Customer Support Blog

This morning we had a bit of an early start, going to Downeast Horizons in Ellsworth at ten a.m. to meet with Jeff Jones (the first guy we’ve met with).  Jeff was very helpful with providing some ideas and feedback on the user guide, though he, like everyone else, hasn’t used it very much.

Afterward, we walked around Bar Harbor for a while and check out all the neat, artsy little shops in the area.  We had a tasty, but simple lunch in town and then continued on our way back to Auburn.  The ride was long, but we got to listen to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on tape.  I, of course, nodded off.

We got to the Marriott in Auburn and took a quick trip to the Walmart, where we bought our dinner.  It’s maybe the classiest thing I’ve ever eaten.  Spaghettios and Nestle Chocolate Milk.

We have an early morning to catch our 11 o’clock train out of Boston.  I’m pretty excited to go home, but I had a ton of fun this week and it was really interesting to get to see the places where Therap is used.  We owe a ton to Deb for putting up with us and taking us to so many cool places.  Thanks a bunch!

Danica and I woke up this morning, grabbed some “Continental breakfast” (Danica learned what it was this morning and referenced it frequently), and met Deb in the front of the hotel.  We drove over to Downeast Horizons and met with Jeff Jones, a very friendly man who was quite enthusiastic about going paperless and the cloud.  It was exciting to listen to him, to hear the kind of excitement for the future Therap can inspire.  He confirmed the user guide opinions we heard in the first two meetings.  Danica and I have a great idea of where we want to take the user guide next.  There is a lot of work ahead of us!

After we finished speaking with Mr. Jones, we drove down to Bar Harbor and walked around the shops there.  They were awesome.  Deb showed us a great little artsy shop hidden in a maze of alleys and corner.  I fell in love with a little necklace that featured a painting on the back of a domino, and haven’t taken it off since.

We ate lunch outside, at a little bakery and restaurant.  It was cute, the food was good, and the weather was gorgeous.  It was nice to spend some time in the fresh air before the long drive back to Auburn.

We spent the drive back napping, listening to Harry Potter, drinking chocolate milk, and eating very messy blueberry turnovers.  Awesome.

Deb dropped us off at our last hotel pretty early.  Danica and I are staying in a cute, little, almost apartment-like suite.  Feeling cheerful and inspired, we walked to a nearby Walmart and got all the ingedients for the ideal dessert – Spaghetti-o’s, Nesquik, and no-bake desserts.  Awesome.

This has been a pretty cool time, for a first-business-trip-ever.  Between figuring out this user guide business and seeing a state I’ve never visited before, I feel quite accomplished and very pleased. We’ll be home tomorrow, and it really seems like the past four days have flown by.  A million thank yous to Deb for her patience and enthusiasm, and to everyone who let us speak with them about the user guide.

(We’ll add pictures to these when we get back!)

-Iona

Today has been a long day so far, although I haven’t done much.  We checked out of our hotel around 11:30 after having maybe the most delicious waffle of my life (and I eat a lot of waffles) and watching a show about Summer, Linda and Michael competing to win the right to design a couple’s wedding.  Deb picked us up and we started the long journey to our hotel in Ellsworth, Maine.

We received the somewhat disappointing news that our appointment for today was canceled due to some sort of unspecified crisis, which is quite worrisome.  We lunched at a Panera Bread, which was in Augusta, if I recall correctly.  Then we continued on the drive to Ellsworth, where we currently are.  The drive wasn’t too bad, since we had not only Harry Potter on tape, but also Deb’s stories about local places to keep us entertained.

Once we had checked in to the hotel, we went over Confluence with Deb, which is a little boring, so I’ll spare the details.

After that, Deb took us to Mt. Desert Island, which is part of Acadia National Park.  We took a really nice drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain, and it was pretty spectacular.  The mountain was mainly made pink granite, which looks very pretty and would make a nice counter top in my kitchen someday.  The top of that mountain might have been the windiest place I’ve ever been, which is saying a lot considering I live in a neighborhood were the winds are so strong the walls get a bit noisy.

The view from the top was really lovely, although it did serious damage to my very carefully style hair (that’s a joke, I don’t style my hair).

After we’d finished atop the mountain, we drove down a little bit and parked near Bubble Lake, which was also pretty amazing.  We walked around there for a while, crossed over some pretty cool stepping stones (they looked really cool and geometric) and Iona went exploring into a tunnel that ran under the road, which was very brave of her.  I stayed behind and took pictures, because unlike her fancy hiking boots, my Chuck Taylors are decidedly not waterproof.

