New Data Center

In the next few months, we will be making an exciting change to our technology structure. We will be moving all of our Rexpert servers to a state-of-the-art data center 30 miles outside of Philadelphia. Some of the improvements we will enjoy as part of this move are:

• Network/Internet redundancy
• Power redundancy: UPS systems provide power during generators startup; generators power entire building within 15 seconds
• Cooling redundancy: two cooling systems with 24/7/365 professional service in the event of an emergency
• Fire detection and suppression: building is solid block with no windows into the data center; full fire detection installed throughout the building
• Raised floors: Provides flood protection and optimal cooling
• Strong security measures: RFID Card access to the building and biometric access to the data center

With our current data solution, almost all Rexpert outages were traced back to power or Internet issues; these issues are addressed with the top-notch redundancy plan in the new data center. As a matter of fact, this data center was able to remain completely operational during Hurricane Sandy and the recent ice storms.

The move started in March 2014 and the full transition will take about 90 days as we will be moving one database at a time. In addition to the data center upgrade, we are upgrading each server supporting Rexpert before moving into the new data center. We are upgrading from Hewlett Packard mid-range servers to high availability Intel servers. So far, 8 databases (out of the 18 databases that we manage) are already running on this new technology and will easily transition to the new data center.

We do have a contingency plan if we encounter any issues during the transition. All data migration happens outside of business hours and, with the exception of planned outages, this move will not impact user activity.

If you have any questions about the new data center or our upgrade plans, please contact Client Services.


Contributors: Jim Sullivan and Mel Johnson

ICD-10 Delayed

Less than a month ago, we posted a blog declaring that ICD-10 would not be delayed and to make all possible preparations for the October 1, 2014 launch. Well, as life goes once something has been proclaimed as final, there has been a delay of at least one year for ICD-10 and the other changes to the Medicare/Medicaid billing process. The next launch deadline has not been announced but there are some things you can do to keep yourself and your practice ready for when it happens.

1. Don't procrastinate. Just because there was a delay this time doesn't mean that there will be yet another delay. Make sure all departments, especially your technology department, are making their preparations. 
2. Make training and re-training plans. If you have already started training your staff on ICD-10, don't stop now. Get everyone ready for the change and schedule a refresher training right before release. 
3. Test, test, and test again. It can take months to finalize testing for a change of this magnitude. We've already started the testing process with CMS and we will continue testing as scheduled in July and possibly have more testing with Emdeon in the near future. 

If you have any questions about the ICD-10 delay, please contact Client Services. 

Contributors: Mel Johnson and Christine Parker