 Consider desired scope of use versus budget constraints
MARS is designed and priced with flexibility in mind. Consider who in your practice will be using MARS, where they will need access from, what functionality within MARS they will depend on, and when they will be using it. Prioritize your practice’s needs and align them with your budget constraints. If some needs cannot be met initially, rest assured that MARS makes it easy to expand your environment in the future.
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 Explore integration
Consider what other software your practice currently uses and what information is stored which overlaps with your MARS records. Identify whether a one-time transfer of data or an ongoing data link would best suit the need. While mostly all software can be integrated through custom integration, a list of currently available interfaces can be found here.
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 Identify primary contacts
Encourage at least one staff member in each area of your practice (front office, nurse/histotech, physicians, etc.) to evaluate MARS in detail. If your practice has a relationship with an IT technician make him aware of your plans as well. Provide MARS contact information to each of them as well as information for all contacts to the MARS sales staff member assigned to you.
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 Consider process changes
Introducing a new software system can be a great opportunity to take a step back and analyze your current daily processes. Discuss any needed changes with your staff and define the process formally.
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 Identify hardware and software needs
Most practices can run MARS within their current environment without the need for any upgrades. Desktops will simply need to be running Windows XP or Vista and support displays of 1024x768 or higher (official system requirements). Mac OS X systems may simply use a solution such as VMWare Fusion to run a virtual instance of Windows. An internet connection is only required during installation. Network access to a common storage location is necessary if MARS will be accessed from multiple machines (more info).
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 Plan Installation
Once you have purchased all needed MARS licenses, identify who will be performing the installation and schedule the installation accordingly. The installation process uses simple wizards so many practices choose to have a staff member perform the installation on their own (using our installation guide) or with guidance from a MARS representative over the phone. Other options include your IT staff / third party IT provider or having a MARS technician perform an on-site installation.
Installation may take between 5 to 15 minutes per computer and consists primarily of installing the Microsoft Access Runtime (available for free) and the MARS installation package. Mapping a network location as a network drive may be necessary if MARS will be used on more than one computer and a network drive is not already available for this purpose.
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 Customize the software to your needs
Make sure to utilize MARS’s full capacity by customizing each section to best meet your practice’s needs. This can be done at no cost with the easy to use interfaces available within MARS. Some examples include modifying your note and letter templates, adding diagnoses or repair items not found in the standard list, or defining your patient history items to match your current forms.
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 Train Staff
Whether you use our standard software manuals, schedule a live web training event, or invite a MARS representative to train you on-site it is important that your staff receives adequate training before they begin using MARS on a daily basis. Be sure to take a practical approach exploring possible scenarios that come up in your practice and allow ample time for questions.
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 Go live
With a trained staff you will start experiencing the benefits of MARS immediately. However, we do recommend a phased approach when introducing MARS into your daily process. Allowing your practice to become fully familiar with one aspect of the process when using MARS before continuing to the next will guarantee a smooth transition. An example might be to start using MARS to log your Mohs and excision procedures for a while before introducing consultations, patient history, images and attachments, etc.
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