We walked along a trail for a while, which was, along with being very scenic, a loop trail, albeit a large one, so we turned back and went for dinner at Jordan Pond House Restaurant.  The food was quite good, especially their homemade ice cream (we tried peach and chocolate).  I also tried something new, called a pop-over, which is a hollow sort of croissant.  Odd, but tasty.  We spent some time browsing the gift shop.

On our way out, I saw the biggest, whitest, most fluffy dog in the world.  It was, as Iona said, “a cloud with legs.”

So now, after a long day, I’m sitting back here in the hotel, looking forward to the meeting we have planned for tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Danica and I had an easy morning, as Deb had some things to do and our meeting was canceled.  We explored the hotel breakfast more thoroughly.  I ordered a broccoli-mushroom-cheese omelet (delicious), while Danica took on the waffle maker.  We proceeded to watch Battle of the Wedding Designers while we packed up all our stuff and prepared to get back on the road.

Deb picked us up, and we chatted and listened to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on tape (well, CD, but you know…) as we headed towards Ellsworth and our next hotel.

We stopped at a quite large, quite nice Panera for lunch, where I discovered that Deb shares my adoration for the BBQ Chopped Chicken salad.  Mmm.  Just wonderful.

We got back on the road and drove by gorgeous trees and water for another couple hours before arriving at our new hotel.  The beds were very tall, and quite entertaining.  We sat down with Deb and went over the basics on confluence that we used to change over the user guide, so she’d have an easy time when we worked on updating its content.

When that was settled, we headed back onto the road and drove to Acadia National Park.  This is located on the beautiful Mount Desert Island.  We drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain (fun fact: it’s one of the first places in the United States to see the sun rise!), a gorgeous winding drive up the steep sides of the mountain.  We got out at the extremely windy top and took our time taking pictures, climbing on rocks, and enjoying the beautiful view.

We got back in the car and continued along the road, getting out again to explore the trails around Bubble Pond, a beautiful lake edged by tree-covered hills and bathed in low sunlight.  We walked around the edge of the lake for a while, hopped across small streams using stepping stones, and explored to our heart’s content.

It was wandering along the side of one small stream that we encountered a cylindrical tunnel letting water through the hill under the road.  The water was only a few inches deep, and the tunnel several feet in diameter, so I was (obviously) determined to explore it.  Danica wouldn’t go in her Converse, but I and my trusty hiking boots made it through the entire tunnel, climbing back over the top of the road in a rather triumphant mood.

We explored a little longer, then headed over to the Jordan Pond House Restaurant for dinner.  That was awesome.  I had a popover (think…a croissant shaped like an eccentric muffin), swordfish with couscous and vegetables, and then Danica and I split some delicious brownie-with-chocolate-and-peach-ice-cream concoction.  Wonderful.

It was a tired ride back to the hotel, but we were serenaded again by Harry Potter on tape.  The moon was a deep red color, sitting on the horizon.  How peculiar.  What a day.  I certainly owe Deb a tremendous thank you for the wonderful adventures she leads us on (and the good food that comes with them)!

-Iona

Once again I woke up at six a.m. this morning.  I believe it had something to do with the extraordinary brightness of the sun coming in through the windows.  I’m hoping this isn’t going to become a habit.

This morning, Deb, Iona and I met with Zoe Sweet, who is the executive director at Lutheran Social Services in Auburn, Maine.  Although she didn’t use the User Guide very much, she was still able to provide some useful feedback for Iona and I.  Our meeting was admittedly somewhat brief, although we got to sit in while Deb helped Zoe work through some problems she’d been having with Therap.

After a brief stint at Starbucks where we talked about the User Guide and some of the things we would want to see done with, including some aesthetic design changes.  I think we’d like to be able to give our new User Guide pages a cleaner, more uniform and organized look.

Our next meeting was at John F. Murphy Houses (JFM) with Laurie Cyr.  Our meeting with Laurie was longer and we got a lot of very useful feedback from her.  She gave us the great idea of including a section on tips for more advanced users, which she said she would be interesting in providing information for.  She gave us a lot of other ideas that would be a little bit dull to read about, I’m sure.

We had an awesome lunch at another of Deb’s great finds, a place called Heidi’s, where we all had bread bowls with some very tasty soup.  If you’re in the area, I would definitely recommend it.  After that there was a brief sojourn to Walmart so I could buy a bathing suit (I later found out the hotel pool is closed, but maybe we’ll have better luck at the next one) and Iona could find some batteries.

During the ride to the beach, Iona and I both nodded off, but the ride was definitely worth it.  Deb took us to Popham beach, which was also an important historical site (so important it had a passport stamp).  It is home to a military for that was used in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World War I.  It was really interesting and super cool to look around.

