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Whether plaintiff or defendant, call accounting software can help you be prepared for telephone abuse litigation. In litigation, the burden of proof may lie with the plaintiff, however whether you are the one initiating the litigation, or you are the recipient of legal action, it never hurts to adopt the Boy Scouts of America motto - Be prepared!

Having a call accounting system with its call detail records can provide real-time monitoring of call data, should your business land in court over telephone abuse litigation. Call detail records, both local and long distance, can be used for usage verification, billing reconciliation, network management and to monitor telephone usage to determine volume of phone usage, as well as abuse of your company's telephone system. CDR's are an asset in managing long distance telephone costs and aid in the planning for future telecommunications needs.

Types of telephone abuse issues that can affect any organization include obscene or sexual harassment calls, bomb threats, 911 calls, calls from employees to competitors, and possible incidents of toll fraud.

For toll fraud, the key is to regularly monitor and observe suspicious call patterns which can indicate a hacker's attempts to gain access to the switch, such as:

*Repeated incoming calls

*Long holding times

*Surges in phone use

*Calls after business hours

Call accounting software has long been associated with hotel industries or telecom companies as a means of cost allocation and telecom billing. The benefits and return on investment are many regardless of corporate industry. In this case, it would serve as a viable tool in tracking the information you will need to present in front of that intimidating judge.

Call accounting software can provide in real time, the needed proof that the call took place, when and how long it lasted, as well as other valuable data that can stop offenders in their tracks, and discredit the opposition in legal issues.

Author, Karen Ritz, VP Business Development for TelSoft Solutions, writes on the business benefits of call accounting and call detail record technology. More information can be found at http://www.telsoft-solutions.com.

AP - No strollers near the U.S. Capitol. No tents on the National Mall. None of that Silly String on the parade route.

More independent physicians are partnering with their local hospitals to deliver efficient care to patients. These doctors and hospitals are employing a range of new information sharing technologies in order to facilitate access to patient information.

Without the aid of information sharing technology, hospitals and doctors often need to contact one another to ensure they have all the necessary information to prescribe treatment. This can lead to delays in treatment due to the waiting time for the transfer of patient information.

Information sharing networks eliminate this downtime by allowing physicians in private practice and those in community hospitals to access all records pertaining to a specific patient instantly.

This also diminishes the risk of valuable information being forgotten or omitted. Patient allergies to medications and previous treatment information are particularly relevant to physicians when trying to prescribe treatment. With new information sharing systems, doctors have a more reliable source to turn to for these types of information.

Integrated technology systems also facilitate physician workflow efficiency. Care providers can electronically submit laboratory and radiology orders to be viewed instantly by physicians either at their practices or at the community hospital.

McKesson, leading health care information technology provider, has several information sharing products in their line that have proven popular with community hospitals and physicians alike. Ten community hospitals have adopted programs such as Paragon Community Hospital Information System (HIS) and Practice Partner Electronic Health Records (EHR) in the last 12 months.

York Hospital in Maine and San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in California are just a few of the hospitals that have found the use of information sharing technology helpful, enabling them to offer safer, more efficient care to their patients. These programs generally work with the hospital's existing electronic infrastructure and are therefore easy to implement and use.

The ready sharing of information can also help to strengthen bonds among medical professionals. New technologies are reducing the barriers to information between physician practices and hospitals and creating a larger sense of community among those involved with patient care.

http://www.mckesson.com

AP - There may be a perfectly good reason why Santa doesn't get lost on his annual Christmas globetrot: His flying reindeer just might be female and don't mind stopping for directions.