June, 2022 - MyOPD™ Updates

Free Clinic Software – Does it exist?

Leave a Comment / BoosterDose / By Team MyOPD / June 30, 2022

I would rather go to a Doctor who charges me fees than a quack who says he will treat me for free! – Anonymous

When our team interacts with Doctors who have downloaded software as a part of trial, some of them expect a Free Clinic Software. This article is to shed light on the aspect of such free software solutions.

Here are 5 points you should consider while evaluating Free Clinic Software Solutions.

1. Free Clinic Software Solutions as Hobby Projects

These are hobby projects done by College Graduates as a part of their Final Year Projects. You may encounter this situation when you have your friend’s son or friend’s friend’s daughter doing such projects.

The issue is, the people who work on such projects often get placed in companies. Then, there is no one to take care of the hobby project.

It is like buying a vehicle without any mechanic to take care in case there is a problem.

In our opinion, you should clearly stay away from such solutions as they are going to hurt you in long run.

2. New Improvements to Free Clinic Software Solution

Software needs to undergo regular changes. Changes are necessary because of

Operating System Upgrades: Recent most Windows upgrades happened from Windows 7 to Windows 8, then 10 then 11 and so on. If you are using a Android / iOS app then those operating systems have undergone several changes year after year. Someone has to make sure that the software works well on each of these OSes.
Changing Market Requirements: Prior to COVID, sharing prescription as a PDF with Patients was never considered. Now, it is a standard requirement in any Clinic Software Solution. This is just one example. As you practice, there could be several improvements and suggestions that come to your mind. These improve the productivity of Doctors as they practice.

To check a list of improvements done over last few months to MyOPD Software, check https://www.myopd.in/blog/docs-category/myopd-win-releases/

Will the Free Clinic Software Solutions able to handle them?

3. Ongoing Support

Any solution that does not have support system is doomed to fail. Will you ever purchase a Car without any Service Network? No wonder that the best sold cars are those that have excellent service network along with being a good product themselves.

To read more about why you should be worried about after sales Product Support, read our dedicated article on this topic https://www.myopd.in/blog/do-i-really-need-product-support/

4. Feature Limitations

Some Vendors offering FREE Clinic Software add restrictions and limitations to the use. As long as you are able to work within those limitations, you may still get a free clinic software for use until you want to use the feature which is in the paid version. We can call such Free Clinic Software solutions, Temporarily FREE.

MyOPD Clinic Software provides a FREE Trial. Such a trial works for a limited set of patients allowing you to evaluate the application and then decide if it suites your needs. You can download the FREE Trial by visiting www.myopd.in

5. Data Privacy

Last but not the least, Data Privacy is probably the most important point you should be concerned about. The questions you should ask yourself about the free clinic software solution are:

Is my data safe with the vendor?
Is the vendor going to share my data with Third Party?
Will my clients get direct calls / messages from Vendors to sell products / services that could be affecting my business.

Trust between you and your Vendor is most important. After all, you are going to store your Patient’s Health Record and your Personal Financial transactions with the Patients when using Clinic Software. So make sure you choose wisely.

Android apps now have a Data Safety section on Google Playstore. Vendors have to declare what they collect from you and what is shared with third party. Make sure you check it out. To give you an idea, check the MyOPD ZIP Android app Data Safety section on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.myopd.android

Conclusion

Always remember, there is nothing that comes for free. Someone, somewhere, certainly pays the price.
As long as you pay the price in software charges, you know what you are paying for.
When you use the software for free and unknowing pay in a different way, be careful and know what you are getting into before making use of such a solution.

If you are interested in a dependable software for your requirements, download the FREE Trial of MyOPD Clinic Software by visiting our website www.myopd.in

Google Chromebook for MyOPD ZIP Android App

Leave a Comment / BoosterDose / By Team MyOPD / June 15, 2022

Google Chromebooks are now getting popular in the market. Thanks to Google, now certain models of Google Chromebooks allow you to run Android Apps directly on Google Chromebook.

So how does a Chromebook look?

Above images are taken from respective manufacturer websites just to give you an idea of how Chromebooks look.

As seen here, Chromebooks are very similar to laptops in the way they look and feel. So if you are a user who wants to have a laptop like interface while using an Android app, then Chromebook is certainly an option. Chromebooks are also available at lower price points than the starting range of Windows Laptops. You can buy them from Amazon or Flipkart. However, before purchasing, read the next point!

Do all Chromebooks support Android Apps?

Unfortunately No. You have to be very careful while choosing the Chromebook if your objective is to run Android apps. List of Chromebooks supporting Android apps is published by Google at https://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/dev/chromium-os/chrome-os-systems-supporting-android-apps

So make sure the model you are purchasing is listed on this site.

Do all Android Apps run on Chromebooks?

No. Chromebooks do not have SIM Card. So caller ID apps which have SIM as a requirement will not function. Similarly, there are other apps requiring GPS etc which could be incompatible with Chromebooks.

Does MyOPD ZIP for Android run on Chromebooks?

Yes. MyOPD ZIP Android app will be available for those Chromebooks which run Android apps as per the list given by Google.

What is the advantage of using MyOPD ZIP Android app on a Chromebook?

You get a laptop like interface while using MyOPD ZIP app which feels more comfortable, with a bigger screen.
Your phone remains available for other tasks. So battery on your phone will last longer.
Data between MyOPD ZIP on Chromebook and MyOPD ZIP on your Phone will remain in sync based on internet connectivity. So even if you enter data on Chromebook, all the data will be available in your app on the phone.
You can use WhatsApp Multi-Device via the Browser on your Chromebook and share Prescription PDFs as well.
If you are sending SMS reminders via SIM, they will be sent from your Phone, once the data entered on Chromebook is available on the phone.
Photos and Documents attached to Patient record on Phone will be available on the Chromebook as well. If you choose the reception plan, this sync is almost instant.

What is not available on the Chromebook?

Please note, that Google Chromebook is not a Windows Laptop. So you will not be able install Windows Applications, Setup files etc on Google Chromebooks. You can still use Microsoft Office and other apps via their Web Interface i.e. Browser. However, Microsoft has discontinued the allowing Office Android Apps on Google Chromebooks (Read More). For similar use, Chromebooks allow Google Sheets, Google Docs and so on.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a laptop like interface to operate your Clinic Management System without losing the benefits of MyOPD ZIP Android app, you can think of choosing a Chromebook along with your existing Android device. App data on both the devices will remain in sync. However, don’t expect the Chromebook to be a replacement to your existing Windows laptop for all the things you do on the laptop.

June 2022