Frequently Asked Questions (updated May, 2006)

Who is the Diabetes Management System Designed for?
The Diabetes Management System's major purpose is to track individual and aggregate patient data, measure outcomes, assist with accreditation, simplify reporting, time savings,  and the overall management of data unique to Diabetes Education. It is very useful for anyone managing or researching Diabetic Outcome Data.

Who is currently using Diabetes Management System?
The Diabetes Management System is currently being used in 41 states at Hospitals, Clinics, Endocrinology Practices, University Hospitals, and Public Health Departments of all sizes.

How Long has the System been in Use?
The Diabetes Management System has been in use since 1996 and has been continually updated and enhanced since then.

What are the advantages of the Diabetes Management System?
The System's major advantages are:

Proves Outcomes used by Policy Makers to determine service reimbursement.
Creates a Strong Evidence Base.
Assists in Determining, then Meeting the Diverse Needs of your Clients.
Ease of Use and Time Savings.
Integrates Implementation, Documentation, and Evaluation.
Assists with Generation of Individual and Aggregate Reporting.
Obtaining/Maintaining Program Recognition for both Educational Programs and
     Providers.
Assists with Recognition Requirements.
YOU own and have control of your data. Assist in the identification of the Best
     Practice for your Program.
Frequent Upgrades provided to improve the quality of the system.
Harbor Software listens to user's ideas and suggestions. Many of which are
     found in our upgrades.
Live Technical Support.
NO HIDDEN COSTS.

How Easy is the System to Use?
The System is very "user friendly". Most users (even those with minimal "computer knowledge") feel comfortable with the system after a short orientation. The entire system has a logical layout and has a consistent design to minimize the learning curve. All functions can be accessed within just a couple of mouse clicks from the main menu.

What Diabetes Benchmarks does the System Track?
The System tracks many data elements and benchmarks, including: Demographic Data, Blood Pressure, over a dozen Lab Values, Foot and Eye Exams, Education Parameters, Drugs, Behavioral Parameters (ie, smoking, weight loss, etc), Patient Knowledge Levels, Complications, Quality of Life Measurements, plus many others.

What Reports can the System Generate?
The System can generate over 200 reports, including many types of Patient Listings, Outcomes, Recognition Reports (along with supporting documentation), and even mailing labels.  Many reports utilize filters for analyzing, researching, and mining your data.  See our Reports Section for more detailed information.  A new Report Locator has been added to the System for you to quickly find and navigate to the report you need.

We already have patient data loaded in other systems. Can this data be imported into the Diabetes Management System so we don't have to re-enter all this data by hand?
Yes, in most cases (it depends on the format of your data). We have imported existing data from a variety of sources and systems, at no additional cost. Call us for more information.

Can Data from the Diabetes Management System be Made Available to other Systems?
Yes, the System can export Patient Demographic, Assessment, and Medication Data into a file format that is easily accessible by other systems. This powerful feature gives you the ability to analyze and report on your data with virtually any database/spreadsheet system.

What Operating System is Required?
The Diabetes Management System is a native 32-bit Windows Application. It will run on any Microsoft Supported Windows Platform (Windows98, ME, NT,2000, or XP) as a stand alone system or in a network environment.

What are the Minimum System Requirements?
The Diabetes Management System requires a Pentium Processor (minimum speed of 500MHz recommended), 64 MEG RAM (depending on your network overhead), and Approximately 35 MEG Disk Space (The System will run on slower systems, however response time will be affected).

Is There a Limit to the Number of Patients the System can Hold?
No. The System is only limited by the amount of space available on your hard drive.

Does the System have Password Protection and Audit Trails?
In order to comply with HIPAA Guidelines, the Diabetes Management System has user-level password access and automatic file change audit trails. The data files are also encrypted.

How Often is the System Upgraded?
Since 1996, an upgrade has been released approximately two to three times per year. These upgrades are the result of suggestions from our users for new features to assist them with their program. These upgrades enhance the system with new modules and features.  
We also provide supplemental, interim upgrades via a private support page on this web site. 
The latest Version is 4.9  which was released October, 2003.

Is the System based on Microsoft Access?
No.  The System is not an Access Database.  Microsoft requires a separate MS Professional Office package installed and a license purchased for every workstation using the System.

Besides a Windows Operating System,  does the System require any other software, database engine, or license in order to run?
No.  The System is completely self-contained and requires no other special software or database engine. 

Is a Demonstration System Available?
Yes a demonstration system is available.  It operates exactly like the real system, except is has a time lock and will only allow 25 patients to be entered into the System.  To obtain a copy, just contact our office.  You can even try out the system on your existing network so all your educators can review and evaluate all of the System's features and capabilities.  We also offer "walk-throughs" of the demonstration system.

How do you Orient and Train New Users to the System?
We do all our orientation and training on the telephone.  They usually take approximately 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the number of people and questions.  We offer as many orientation, training, and followup calls as it takes to get your staff comfortable with the system.  Many sites are comfortable after one or two sessions.  We hear from other sites weekly (ranging from "how do we generate this report?" questions to suggestions for new enhancements). 

Is Customization Available?
Customization is available to meet your requirements. Contact us for details.

Are References Available?
Yes, references are available upon request.