I often compare the entrepreneur to a parent and its business to a child.  The first five years require a strong supervision 24/7. Then, you give your child a bit of liberty but you still supervise his/her growth. Groupe PCMS is now a full blown teenager with its pros and cons. We can now take vacation at the same time and expect our teen to behave but, as every teen, we have to keep him/her interested, motivated, captivated.  In order to do so, we have decided to offer our teenager some change!

Since the very beginning of PCMS, we have always had a vision of a loft for the office, high ceilings, wood or concrete on the floor, brick and large windows on the wall.  The only thing we were able to do was to take a “traditional office” and turn it into a “loft wannabe”.  This year was the final year of our lease and in the usual shopping for an office space, Stephane and I have found the perfect spot for our teen.

In an industry that is constantly evolving with lighting fast changes, nobody here is worried about a move, but because we are going to have to pack everything, we will then ask ourselves: “Will this item continue its journey with us or not?”. I bet that the Access 2.0 books will not survive!  The “IT for dummies” either.

The only question that still remains unanswered after 15 years is: “Between Stephane and Pierre Marc, who is the mom and the dad?”

We will definitely miss the view from our terrace, but the new offices will charm us right away! We are eager to show you our new location!

3 years ago, I tasted the Apple drug. Because I was curious. All was well in my Microsoft life.

I started slowly with the purchase of an iPad. Just to try. A few months later, I needed a new fix. I went to an Apple Store. The ultimate buzz: I was overcome by a feeling that I could no longer feel with Microsoft.

I flinched. Yes, it cost me a fortune, but it didn’t matter to me. I had palpitations. I needed something more powerful. MacBook Pro. Wow!

Afterwards came the iPod Touch, iPhone and … iPad2. Why? No clue! I had just become an apple-junkie.

But there IS hope. For the last few months, I am considering a new remedy. It will soon be available. It is called “Windows 8″.

I start my treatments in October.

Windows 8 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/release-preview

The problem is that computerized records are going to experience some gaps. First off, it won’t be available across the province. Rather understandable, for now, since it is only a pilot project at the moment.
The major issue, in my opinion, is regarding what the contents of the record will be. Seems like the only info available will be the prescription drugs you receive from a pharmacy, the results of exams and lab tests and the results of medical imaging exams.

About a month ago, my significant other was hospitalized at Charles-Lemoyne hospital. First, very surprising: NOBODY at the emergency! We arrived at 5:45 am, and at 6:30, he had already gone through triage, seen the doctor and put on the hospital gown (who said there was an issue with the emergency?)

A couple of issues to our visit. Take the following equation: my boyfriend, whose mother tongue is English + and repetitive, identical questions from all health professionals who saw him that day: nurses, doctors, ENT, head of antibiotic. I’d like to emphasize that he speaks and understands French well enough, but to be able to answer medical questions with confidence and precision, it is not always that easy for someone who has not inherited the language – and even for me, all these medical terms… PHEW!

Thus, throughout the day, the same questions would come back: “Are you allergic to this? Have you experienced that? Do you have any problems with this? Have you had complications with that?” Pretty common questions… except when the patient underwent open heart surgery for coarctation of the aorta, and that it had an impact on how he had to be treated.

No matter what the mother tongue of the patient is, to be asked so many repetitive questions can get somewhat confusing and redundant, and leads me to ask questions regarding the basic information found in the medical record.

On the Quebec Health Record , it is specified that « Your QHR is not a card with a chip». Fair enough, but why not? Why not computerize critical information regarding the actions to take towards a patient in need? Why not enter the blood type, the previous operations, allergies, Medicare information, chronic problems, hospital visits, etc.

Maybe I am too demanding… After all, I should be ecstatic that he was seen after only 30 minutes in the emergency, right?

PS : Just as my colleague Stephane Poirier pointed out in his blog « The QHR, my daughter and I», it is extremely important to accentuate that I am very grateful for the treatments he received at HCLM , especially by Josée, head of antibiotic.

In my opinion, the addiction comes from the fact that our mobile phone now allows us to have access to everything: right here, right now! Because I am part of Generation “X”, I discovered the internet at the end of my teenage years, and ever since, I can’t get enough of it. And now, it’s my phone’s turn: it allows me to save a lot of time.

