Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine

Attached are documents necessary to get started with M*Modal get started with M*Modal, set up the Philips Microphone Driver  and download and use the M*Modal microphone app

Here are FAQs regarding M*Modal

1. How will the change over happen for those who already use MModal?
   1. The servers will start to migrate to MModal on the weekend.  This means during the weekend MModal wll be removed from workstations where it was loaded and then the Servers will be migrated. There will be periods when MModal is not available during the weekend – This will affect particularly areas where it is used all hours (like the ED)
2. Do I have to use M*Modal or can I still use partial dictation?
   1. At this time, partial dictation will still work. M*Modal has slight learning curve but you save the time of re-reading and signing transcriptions later
   2. Many templates (particularly notewriter with macros) are still faster than dictating a whole note – consider M*Modal another tool in your arsenal to get good notes done as efficiently as possible.
   3. As the system progresses, we expect to use less partial dictation both to save cost as well as improve overall provider efficiency.
3. Will this work at home?  How about on Macs?

1. MModal will launch at home as well.  The voice profile and functionality will travel and be the same.
2. While we have had OK luck with Macs, there is less support.  One concern is getting the microphone to work correctly.  The MModal phone microphone app may be a better option and that will work more consistently.
1. Are we encouraging dictating? I thought the point of an EMR was to use templates and get discrete data?

1. There are always times when a template cannot capture the patient story well.  In these cases, a voice driven narrative can lead to a more clear note and better care. Templates are still great tools which can speed standard documentation.  Think of a documentation tool belt with smartphrases, smart text templates, voice recognition, notewriter and pictures.  Use the tool which works best!
2. Remember – Mmodal can also be used to make voice commands so you can activate your macros or templates even faster – getting the speed of voice with the benefit of templates.  More on that later this week.
1. I have a microphone I’ve been using at home for partial dictation, can I use it for MModal?  What if it isn’t a Philips Speechmike?

1. You can and should try it. If it is not a speechmike, it may still work well for capturing your voice but the buttons on the microphone may not work to put the software into “listening” mode.  If that is the case, you can click on the microphone symbol on the MModal button on screen and turn on and off that way.
2. The other alternative is to use the smartphone app
3. If you do have a Philips Speechmike at home, you will need to install the Philips driver to have the buttons work correctly.  Instructions for this for non-HFHS workstations are also on the Philips Microphone Driver Installation tip sheet.
1. I have seen Dragon talked about at some organizations, why are we using M*Modal?

1. MModal Fluency Direct and Nuance Dragon are both speech recognition software programs.  For the last several years we have used both in HFHS, Dragon mostly in Jackson and MModal in the Detroit area.  Based on that experience, HFHS went with MModal as it had a higher KLAS rating, was slightly more stable and more cost effective.  When The Dragon users in the hospital at Henry Ford Allegiance Health went live, the majority felt MModal quickly had better quality recognition than their Dragon experience. Getting the whole system on one platform allowed us to put it into the cloud so it would be more universally available.
1. I never dictate at all and don’t want this in my way.  Can I stop it from launching?

1. A few weeks after the go live is complete and user have had a chance to try MModal, we will allow users to put in a request to disable their personal MModal account so it no longer launches.
1. Can other staff besides providers use MModal?

1. After the go-live for providers is complete, we will open up the program for other users who will benefit from voice recognition.
1. Can I use MModal for other things besides Epic (like writing an email)

1. This requires putting the “full client” of mmodal on the workstation.  Non-epic users need to download the new desktop M*Modal Fluency Direct from Software Center to their PC to use M*Modal Fluency Direct. Users will log into FD with their Corp ID and Corp password (not Abcd1234 as the password).  The ID no longer will need to be in all caps.

What do I need to know – Getting Started:

1. If you were using M*Modal before, There should be no real change noticed on the machines where you have used it previously.  The icon will not be on the desktop as the program is in the cloud but it will work the same.
2. If you are new to voice recognition: your license should automatically work on any machine starting Monday.  You will need to do two things
   1. Set up with a microphone: Use either your Philips Speechmike which was used for partial dictation previously at HFHS and will need to install the driver at the machines where you need to dictate OR use your iPhone or Android phone with the MModal microphone app to link to your account and you can use that anywhere – even at home.  More on setting up the microphones later.
   2. Follow the quick start instructions in the “getting started with M-Modal Fluency Direct tip sheet attached to this email.
3. Setting up a microphone:

1. When MModal is moved into the cloud, the driver for the microphone needs to be the same in the cloud as on the PC.  That is why the Philips Speechmike is recommended.  If the correct driver is not installed, you may notice the microphone buttons do not work.  Follow the “Philips Microphone Driver Instructions” tip sheet to install the correct drivers. If you don’t, you may not be able to dictate OR you may need to click on the mmodal “button” onscreen using your mouse.
2. Philips Speechmike.
1. Using your smartphone as the microphone.

1. This is a recommended practice if you do not have a Philips Microphone.  Use the “M*Modal Mobile Microphone App” tip sheet to set up.