Q.        The instruments on trays change throughout the year, requiring the constant updating of information and changing hard copy files of the count sheets to ensure the most recent updated information.
A.        With the ABACUS System PriorityONE™, Applied Logic, Inc. builds your database with information provided by the hospital to include instruments, instrument trays, and photo imaging. Applied Logic, Inc. will provide unlimited changes and additions to existing count sheets.  This will eliminate the need for a System Administrator.

Q.        A technician’s knowledge of the instruments by name or catalog number is often limited.  What can the ABACUS System PriorityONE™, offer to reduce Technicians errors?
A.        The ABACUS System PriorityONE™ takes out the guess work by providing on-screen instrument photos. Applied Logic, Inc.’s in-house photo library contains thousands of quality photos of surgical instruments, covering many surgical specialties. Providing visual confirmation of an instrument minimizes instrument mistakes that delay surgical cases. Photos appearing automatically on screen with the count sheet also decreases the time required to reprocess difficult specialty trays.

Q.        Our Hospital has had the problem of sterilizer mismatches and has a significant impact on repair/replacement budgets.  What does ABACUS System PriorityONE™ offer to help prevent this from happening?
A.        The ABACUS System PriorityONE™ identifies sterilizer mis-match and sounds an on-screen alarm thus eliminating the destruction of expensive heat sensitive items. Trays can not be processed without employees entering their pin number or bar coding their employee badge. This enables managers to track the occurrence of mismatched sterilization loads directly to the individual processing the load.

Q.        Accountability has been a major obstacle to improving performance and service with instrument management.  How does ABACUS System PriorityONE™ enforce and document this performance?
A.        The ABACUS System PriorityONE™ has built in accountability, or “an invisible supervisor” with reports that provide information on all department personnel and their activities.  This accountability will ensure the ability to deliver a consistent service 24 hours a day.  The ABACUS System PriorityONE™ provides the ability to link personnel with their actions, and the detail needed to build individual employee responsibility.                          

Q.        Is there any third party software required, what is the price and how it is licensed?
A.         3rd party software includes: Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Embedded, PC Anywhere, and Symantec Antivirus. All included at no charge.

Q.      What interfaces are included and what is the associated cost.
A.         Applied Logic, Inc.’s proprietary O.R. Scheduling Interface License is included. The ABACUS System PriorityONE™ will decipher the picklist generated from your surgical scheduling system and determine the availability of the inventory from your preference cards for the cases scheduled.  These cases immediately appear on the ABACUS System PriorityONE™ Case Cart screen and the system begins searching for the trays needed.

Q.      Describe your approach to training. 
A.        Applied Logic, Inc. will manage the training process by assigning a Training Specialist and Instructor Team to perform all training on-site during the normal work processes.  Applied Logic, Inc. is sensitive to training issues and will accomplish training with as few interruptions to workflow as possible.  Users are trained on the system in a matter of minutes and can immediately begin processing trays using the system.  Instructors will remain onsite to observe and support users as they begin processing trays with the ABACUS System PriorityONE™.  Applied Logic, Inc. will provide training on all shifts.

Q.        Describe your approach to product updates and upgrades and indicate whether upgrades are included as part of the software maintenance agreement.
A.        There are no additional costs for product updates or upgrading the installed ABACUS System PriorityONE™.  Applied Logic, Inc. will provide software upgrades for installed application software AT NO CHARGE.

Q.        How are software updates applied? 
A.        Applied Logic, Inc. will provide and load all application and system software to each workstation and server.

Q.        Describe your guarantee on the hardware supplied by Applied Logic, Inc.
A.        Applied Logic, Inc. guarantees no obsolescence of hardware.  We will upgrade hardware on an as needed basis to keep the specifications standardized. Should any new hardware be required for software upgrades, the hardware will be supplied by Applied Logic, Inc. AT NO CHARGE.

Q.       Describe storage and updating data capabilities.
A.        The ABACUS System PriorityONE™ database is stored on the hard drive on the workstation which is stored on the ABACUS System PriorityONE™ server which is backed up each night at Applied Logic, Inc. and taken offsite by a tape drive storage tape.  The workstations receive updates via the server. 

Q.        Describe the operating system the application is certified on.
A.        The ABACUS System PriorityONE™ operates on a MS SQL database. The database is designed to run on Windows Server 2003 (server) and Windows XP Embedded (workstations). It has an open architecture with unlimited custom report generation.

Q.        Describe your client satisfaction measurement process. 
A.        Our Client Service Department is in constant contact with all of our Clients and because of our unique business model we are able to foresee situations that may become a problem.  We use this information to train our current Clients and in the development of future releases of our product.

Q.        What is your typical timeframe on installation?
A.        Average implementation times run 3 months.  This includes adequate
preparation time before kicking off the project with the hospital.  After the kick-off
meeting it is 12 weeks to daily use of the system.

Q.         Loaner trays seem to be a big problem at our Hospital, can ABACUS help us?
A.        The ABACUS System PriorityONE™ provides a state of the art method for tracking loaner trays throughout the system.  Notification can be provided to the specialty nurse that the trays have arrived and are being processed.

Q.        Will the ABACUS System PriorityONE™ allow a single server for multiple Hospitals?
A.        Yes

Q.        How much training time should be anticipated for the ABACUS System PriorityONE™?
A.        Training time is minimal.  A group in-service is given followed by individual instruction time averaging 5 - 10 minutes.  Within minutes, employees are using the system independently.  Employees are interactive during the in-service and support personnel are available whenever needed.

Q.        Are automatic backup procedures provided?
A.        YES.  Both local and remote back up are performed daily.

Q.       What types of productivity reports are available on ABACUS?
A.        Employee Productivity reports by Employee, Shift, Specialty, Employee Summary, Instrument Percentage Report, and many more.

Q.       Are custom reports available?
A.      Unlimited Custom Reports are available at NO CHARGE.

Q.       My department reprocesses pumps and specialty beds, can these be tracked?
A.       If you reprocess the equipment, we can track it.               

Q.        What are the purchasing options for the ABACUS System PriorityONE™ ?
A.        Applied Logic, Inc. offers the ABACUS System PriorityONE™ for Capital Purchase and we also offer the system through our unique Shared Risk Program.  The Shared Risk Program requires no up-front cost for your Hospital; simply pay a monthly service fee.  At any time while paying us a monthly service fee, you wish to discontinue our service, simply give us 30 days notice and we will remove our hardware and provide your data to you in a useable format.

Q.       How much IT time is required from the Hospital IT Staff?
A.        Very little, during the 12 week implementation we need your IT Staff to install the server, assign IP Address’s and establish a VPN.  All in all we require only 16.5 hours of your IT Staff time.