services to maximize the benefits of EMR for your practice. ABELMed Inc. offers a One Stop Solution for the Healthcare IT needs of your practice.

How many full time equivalent staff do you currently employ?

ABEL currently employs 65 full time equivalent staff dedicated to development, technical support and administration. Our state of the art telephone support, 24x7x365 is unmatched in the industry. We are continually hiring new staff, in all areas including development and support, to quickly respond to the needs of our growing number of customers. In addition, we have students and staff who are involved in cutting edge research activities in Health Care technology.

How many physicians/clinics currently use your EMR product (e.g. chartless office or a majority of encounters recorded electronically)? How many in Ontario?

Currently ABELMed software is being used by over 3000 physicians. Approximately 500 physicians in Ontario are currently using the EMR features. We continually provide education, training and implementation services to the rest of our physician base to use our EMR features.

Describe training offered to customers who acquire your EMR Offering. Please describe any associated costs.

Individual implementation and training plans geared to the needs of each practice are developed upfront. Training is provided using a variety of methods including: on-site, remote by Internet, and in-class seminars. Cost is determined by customer requirements and desired training methods and is based on our standard service rates. Post-implementation, customers that require assistance to install updates receive telephone support at no added cost. Group on-line training, self-paced tutorials and on-line help are provided free of charge with all major updates. Free seminars are also provided at our Head Office. Hard copies of our manuals are also available if needed.

Will you offer other (non-EMR application) training to your customers? Please describe any associated costs.

ABEL provides group training sessions (seminars, NetMeeting, etc.) on several non-EMR application topics. Examples of these training session topics are basic Windows training and Windows security. Non-EMR applications can be provided at added cost.

How many hours of physician training do you recommend?

Most physicians require approximately 6-12 hours of initial training, depending on previous experience with computers. Physicians can also upgrade their skills at a later date after gaining experience with the software.

How many hours of support staff training do you recommend?

We recommend initial support staff training of 10-15 hours. 5-10 hours of training on advanced topics is offered at a later date. Several teaching institutions who train support staff use our time tested and easy to use practice management system to teach their students. Many practices find that their staff are already familiar with our system and minimal training is required, thereby reducing costs. 

Are there additional fees for training for software upgrades (if so, please describe)?

Customers that require assistance to install updates receive telephone support at no added cost. Group on-line training, self-paced tutorials and on-line help are provided free of charge with all major updates. Free seminars are also provided at our Head Office. Customized plans are also available if required.

Describe the EMR support offered to customers who acquire your Offering. Please describe any associated costs.

ABEL offers EMR support for ABELMed throughout Ontario. EMR support is available 24/7/365 with calls answered live from 8:30 AM - 5 PM Monday through Friday (EST). Our support staff is well versed in the software, hardware and common problems in a practice and is well supported by our IT specialists and senior medical and programming consultants.

Do you provide remote support to your customers? Please describe any associated costs.

ABEL provides remote support to all customers. To properly support, maintain, test and validate correct functionality of the ABELMed EHR - EMR / PM at customer sites, ABELMed's technical support analysts require access to customers' systems. After validating permissions, access to a customer's EMR is accomplished using the appropriate remote control tools for the environment. Via a secure connection, the support analyst executes the EMR application and, working with the customer, provides appropriate support. Auditing systems log the time of the support analyst's connection to the customer's server, access entry, and exit. Costs are based on the software support agreement held by the client.

Do you take support requests via email? Please describe any associated costs.

Yes. Costs for support by email are based on the software support agreement held by the client and are minimal for frequently asked questions for which documented answers are available.

In the event of a disagreement between you and your customer, will you support the notion of a dispute resolution process involving an independent mediator? Please describe any associated costs.

To maximize customer satisfaction, ABEL welcomes the notion of a dispute resolution process involving an independent mediator. In the highly unlikely event of a disagreement between ABEL and our customer, we will seek any and all methods of resolution to obtain a mutually satisfactory agreement. Independent mediation will be considered as one option in the resolution process. Costs will be determined according to the nature of the dispute.

Do you have a formal process for managing customer-reported incidents? If so, what is the average age of incidents on your problem log before they are closed? Please describe any associated costs.

Yes, ABEL has a formal process that uses the Customer First System (CFS) for managing customer-reported incidents in the areas of support and product development. We maintain a database of all calls made to our support desk and monitor the types and duration of calls and associated activities such as problem determination, resolution and closure. The incident database contains all information associated with an incident, including call history, escalation trails, associated activities, duration of the call, and actual time spent working on the problem. The average resolution time for calls to medical support is 13.5 minutes.

How often do you make a major software upgrade to your product?

Major upgrades are necessary to provide the latest technology to our clients. However, they can be disruptive in a clinic environment. ABELSoft addresses this issue by providing major software upgrades at least once a year and usually twice a year. Minor upgrades are provided more frequently as required. Since major upgrades can be disruptive in a clinic environment we try to minimize the number of major upgrades each year.

Are there additional fees for major software upgrades (if so, please describe)?

No, ABEL customers on maintenance receive both minor and major upgrades free of charge.

Are there additional fees for routine maintenance/small changes (if so, please describe)?

No. There is no additional charge to customers for routine maintenance changes or small fixes.

Are there additional fees for documentation for software upgrades (if so, please describe)?

No. Installation Instructions and Program Change Notes are included with each upgrade.

How do you provide software updates to clients?

Software updates are distributed by mail. Updates are also remotely downloadable through a high speed Internet connection.

Will you assist physicians in preparing a disaster recovery plan, in the event of the loss of the system? Please describe any associated costs.

Yes. A standard document on a disaster recovery plan is available as a part of our standard offering. If assistance is required in preparing a customized plan then the services will be chargeable at ABEL's regular rates. Standard procedures to follow in case of system failure and methods of business continuity are covered in our training plan.

Will you assist physicians in preparing a business continuity plan, in the event of a system disruption? Please describe any associated costs.

Yes. A standard document on a business continuity plan is available as a part of our implementation. If assistance is required in preparing a customized plan then the services will be chargeable at ABEL's regular rates. Several important topics regarding business continuity are also covered during training.

Will you offer customers any assurance or commitment to continuity of business in the event of a system disruption? Please describe any associated costs.

ABEL technical support staff goes above and beyond the call of duty to assist customers experiencing difficulties and will work with the customer and their hardware supplier to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. Technical support services are chargeable at ABEL's regular rates. We also offer remote data back up services to minimize loss of data and disruption of your practice.

Will you offer data conversion services to customers who already have patient demographic data stored electronically? Please describe any associated costs.

ABELMed has extensive experience and expertise in converting patient demographic data from most practice management systems currently used in Ontario. The charges are based upon our standard rates. Please call our sales department at 1.800.267.2235 for further details.

Will you offer data conversion services to customers who already have both patient demographic and clinical data stored electronically? Please describe any associated costs.

ABELMed provides patient demographic and clinical data conversion services. The charges are based upon our standard rates. Please call our sales department at 1.800.267.2235 for further details.