Preparing for the Paragon^® Version 9.1 Upgrade
By Janice MacDonald

Paragon^® continues to evolve at a rapid pace and proper planning is critical to successfully upgrading to Paragon Version 9.1 and beyond. This upgrade may require changes in hardware, software, and new system build depending on your current configuration. Extensive testing and staff training are also important components of any upgrade project plan.

The first things to consider are the hardware and software requirements. Microsoft SQL Server^® 2005 Enterprise Edition is a requirement for the Paragon 9.1 release, along with Microsoft Windows^® 2003 with Service Pack 2. In addition, the Paragon Application Server (NTIER Server) requires a dedicated server separate from all other Paragon servers for this upgrade. This means that the TEST Paragon Application Server (TEST NTIER Server) cannot be setup on the TEST SQL Server (TEST Database Server). The Paragon WebStation for Physicians release 9.1 requires .NET Framework 2.0™ Service pack 1 on your Web server. Workstation minimum requirements are for Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 4 or Windows XP with Service Park 2 or higher. Put all of these requirements together and there may be a need for new or additional hardware and reconfiguration of your current system set up.

There are hundreds of Product Change Requests (PCRs) in the 9.1 upgrade impacting every module. All of these PCRs require testing; many will impact existing workflows and require subsequent workflow revision and staff training. Significant enhancements and new functionality have been included in the Nursing and Clinical Care Station area, requiring additional resources for build, test, and training efforts. At minimum, changes are required for Flowsheet Objects changes including all Vital Signs, I/O Documentation, Measurements, IV Site Assessments, and Documentation Objects. The build of new assessments may be required and Version 9.1 provides the opportunity for Custom Defined Scoring Tools, such as the Falls Assessment Scale, Dynamic Gait Index, FIMS score and more. Existing tabs need to be revised to include newly available drop down boxes.

There needs to be careful coordination and management of the TEST and LIVE environments during the 9.1 upgrade to avoid (patient) data corruption. Many of the 9.1 Clinical CareStation enhancements require setup tasks to be performed in the TEST environment. Then, during the LIVE upgrade, data is copied from the TEST database to the LIVE database, which includes the changes made for the Clinical CareStation enhancements. Internal IDs on the database tables must stay synchronized, so no changes can be made to the LIVE Clinical CareStation reference masters prior to the 9.1 LIVE upgrade.

To speak to a VCS representative about how we can help you, contact us at (610)444.1233 or vcs@getvitalized.com. For more information about our services and solutions visit our website at www.getvitalized.com.