by Frank Fortner
Recent concerns on the L-list had to do with the inability to write custom code, attributes and computed fields within various screens and reports in 6.x. Now, in MEDITECH’s defense, I feel the need to clarify. In 6.0, more than half of the applications are still running on the NPR side and still support code within the various areas that have traditionally accepted it. Therefore, with version 6.0, it is only the few Advanced Technology applications where this is true. On the down side, PCS and OM are some of the most attribute-laden applications.
Of course, it IS true that once you embark down the 6.x path, eventually (version 6.2 or 6.3) all applications will be written in the new Advanced Technology platform. At that point, unless MEDITECH changes their position, there will be no access to these kind of ‘programmer-level’ features. If you’re waiting around for that to happen, you might not want to hold your breath.
Frankly, I don’t see it happening, at least not in the traditional sense. It’s a very different environment that simply isn’t as end-user friendly as MAGIC, and it’s not just the code. While the MEDITECH Advanced Programming Language (MAPL) is a more difficult language than MAGIC, there are also dramatic differences in how data is retrieved. New services, protocols, database construction and retrieval methodologies have made the Advanced Technology environment resemble a modern automobile engine compared to MAGIC, which is more like an engine found in the vintage cars of the 60s and 70s and worked on by backyard mechanics. Advanced Technology requires advanced training.
At the end of the day, I wouldn’t look for MEDITECH to expose programming code within 6.x, but time will tell.
1 response so far ↓
1 John Sharpe // May 18, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I agree … and believe there are good reasons behind MEDITECH’s design choices. On the other hand, the demands on hospitals and IT require increasingly complex reports in a timely manner. The new rule based reporting in the 6.0 Report Designer may only go so far in creating those more challenging and near real time PCS reports, examples: Doctor Rounding, Nursing Handoff, Patient Transfer, Patient Assessment and others.
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