Multipax for Windows v1.0 is the latest version of the popular Multipax Physician Office Management software. Multipax for Windows v1.0 includes all of the features that you have come to depend on in the original Multipax for UNIX, including all of the features necessary to schedule appointments, to bill patients for services, to file insurance claims, to print reports on the performance of your practice, and to customize the system to your exact specifications. In addition to these features, Multipax now includes an intuitive Windows-based graphical user interface (GUI) that will allow you to interact with the Multipax system with greater ease and efficiency. For users new to Multipax, the following overview will be a useful starting point for understanding how to use the system.

Multipax for Windows v1.0 is a database program designed specifically for the management of physician practices. It consists of two parts, the underlying database which contains all of the system data the GUI which you use to interact with the database. This interaction includes entering data (e.g., patient account information, services performed by a physician, patient payments, insurance payments, etc.) and retrieving data (appointment schedules, patient billing statements, reports on practice performance, etc.). The instructions that follow in this manual explain how to use the GUI to interact with the database so that you can accomplish all of the tasks associated with the management of your practice efficiently.

In order to better understand how Multipax works, it will be useful to understand some basic database concepts. A database is simply a collection of data organized for the easy extraction of useful information when it is needed. Data within the database consists of fields which contain individual pieces of data (e.g., patient name, account number, date of birth, etc.). Related fields are organized into records which contain all of the data associated with a particular type of information (i.e., records are functional groupings of field data). For example, a patient account record would include data in fields for patient name, account number, date of birth, insurance carrier(s), etc. When you enter or retrieve data from the Multipax database, you work on the record level, but you enter or modify data on a field level (i.e., one item of data at a time). Submission of data records in Multipax relies on a batch-processing methodology. Under the batch-processing method, data is temporarily stored after entry until a user-initiated procedure for submitting this temporary data is implemented. This method improves efficiency by letting the user schedule data submission during periods of low system activity, however, as a consequence, entered data is not available for retrieval until the data submission procedure has been completed.

Multipax for Windows v1.0 includes features that support the following functionality:

• Patient Registration: including account information, dependent information, and insurance information.
• Appointment Book: provides the ability to examine monthly and daily appointments at-a-glance.
• Appointment Reminders: to improve patient attendance.
• Visit Slips: to facilitate the entry of information about services, charges, and other patient information on an appointment by appointment basis.
• Office Services: including diagnosis codes, service codes, and customary charges.
• Hospital Admissions: to facilitate the entry of information necessary to bill for services provided in a hospital.
• Statement Printing: for patient billing.
• Claims: includes both paper-based and electronic claims to provide flexibility in your interactions with insurance companies.
• Patient Payments: to facilitate the entry of patient payment information. Includes account adjustments feature.
• Insurance Payments: to facilitate the entry of insurance payment information. Includes automatic rebilling to selected secondary insurers or to the patient.
• Reports: includes everything from appointment attendance to account dues to sophisticated practice analysis reports.

The following table highlights the key differences between Multipax for Windows v1.0 and the most recent version of Multipax for UNIX:
 

About This Manual

This manual is intended as a brief introduction to the major features of Multipax for Windows v1.0. As such it is intended for new users who are familiar with the procedures involved in running a medical practice, but whose experience with computers may be minimal. Experienced users and users of prior versions of Multipax should find the step-by-step procedures useful for familiarizing themselves with the specifics of using Multipax for Windows.

This manual uses a number of graphic conventions to indicate specific types of information. These conventions are intended to make it easy for the reader to find identify useful and important information quickly and efficiently. The following conventions are used throughout this manual:

Buttons: Indicated by bold text.

Data Entry Text: Indicated by text surrounded by single quotation marks (e.g., sample data entry text).

Items included in the Field Glossary: Indicated by italic text.