When I wake up in the morning, I go through my phone before I even stretch! In a second, I know that it will rain, it will be cold, the students’ demonstrations are still ongoing, the Habs have a new GM, and that “Dans l’oeil du dragon” has almost reached a million viewers. I know the five emails I have pending in my inbox will be answered before I enjoy my first coffee sip. I know who will be away from the office … and I certainly know that the bridge is blocked!

When you stop to think about it, isn’t it amazing? Everything I was able to accomplish before getting to work.

Nonetheless, it’s a mixed blessing. My phone saves me time, but it also makes me waste a whole lot, too. I play games, I draw something, I look for keys, I download music, I watch videos, and, of course, I throw birds on mean pigs!

Nowadays, smartphones hold our entire life: that’s why it is so essential to me. It holds our phone numbers, schedule and our kids’ pictures. Because of it, I am more organized… at least, I would like to think so.

If you own a smartphone, how do you feel? More connected or busier than those who don’t have one?

And, most importantly, do you suffer from Nomophobia?

Let’s start off by explaining “engineering’s mission is to protect and guide people”.

According to Simon Laroche’s blog (in French) (http://www.pcms.com/developpement-logiciel/architecture-logicielle-indispensable/), engineering helps give good advice to the client regarding the technological choices required to fulfill his need. All this respecting the Code of Ethics “Engineers’ work must be done in a flawless and reliable way … while providing the public with the best professional services”. ^OIQ

We make efforts to find the added value that will be an advantage more competitive regarding the redevelopment of an existing commercial solution. Our mission is to develop creative, reliable and useful software solutions!

Here, engineering is designed to monitor and improve the work and practices of our peers. Again, with the whole team’s synergy, engineering listens to our needs and finds solutions. A very good implemented solution is to develop a work plan before beginning any feature. Note that the quality insurance team also displays features that have been returned to development because they did not meet the customer’s needs.

Basically, the work plan forces us to analyze the need, define the incoming and outgoing data, examine the code, and allows us to have defined a model showing the stages of development. Do not forget: the cost of a correction in production is higher than the cost of development. Plans are also used to explain the details of the need to fill to our colleagues.

At Groupe PCMS, the engineering is not what “controls”, but rather how we collaborate. In fact, it’s not the engineering that makes the decisions, but everyone together according to the Agile Project Management. All employees – and even employers – are working together towards the same company vision and also to ensure that the customer’s need is different from competitors.

Definitely a winning formula!

Indeed, the CSSS Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Sherbrooke, the CSSS Montmagny l’Islet and the Hôpital Sacré-Cœur all chose to integrate the modules RH IMMUNO, RH EAQ and RH CLINIC to their RH INO.

They are now fully prepared to ensure proper management of immunological profiles of their employees!

Is RH INO for you? Call us for a remote demonstration of all the features offered!

The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec (CHUQ) and the Centre Hospitalier Affilié Universitaire de Québec (CHAUQ) both opted for our health management software, to help them monitor the well-being of their employees! More than 13 500 workers are added to the growing number of employees already helped by RH INO.

For a demonstration of the features provided by any of our modules, contact us, we will be happy to help you manage the health of those who are most important to your business: your employees!

For the last couple of weeks, I have noticed as the day goes on, my eyes start fixating and I have a hard time looking at my computer screen. It’s like I am constantly daydreaming, I suffer from blurred vision and my eyes are itchy. At first, I thought I was just very tired, but after reading this article, I might have found out why.

According to The Medical billing & Codin, when using my mobile phone, I blink roughly 6-8 times per minute. Normally, one should blink 16-20 times a minute! Add a bad posture to that and you will get a headache. Considering we spend an average of 3 hours daily in front of a screen (personally, I think it’s a lot more than that), it is important to take breaks regularly to avoid permanent damage.

Lately, we have been hearing a lot about mobile applications helping you out with watching your health, but what about the repercussions that same mobile has ON your health? And today’s kids’, who send text-messages repeatedly and can’t hang up the phone for a second. How will their health be in the future? Will they end up with chronic diseases, eye problems, hearing problems? Nothing has yet to confirm 100% the impact our mobile has on our health. Is it really safe?

Have you read these lines on your mobile? You remembered to blink, right?

Additional source: http://bit.ly/u6EZKK (in french)