Iona and I also spent about two hours wandering around the adjacent beach, collecting sand dollars and taking artsy pictures.  The beach was really beautiful and even though there were other people there, it had this sort of untouched loveliness to it.  The water was freezing!

After a quick dinner at Fat Boys and introducing Deb to A Very Potter Musical, we came back to the hotel and looked at all out artsy photos.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow and I can’t wait to write about it.

I woke up this morning to an alarmingly bright room.  Convinced I overslept, I glanced over at Danica, who was awake as well.  Nope.  It was just six in the morning in Maine.  We both dozed off for another two hours, then got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast.  When we were back in our room packing some things for the day, we looked out the window and realized there was some gorgeous water behind the hotel, with waterfalls and a cute train track.  We still had a few minutes before Deb was supposed to come get us, so we hurried outside to take a look.  Beautiful!

Deb picked us up, and we went to visit Lutheran Social Services.  We spoke with a woman named Zoe Sweet. Danica and I got to ask her questions about how we can improve the user guide in the future, and watch as Deb helped her with some questions she had.  It was pretty awesome to see the program I’ve heard about for years (and spent the summer working on a user guide for) at work.  Ms. Sweet was very nice and very helpful, and it was great to be able to speak with her.

We had a little time before our next meeting, so we went to a local Starbucks to talk about the user guide, type up our notes, and drink double chocolaty chip frappuccinos.  Yum.  It’s like a chocolate shake, but it tastes expensive.

The next place we visited was John F. Murphy Homes, where we spoke with a very friendly woman named Laurie Cyr.  It was quite a different meeting, as they have been using Therap for years.  She was very helpful, and gave us a good idea of where we think we want to take the project next.  She also spoke very nicely of my dad, and was cheerfully surprised to find out we were related.  I was rather proud. I guess he does do an okay job at what he does after all. (I love you, dad.)  It was really neat to see how differently two agencies can use the same tool.

After that, Deb took us to Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli, where Danica and I had chicken noodle soup in bread bowls, chocolate milk, and apples.  Not that we have similar tastes, or anything.  It was all delicious, and Deb had the pleasure of learning everything there is to know about the FIRST Robotics Competition and how awesome it is.

Deb dropped us off at a very classy Walmart so Danica could locate a swim suit and I could get some batteries.  I also (with Danica’s total support) spent two dollars on a gift bag with shiny silver tools on it.  I think I’ll just hang it on my wall in college.  It’s awesome.Danica and I napped briefly on the drive to the beach.  We got out of the car at Fort Popham, a coastal defense land battery named after George Popham, leader of the Popham Colony.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places, so you could stamp your passport there.  It was neat, and a lot of fun to explore.  Danica and I took a breath, held hands, and crept into a very dark room with only the light of our camera flash.  It was quite alarming, but luckily we encountered nothing scarier than a rather bemused spider.

Danica and I explored for the next two hours, leaving Deb to relax on the beach.  We walked up the beach, taking photos and playing with our reflections in the sand.  We realized that the changing tide was revealing a sort-of path out to an island, and decided to brave the remaining waters to get there.  It was well wroth it.  We scrambled on some rocks and chased some birds before heading back.  There was much excitement when I found a sand dollar, and when we realized there were several, we spent the whole walk back with our heads down.  Much fun.

For dinner, we went to a drive in place called Fat Boy.  That was fun.  I had a grilled cheese and, more excitingly, an orange cream frappe.  Ridiculously delicious.  When we discovered that Deb was a Harry Potter fan, Danica and I instantly had to show her the beginning of A Very Potter Musical.  She’s tolerating us very well.

Now we’re back at the hotel, listening to music, talking to everyone at home, and getting ready for tomorrow.  Today was pretty awesome.

-Iona

So.  Danica and I have left the comfort of our cozy intern cave (aka the tiny back room in Therap’s Waterbury office) to venture forth into the world (aka Maine).

At about eleven this morning, my mother drove the great distance (520 yards, actually) to pick up Danica, then took the two of us to the Bridgeport train station.  The parking garage had steep ramps and sharp corners and was generally terrifying in the boxy van.  However, it was quite conveniently right across from the train station.

There was a brief moment of panic when it was determined that our train to Boston was supposed to arrive at 12:12 and not 12:30 as we had previously believed (made worse by the fact that we picked up the tickets at 12:11), but as we rushed out onto the platform an announcement played stating that the train was running twenty minutes late. Relief.

After some waiting, I decided to double check with the others that we were on the right side of the tracks.  This thought had never occurred to my mother, and Danica just assumed that the train took up the entire space.  Oh dear.  Turns out we were supposed to be on the other side.

