One of my patients was a computer programmer and so I commissioned him to write a program. He was needing too many reminders for my liking, so I started looking around for a program already written. He did eventually show me a layout which looked very similar to MDW2. Somehow I came across a Dr. Flaherty in Tasmania (? An OZ Doc Ad.) who had written his own prescription writing program and after a phone call, he sent me his program on the promise of me paying him the cost of a HDD for it if I used it, which was about $500 at the time. (1991) At about the same time (early 1992), I mentioned to Mark Geard, a Pfizer Representative, what I was doing as he was surprised to see a computer on my desk. He mentioned that a Dr. Frank Pyefinch in Bundaberg was also doing the same thing and had already had his program up and running. I immediately rang him up and he sent me his program so I had two to choose from. I cannot remember why I chose to go with Frank's but I think I was not able to set up Dr. Flaherty's properly.

        I was most impressed with Frank's simple script writing program which worked quite easily printing on continuous paper. He said the hardest job was to get the bureaucrats down in Canberra to allow him to use computer generated scripts. I quickly implemented the program and my patients were most impressed to see my scripts, being the first one in Brisbane, and were most complementary.

        As it was, I was going up to Heron Island for a weeks holiday in May 1992 and so I arranged to meet Frank on the way. I also met his wife Lorraine and I can clearly remember her asking me whether I thought that the program was worth buying by GP's. I immediately said "of course" and looking back, I find it hard to believe how prophetic that remark was. It is the program that is now on the most number of GP's desk.

        I went on to have an excellent holiday with my family at Heron, meeting the State Manager for Pfizer doing the same five day package deal! Incidentally, Mark Geard , the Pfizer Rep who introduced me to Frank, now has his job and no doubt deservedly so.

        The next months (and years) comprised of Frank writing and me testing the program, with many a late night with telephone file transfers, it being before the age of easy access to the Internet.

        The program, now christened by Frank and Lorraine as Medical Director, was released at the annual AMAQ Computer Expo in Brisbane on 12th. September 1992. Frank and Lorraine drove down for the week-end and it was received with great interest, being the only prescription program there. All the other programs were for accounting packages costing thousands of dollars. Frank had "borrowed" the drug database from a pharmacy in Bundaberg so I was keen for MIMS to get involved and relieve Frank having to update the drug database manually.

        Prior to the release, as I was involved in collecting prescription data for IMS, I came to know that a Mr.de Morentin of IMS (a related company of MIMS) was coincidentally visiting Brisbane on the same day as the AMAQ computer Expo. I wrote to Chris Wills at MIMS suggesting that he come up with Mr. de Morentin and he agreed to a meeting and a personal demonstration was given to them at the Brisbane Sheraton. IMS/MIMS paid for a very pleasant dinner at the Sheraton's premier restaurant with Lorraine and my wife Gabrielle being included. Chris Wills eventually sent Frank the database after a very long period and a quite a few reminders.

        After the release, I gave my first solo demonstration of the program, lugging my pride and joy surgery desktop, monitor and dot matrix printer to my Local Medical Association at the next meeting which was appropriately sponsored by Pfizer. Actually, the same thing repeated itself multiple times as Frank always planned to release new versions at the annual AMAQ computer day, and the next LMA meeting was invariably sponsored by Pfizer. Most appropriate as I prescribed and still do, their Vibramycin as my first line antibiotic in URTI.

        Not only giving suggestions and Beta-testing most of the time ever since, I have also given many a demonstration to other medical groups in Brisbane and written incessantly to medical magazines on Medical Director. I think I was described as somewhat of a loose cannon with my enthusiasm!

        Back to the program's development: despite repeated contacts, Chris Wills/MIMS dragged their feet on allowing their database to be used. At the RACGP computer conference in Melbourne in 1993, Frank met up with Andrew Magennis (also a GP) who had the AZdex, a drug database in competition to MIMS. Frank took the plunge and teamed up with him which was not appreciated by Chris Wills who demanded and got his database back. This has turned out to have been a very good move as MIMS now have their own doctor's desk program (MIMS Script), but it has not been nearly as successful so far as Medical Director. Chris must be kicking himself.

        The third partner in the success of Medical Director has been Rupert Northcott. He came on the scene in 1994 when a drug marketing company CWFS wanted to use MD as a marketing tool. Rupert was their representative and had the idea of the adverts incorporated in the program. A sample disk was sent around to 1200 doctors to test the acceptance of advertising in the program and the result was very favourable. Medical Director Pvt. Ltd. was formed as a result which has provide GP's with this ridiculously inexpensive product that we have today, supported primarily by advertising. (It is ironic that Pfizer, so germanic to it's development, did not advertise in Medical Director for a number of years.) Rupert used his world class marketing and presentation expertise and eventually bought out CWFS's share and Medical Director's fortunes have never looked back.

        There are now many Beta-testers of the program. My suggestions have eventually become only a very small part of the whole program and that is the secret behind MD's success: Frank's willingness to incorporate almost all of suggestions that are made to him, not only by the Beta testers but the end users. He has made it very user friendly, especially MDW2.

        Frank and Lorraine's life since the birth of Medical Director has been very hectic. At the very beginning when I met Frank, he was completing a diploma in computing at Rockhampton . He was also working full time as a GP in Bundaberg and had a young family. He had long suffering GP partners and eventually, when MD took off, he sold his share in his Practice and became a part-time GP working 3 sessions a week in his old Practice to keep his hand in and to test his program. Lorraine, was an integral part of MD working in the office and is an accomplished program demonstrator, travelling Australia to the computer conventions. Where she found the time or inclination to become a Councillor in Bundaberg's City Council is amazing. Their home phone used to run hot.

        The pressure of running a successful evolving medical program placed all the three partners under significant pressure with quarterly deadlines for updates. Therefore it is not surprising when HCN came along and gave them an offer that they took it.. However, let's hope that Frank remains as their main developer as all the three partners were part paid in HCN shares. I do not use anywhere near all of the features of the program, so I do not have any further wishes other than having MD keep up with developments in the Australian Health system such as being allowed to access automated Authorities when that comes in. Actually, Frank, I would still like a button for the Address Book......my last wish was the proper word-processor which we are Beta testing for version 2.5. Also, let's hope that HCN keep the open access linking to Accounting packages too. Monopolies of any sort are not good for development & service á la Telecom.

        Thanks Frank for writing this program and allowing me to share in it's development. I cannot practice GP without it. I am totally Medical Director dependent; does that mean I am addicted to it too?

        Post script: It is ironic that Chris Wills has a major shareholding in HCN, but still retains his ownership of MIMS Script. We live in interesting times.