What's New With STD*MIS
Since January, 2002

August 4, 2004

Today we released the Performance Measures Report (CDCWKST6) for STD*MIS Versions 3.4 and 4.0b.   This report produces 5 of the required 12 CSPS performance measures.  Measures produced by the report are:

1.  Timeliness of P&S Syphilis Interviews (CSPS-PS1)

2.  Timeliness of Rx for Contacts to P&S Syphilis Cases (CSPS-PS2)

3.  Associates and Suspects Tested (CSPS-PS3)

4.  Associates and Suspects Treated (CSPS-PS4)

5.  Timeliness of "Priority" Gonorrhea Interviews (CSPS-PS5)

 

July 15, 2004

Today we released a update to STD*MIS version 4.0.  This new version, 4.0b, contains mostly technical fixes and updates.  Most important changes were improved handling of notes data in the new Windows environment, updating of SAS reports to print output to a .PDF file, and a change in the index files to make them more stable and to improve performance.

 

May 20, 2004

Today we released a major update to STD*MIS version 4.0.  This new version, 4.0a, contains updated data access software and implements a new file format based on Visual Foxpro.  This new format will provide greater performance and stability in version 4.0a and future versions.  In addition to the upgraded data access, this new version also contains fixes to several known problems in version 4.0.

 

February 6, 2004

Today we released a new version of STD*MIS, version 4.0.  The is new version is completely Windows-based and no longer requires DOS to run.  It can also use PC SAS as a reporting engine in place of the DOS-based EpiInfo 6.  In addition to the technical changes, this update also contains the enhancements listed below.

1. Updated the congenital data entry to incorporate the changes in the Congenital Syphilis Reporting Form.

2. Added a new field to capture neurosyphilis involvement for syphilis cases.

 3. Added soundex fields directly to needed tables to speed indexing, especially for Advantage sites.

4. Added Country to Geo_Area and Address tables.

5. Added ability to capture multiple race codes for an individual.

6. The limit on number of duplicate patients on the duplicate patient report has been removed. The report will now list out all the duplicates found, the only limitation being available hard drive space for storing the report.

7. Phone number and medical record number encrypted on uploads and extracts.

8. In applicable cases, morbidity diagnosis date and provider default to specimen collection date and provider on earliest related lab test.

9. Added question regarding gender of sex partners to interview record entry.

 

October 6, 2003

Today we released an update to the Morbidity Listing Report (CDCQA06) for those areas currently using Version 3.4 and above of Std*Mis.  The report was updated with a change in the format of the printed output.  The new format allows printing of the patient's entire name (first and last) without truncation.  First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page. Then download the updated reports.

 

September 11, 2003

Today we released the 3.4b update for STD*MIS Version 3.4.  This update contains the fixes and enhancements listed below.   First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page. Then download the updated reports.

1.   Any local use field that was assigned a user-defined screen prompt was also considered by the system to be a mandatory entry field.  This has been corrected.

2.   When importing ASCII morbidity and laboratory data,  the program now allows  the user to manually set the date of report (as opposed to having the date of report always defaulting to the date of import).

3.  When entering an ASCII import definition and setting up the provider cross-references, typing in the first letter of the provider name will cause the cursor to jump to the first provider in the cross-reference list whose name begins with that letter.

4.   When printing interview records, any NCI interviews will print "NCI" as the contact name.

5.   The list of ASCII lab records to be processed for possible follow-up can now be sorted and/or printed.  Current or previously processed records can be included in the printed report and for those already processed, the report will show what action was assigned.

6.   Hepatitis morbidity records can now be created.   Please note that we are in the process of updating many of the existing reports to accommodate this change.  These updated reports will be released as they are completed.

7.   Surveillance actions (closure, surveillance log, field records, etc.) can now be assigned to existing lab and morbidity records, as opposed to only being available when such records are initially entered into the system.  Existing lab and morbidity records can only be processed after they are entered if they are not already related to an interview record, field record, or OOJ log entry, or if they have not already been assigned an action.  Please note that if morbidity is created from a laboratory test entry, any subsequent actions will need to be initiated from the morbidity record, not from the test entry.

8.   An additional menu selection for the Notes records has been added to allow an existing notes record to be viewed by users with Record Search only rights.

9.    The print routine for field records has been updated to print  the name, address and phone number in smaller font to accommodate longer names.

10.  An additional provider type of "18 - Mental Health Provider" has been added.

11.  The time entries in Current.dbf have been updated to a 24-hour format to allow more correct comparison against existing STD*MIS files.

September 1, 2003

The Statistics and Data Management Branch relocated last week to Corporate Square, Building 1; consequently, all telephone numbers have changed.  Find out your STD*MIS support person's new number.

July 7, 2003

Today we released an update to the Field Investigation Workload (CDCWKST4) report for those areas currently using Version 3.3 and above of Std*Mis.   The report was updated to correct an error that  occurred when the report attempted to read data from a database field name that was mis-spelled.  This would then cause the report to crash.  First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page. Then download the updated reports.

June 27, 2003

Today we released, for areas currently using Std*Mis Version 3.4 and above, a new quality assurance report. This report, CDCQA13, identifies patients with possible duplicate morbidity reports.  The new report selects morbidity records based on a beginning and ending report date range and one or more diagnosis codes.  If a patient has more than one morbidity record that meet the selection criteria and the difference (in days) between the diagnosis dates on the records is equal to or less than the number of days specified by the user, the records are considered to be duplicates and are listed on the report.

June 17, 2003

Today we released, for those sites currently using Std*Mis Version 3.4, updates to six of the standard Std*Mis reports.  The updates are detailed below.  First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page. Then download the updated reports.

 1. CDCLAB01 - Lab/Provider Reporting Time Frames - this report has been updated to handle those areas who have a large number of entries (> 4000) in their laboratory and/or provider reference files.  The updated report can handle any number of lab or provider selections and is only limited by available disk space.

 2.  CDCLAB03 - Test Results by Test Type - this report has been updated to handle those areas who have a large number of entries (> 4000) in their laboratory and/or provider reference files.  The updated report can handle any number of lab or provider selections and is only limited by available disk space.

 3. CDCLAB04 - Summary of Laboratory Reporting - this report has been updated to handle those areas who have a large number of entries (> 4000) in their laboratory and/or provider reference files.  The updated report can handle any number of lab or provider selections and is only limited by available disk space.

 4. CDCQA08 - Provider Diagnosis to Treatment Time Frames - this report has been updated to handle those areas who have a large number of entries (> 4000) in their laboratory and/or provider reference files.  The updated report can handle any number of lab or provider selections and is only limited by available disk space.

 5. CHECKEYS - Database QA - updated to correct a minor defect.

 6. SEEKKEYS - Database QA - updated to correct a minor defect.

 May 22, 2003

Today we released, for project areas who are currently using Version 3.4a of Std*Mis, an update to three of the worker statistics reports - Worker Interview Activity (CDCWKST1), Case Management Report (CDCWKST2), and Program Indicator Report (CDCWKST3). Version 3.4a now defaults the entry of period partners to an unknown value of 999 (versus previous versions which defaulted this field to 0). Older versions of these reports will include the 999 values in the calculation of total period partners, causing these totals to be artificially inflated. The new version of these reports exclude the 999 values from the totals. First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page. Then download the updated reports.

May 13, 2003

Today we released the 3.4a update for STD*MIS Version 3.4.  This update contains the fixes and enhancements listed below.   First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page.

1.  Internal program configuration updated to make the system more stable, especially in Advantage environments. This includes both system and report programs.

2.  Setting a user's maximum login count to 99 disables login checking for that user.

3.  Certain numeric variables such as number of sex partners, weeks pregnant, etc. default to 9's for initial entry instead of 0.

4.  When initiating a field record from the surveillance log, the disease now is correctly carried over from the log to the fr.

5.  Corrected problem with accessing local reference files.

6.  The 2000 error limit for the Checkeys and Seekkeys reports has been removed. These reports will now list out all the errors they find, the only limitation being available hard drive space for storing the error list.

April 1, 2003

Today we released an update for STD*MIS Version 3.4.  This update contains the fixes and enhancements listed below.   First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page.

1. For Advantage users, remove error that occurs when accessing morbidity reports.

2. For Advantage users, remove error that occurs on batch reindexing.

3. Correct potential problem in selecting records for NETSS transmission.

4. Correct problem with closed dates not being printed on interview records.

5. Expand login counter field on user record screen to 2 digits.

6. Correct problem with local use files not appearing on lab analysis extract screens.

7. If login attempt fails, clear password entry before next try.

8. If using local reference files, only prompt for their use once at login.

9. For Advantage users, correct problem with using utility to repair corrupted Notes file.

10. For ASCII import users, correct problem with missing Event records for tests with negative results.

11. For ASCII import users, allow import of records with multiple cities with the same zip code.

12. Display the method of database access being used (Foxpro vs. Advantage) on the main screen.

March 14, 2003

Today we released an update to Version 3.3 of Std*Mis. This update fixes a problem with entering notes, i.e., the cursor does not appear when adding notes to a newly entered interview or field record.  First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page.

February 24, 2003

Today we released updates for both STD*MIS Versions 3.3 and 3.4. This update contains the fixes and enhancements listed below.   These updates affect both system programs and report programs  First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page.

Version 3.3

1.  Updated all system and report programs with new software that will allow these programs to run in a      more stable fashion under Windows XP.  This should help reduce or eliminate the system crashes, freezing, and other problems that are now occurring when running STD*MIS on a Windows XP system.

 2.  Updated all system and report programs with new software that will significantly reduce CPU usage on any Windows machine. This should result in improved performance and stability on any Windows machine currently running STD*MIS.

 3. Corrected  a problem in morbidity entry that prevented morbidity added retroactively to another event from being selected for upload without having to backdate the upload selection date.

 4. Corrected several issues with congenital case classification. Fixed defect that would not allow changing the case classification from one code to another. Fixed defect that would allow a case classification of 'confirmed' with negative DFA and darkfield results. Updated the case definition check for syphilitic stillbirth to be more accurate.

Version 3.4

1. Updated all system and report programs with new software that will allow these programs to run in a more stable fashion under Windows XP.  This should help reduce or eliminate the system crashes, freezing, and other problems that are now occurring when running STD*MIS on a Windows XP system.

 2. Corrected  a problem in morbidity entry that prevented morbidity added retroactively to another event from being selected for upload without having to backdate the upload selection date.

 3.  Corrected several issues with congenital case classification. Fixed defect that would not allow changing the case classification from one code to another. Fixed defect that would allow a case classification of 'confirmed' with negative DFA and darkfield results. Updated the case definition check for syphilitic stillbirth to be more accurate.

 4. Corrected problem with creating local use files in any location other than the STD*MIS directory. Removed this capability - local use files can only be created in the same directory as all other STD*MIS files.

 5. Corrected problem that occurs when attempting to reindex local use files if no local use files are currently activated.

 6. Corrected problem with newly activated morbidity and test local use files not showing up in the ASCII import definition screens.

January 27, 2003

Today we released version 3.4 for use in the field. This update contains the fixes and enhancements listed below.  First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page.

1.  Consolidated STDMaint.exe, STDSetup.exe and STDMis.exe into a single program (STDMis.exe).

2.  Allow users to create multiple local use files for easily extending system to capture additional data not covered in the base    system.

3.  Local use files can be deactivated when no longer needed.

4.  Allow users to create screen prompts and simple edit checks for entry of local use fields.

5.  Allow lab import to process data from multiple labs in the same file.

6.  Maintain a viewable list of users currently logged into the system. Configure number of allowable logins per user.

7.  Eliminate system crashes caused by mouse movement in Windows 2000.

8.  Modified internal keyboard handling to reduce CPU utilization under Windows.

9.  When initiating a FR from another event, put provider address line 2 in FR notes if available.

10.  Added school-based clinic as another provider type.

11.  Add "District" to lab import Review Pending List.

12.  Added IP/IPX indicators to main screen to indicate .exe type.

13.  Update unknown values on uploaded patient and address records with known values from subsequent uploads.

14.  Added diagnosis code 750 - Late syphilis with symptoms.

December 19, 2002

The Statistics and Data Management Branch relocated last week to Executive Park; consequently, all telephone numbers have changed.  Find out your STD*MIS support person's new number.

October 15, 2002

The STD*MIS Support Team is pleased to announce a new member to our Atlanta-based staff: Sheila Edwards.  Before joining our team, Sheila was a Program Analyst with the Syphilis Elimination program. Prior to that Sheila was assigned to the Fulton County, Georgia, Philadelphia and Chicago STD Programs as a Public Health Advisor. Sheila has assumed the primary support role for the following states/project areas: Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska.

Additionally, Darien Ogburn has assumed new duties as Deputy Branch Chief for the Statistics and Data Management Branch. Due to time constraints, he is no longer able to serve in a primary support role. Primary support for his states/project areas has been reassigned. Choose your state/project area from the drop down box, or click on your state on the map in order to determine whether your area's primary support person has changed. As always, any member of the team will be happy to assist anyone with support issues as they arise.

If you have any questions, contact your STD*MIS Support Person. 

June 11, 2002

Demo data for STD*MIS 3.3 is now available on the web. This data is designed to be utilized in an empty STD*MIS, and is for demonstration purposes only. To access the data, go to [outdated link removed; entry kept for archival purposes]. Uncompress the data into a blank STD*MIS; when asked if you wish to replace the current files, answer "Yes to All". NOTE: This will overwrite any data contained in the current files; please ensure you are using a test database for this demo data. After uncompressing this file, you will need to reindex all files using STDMaint.exe prior to launching the application.

If you have any questions, please contact your STD*MIS Support Person. 

May 24, 2002

STD*MIS.exe has been modified in order to address an issue with the ASCII import function. An error occurred when the import program attempted to link a newly imported laboratory test to an already-existing morbidity record. An incorrect value was written into the EVENT_ID field of the lab test; therefore, the linkage to the morbidity report was never created. First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page.  Then download CURRENT.DBF and STDMIS.ZIP.  Save these files to the directory containing STD*MIS.  Uncompress the STDMIS.ZIP file.  

If you have any questions about this issue, contact your STD*MIS Support Person.

February 11, 2002

NETSSOUT.exe has been modified to correct an error in the weekly extraction discovered in January 2002.  After installing the new NETTSOUT.exe, users will again be able to transmit 2001 additions, modifications and deletions with their 2002 weekly extraction files.  Please note: The cutoff date for 2001 is May 3, 2002.  First, select your currently used version from the Downloads page. Then, from the appropriate download page, download CURRENT.DBF and NETSSOUT.ZIP.  Save these files to the directory holding STD*MIS.  Uncompress the NETSSOUT.ZIP file.  You will not need to reindex after saving these files.

If you have any questions about this issue, contact your STD*MIS Support Person.