We made it with plenty of time.  Danica and I bid my mother farewell and got on the train.  However, we had to go all the way to the front of the coach cars (and were warned “no phones, no fun” in the quiet car) and then track back to the very last car in the train to find two seats together.  Exhausting.  However, the rest of the train ride was an easy, if long, one.

We got off the train and Deb met us at the top of the escalators.  I attempted to pull off a bag in one hand, a drink in the other, and balancing as we took another train.  Not so much.  The bag got to sit on the floor, but in no time we were off and at her car.The drive from Boston to Maine was beautiful, all green trees and blue water.  I dozed off at one point and woke up on the middle of a bridge, surrounded by gorgeous water and boats.  It was quite the surprise.

We drove into Portland and had dinner at the Flatbread Company, a flatbread pizza restaurant by the water.  There was a short wait, easily passed by watching kids play by the dock and listening to a man play something that sounded like a cross between bagpipes and a harmonica.

We ate out on a deck where you could see the water in between the floorboards.  The food was great, from the mandarin orange soda to the salad (with seaweed!) to the huge, cheesy, randomly sliced flatbread.  It was quite the satisfying meal.

Deb brought us back to a hotel, where we will be spending the next two nights.  In the morning, we’ll be heading off to help Deb as best we can and try and get some advice from Therap customers on what they want from their user guide.  Wish us luck!

–Iona

EDIT: Figured out how to add the images!  If anyone knows what the man in the photograph is playing, feel free to let me know.  Also, the titles for every day’s blog post by Danica and myself will be linked.  Keep an eye out.

This morning I woke up at about six a.m., not because I was too excited for this trip to sleep, but because I had gotten a text about a broken computer.  It would be a lie, though, to say I wasn’t very excited to going to the fine state of Maine.   Mrs. Brockie and Iona picked me up around eleven, and after standing around on the wrong platform and waiting for our somewhat delayed train to arrive at the Bridgeport train station, Iona and I went through the somewhat arduous task of find seats together.

Once we had done that, we sat. And sat. And sat.  One very long train ride that took us to Boston where Deb met us at the top of an escalator, which initially seemed to be a somewhat cryptic meeting place.  We scored some beverages from Dunkin’ Donuts and continued on our way to Portland, Maine.

The ride to Portland was quite nice, as we were surrounded by trees and driving without the inconvenience of gridlock.  Iona, much as she had the whole trip and will surely continue to do, took pictures of the scenic route around us.  And of me, much to my chagrin.

In Portland, we had a delicious dinner of flatbread (which is more or less pizza)  at a restaurant the name of which I can’t recall.  It came highly recommended at the suggestion of Deb.  This place had a great sort of vibe, a fabulous view (I saw a low-flying airplane and some boats) and a waiter who remembered our order without even having to write it down.

And so that was how I came to be where I am now: at the Hilton in Auburn, Maine, typing this post with internet from the adorably named MiFi router.  I’ll admit, I’m jealous Iona gets to use the netbook.

The rest of the week promises to be busy, and more than likely productive.  We will be meeting with two companies tomorrow to gather their questions and suggestions about the User Guide, which Iona and I have been toiling at these past weeks.

The four day long HIMSS10 conference ended yesterday. Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger gave the closing keynote address. He pointed out how aviation culture fosters safety and lessons health sector can take from that. Evidence based checklists for emergency situation has been there for so long in aviation sector but in practice of medicine its often absent which increase the risk. Captain Sully also emphasized that its not just checklist but the teamwork, process and attitude combined with years of disciplined practice come into play in an emergency situation. As he said – nothing can be more costly than not having the culture of safety, I can completely relate to that when I think of our rigorous process of software development and testing to ensure the safety and security of data we deal with through our applications.

Captain Sully

Earlier Thursday morning, there was another informative keynote session where Sanjay Gupta interviewed Harry Markopolis about Medicare Fraud. He discussed how using Electronic Health Record (EHR) can reduce the risk and help identifying fraud.

Sanjay Gupta & Harry Markopolis

Apart from the keynote sessions there were numerous educational sessions on EHR, PHR, Interoperability, Meaningful Use, Privacy and Security, Health Information Exchange, NHIN etc. by industry leaders, thinkers and policy makers. As a whole, it was a very satisfying experience as we found how our strategic goals well aligned with industry trends and demands.

HIMSS10

There are two huge exhibition stalls in the HIMSS10, each one is about 4 times the size of a football field.  There are vendors of all kinds here.  From vendors that sell wall mounting equipment for hospitals to the gigantic healthcare IT companies like Epic and McKesson.

The stalls did everything they could to attract visitors.  One vendor was doing a rope magic show, to make their sales pitch:

Magic Show

Even Cisco was doing a magic show:

Cisco's Magic Show

The shows were pretty interesting.  It gave a breath of life in the mid of seriousness.