Let's try this out. Suppose you want to create a Newsletter each month to your patients. You want the top of the Newsletter to look the same every month, so you want to create a Template for it. You want a picture of yourself included in the top of the Newsletter.

1. Press Libraries\Templates\Add

2. For Template Name, type in Newsletter.

3. For Type of Note, you could choose Letter, or highlight all of them.

4. Press Ok to store this information and go into the Writer.

5. Press <Alt-I>mage\Link, or <right mouse click>\Image\Link.

6. For the name of the file, use WILLIAM.BMP (which ships with the program in your \CHART directory. Obviously, you can actually choose any image you want that is stored on your computer, or use the Acquire command to acquire the image using a scanner attached to your computer).

7. Drag the image with your mouse to the upper left corner of the document.

8. Press <ENTER> a couple of times to move down the page and <Tab> a few times to move your cursor to the right, past the image.

9. Press the boldface button to switch to boldface text.

10. Type in "NEWS FROM DR. JACKSON".

11. Press <F10> to store your Template.

1. Press Write\New\Letter.

2. Press <ESC> or Cancel for the name of the patient since this goes to all patients.

3. Select the Newsletter Template from your list of Templates and double-click or press Ok.

4. For the name of the file to store the Letter in, type NEWSLET.RTF.

5. Your Template is now loaded in the Writer, along with the image and the text.

1. Click on the diagram in the Writer and press <Alt-I>mages\Cut or <right mouse click>\Images\Cut.

2. Open your image editing software and press Edit\Paste.

3. Edit the image in the image editing program, highlight it, and press Edit\Copy.

This month we are releasing the April, 2004 Quarterly update. The update includes new medications, diagnostic terms, drug interactions, drug dosing information, spelling words, drug-disease Alerts, Web Links, algorithms, medication test reminders, and patient education brochures. This update has over 6000 drug interactions with over 2200 references, over 11,000 Alerts, over 9800 Web Links, and over 1250 Brochures, including new or revised Brochures on amyloidosis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, daptomycin, esophageal cancer, herpes zoster, obsessive-compulsive disorder, polycythemia vera, prostate cancer, pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, SARS, and sleep apnea. It also has more than twice as much pediatric dosage information as before.

To obtain the April Quarterly Update, you must be an active subscriber to the Comprehensive Support Package. If you have let your support package lapse and would like to renew and obtain the latest version, contact MEDCOM Information Systems at 800-424-0258.

Version 4.6 includes a new feature called Flowsheets. You can design your own, and the program comes with some pre-built for warfarin, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Flowsheets let you track certain test results and drug doses, and document the advice you give patients about managing their health conditions.

If you have tips, shortcuts, guestions, or suggestions for future newsletter topics, please send them to us at: