New ArgusConnect Support Services Policy – Details of Pricing and Discounts

Attached Files
Support Services Communique Followup - 31 July 2008.pdf

ArgusConnect has a new Support Services Policy that will take effect from 1 September 2008.

For GPs, Specialists and Allied Health practitioners the Argus software remains free, there are no per message charges, and all will now be on the same level for support arrangements. The new Priority Support charges are summarised in the following table:

Part-time practitioners attending five or less sessions per week are eligible for a further discount and pay only 60% of the applicable full-time rate. Each practice must pay for at least one practitioner at the full-time rate.

The cost of Priority Support per practitioner equates to between approximately one and five postage stamps per week. Practices should be able to save many times this cost per year by sending and/or receiving electronic clinical reports via Argus - from reduced costs of paper, envelopes, printing, postage, faxing, handling, scanning, storage and retrieval of paper documents. Other benefits will be increased security, delivery assurance, speed of communication and seamless integration into your patient management software.

How do I register and pay for Priority Support?
You can register for Priority Support from 4 August onwards through our website at http://www.argusconnect.com.au/priority-support or simply go to our web site and select “Support” in the menu. Instructions on how to pay are provided in the registration process. Please note that you will not be able to apply until 4 August.

Why do I need Priority Support?
We understand that health practitioners and their staff are consistently under time and resource pressure. You just want things to work when you need them to work. You haven’t got time to try and work out what is wrong, you just want it fixed – NOW! Argus Priority Support entitles you to immediate priority Help Desk assistance to resolve problems or issues that may impact on your continued smooth use of Argus secure clinical messaging.

What is Priority Support?
If you have any problem with your message sending or receiving you can telephone our Priority Support hotline and receive immediate assistance. The ArgusConnect Support Team members are trained to:

• diagnose problems
• talk you or your staff through the problem until the matter is fixed
• connect to your computer remotely to resolve technical problems

We provide assistance with:

• reinstalling or upgrading the Argus software, if necessary
• configuration of Argus and clinical software and rectification of any integration problems
• to ensure continued seamless interoperability
• network problems that affect Argus operation and performance
• error notifications arising from message errors or message delivery acknowledgement
• failures

You get Priority Support assistance Monday to Friday between 9:00 hours to 17:00 hours Eastern Standard Time and after hours telephone assistance between 7:00 hours to 9:00 hours and 17:00 to 20:00 hours Monday to Friday and between 8:00 to 13:00 hours on Saturday only. In addition, Priority Support clients will have the ability to receive software upgrades semiautomatically online and, in a few months’ time, will also receive an enhanced automated address-book update function.

If, at this time, you decide not to take up paid Priority Support, then support will only be available to you for problems reported via email and we cannot guarantee any specific response or turn-around time.

At ArgusConnect we encourage you to take up Priority Support to ensure optimum Argus secure messaging performance between you and your health provider partners. In doing so, you will also be contributing to the ongoing development and improvement of the Argus software which will further benefit you, your health provider colleagues and your patients into the future. If you have any questions please contact us through our contact form, by email (argus@argusconnect.com.au) or phone (03) 5335 2220.

† The Argus Affinity program is aimed at helping Divisions build secure electronic clinical messaging connectivity and benefits in their region. We are now working with 50% of NSW Divisions, over 65% of Victorian Divisions, over 71% of SA Divisions, over 16% of QLD Divisions and 100% of NT Divisions. GPs, Specialists and Allied Health practitioners are eligible for the Argus Affinity discount rate if they are located in a Division of General Practice that is participating in the Argus Affinity program. If you are not sure whether you qualify for the Argus Affinity discount please contact ArgusConnect.