Frequently Asked Questions

Q) Who can purchase HCPcast?

A) HCPcast is only made available to a Health Care Professional. HCPcast is a service offered by Soothee, Inc.

Q) How can I re-use a computer I already have?

A) Soothee Inc. will re-use your Windows XP Professional system containing Service Pack 2 or Higher and 1 MB of RAM or higher, when you chose that purchase option and send us the computer after we confirm purchase, system configuration, and give you the shipping address.

Q) What type of computer do I get when I purchase one?

A) A Windows system, with proper memory, unwarrantied. Typically, a laptop with cooling pad is provided to take up as little office space as possible. You must supply your own monitor, if you wish one, or you can simply run the laptop open for smaller offices. If you wish a warranty, simply purchase a computer of your choice with Windows XP SP3 and 1 GB RAM, and we will set up your warrantied system for you.

Q) Is everything really updating that automatic?

A) Yes. Once your important sayings, mottos, office policies, standard office hours are entered into the system, it automatically updates with calendars for your country, artwork, and educational packages without you needing to do a thing!

Q) What happens if I wish to cancel service?

A) Simply notify Soothee by email at support@soothee.com. You will be instructed how to de-install the software. Once de-installed, you will recieve a pro-rated refund per cancellation schedule.

Q) What if I just have a computer problem?

A) Diagnosing and repair of your computer for hardware faults is your responsibility, though Soothee will offer guidance. If it is determined to be a problem on our end, we will repair software for pre-paid cost of shipping the system to Sothee and back to you.

Q) What if the computer itself totally breaks?

A) Soothee will arrange for you to only pay for a replacement computer plus shipping, on a per customer basis, with no added annual charges.

Q) How to we contact Soothee by phone?

A) As you might expect, connecting up with Health Care Professionals is difficult without an appointment. So, email is used to agree on an appointment time, at which point Soothee will call you. If you cannot make the appointment, one can be revised via staff, or by email again.

Q) What about monitors?

A) HCPcast displays to computer monitors with a standard VGA output of 1024×768 resolution. Since every office varies, Soothee Inc. keeps service costs lower by allowing each purchaser to separately acquire the particular type of VGA monitor which best suits the office. Standard PC monitors work very well on the receptionist’s counter top, for a cost-effective presence. However, one of the larger flat screen TV’s with a VGA input mounted on the wall will generate a more dominating office presence, but at higher cost. It’s considered typical to install the VGA capable TV on a wall with the VGA cable passing through the wall to the room behind, where the computer is located with LAN connection cable and power. The creative have thought about considering connecting the VGA output to a VGA splitter, and running VGA cables into every treatment room connected to a small wall monitor in every room. Others have considered using VGA wireless technology. One approach that does not look good is to view HCPcast through a VGA to an NTSC TV converter on a standard tube TV, wired or wireless, as HCPcast graphics are not NTSC safe title compliant. In other words, they use the full VGA screen, and when downconverted to a TV they bleed over the edges. The newer flat panel TVs with a separate VGA input work fine in general, though there is no other way to know for sure until you try it (meaning keep your flat panel TV receipt).

Every office is different. Soothee, Inc. focuses on providing the service only, but if Internet searchers look around, hardware of all kinds is available for purchase from a wide variety of vendors compatible with 1024×768 VGA. Send along your connection success stories. If we get enough of them with enough detail, perhaps they can be added to the HCPcast website for reference by others.

Q) What is the difference between a TV with a VGA input and a VGA monitor?

A modern flat panel TV with a VGA input also displays High Definition TV in a wide screen format, effective 2009. When watching the unit in TV mode, typically the screen is fully used from left to right. When in VGA mode accepting computer input, varying models and brands behave differently. Some center the VGA information in the middle of the screen with a left and right blank area which may be either black or white. Others stretch the VGA input so that round circles for instance become ovals. Any of the above is acceptable techically, though each Health Care Professional may have a personal appearance preference. The only way to insure what type of result one will obtain with HCPcast is to hook up the system to the monitor and see how it looks for oneself. In other words, try the monitor out of the box before mounting it on a wall, just in case a return of the TV/VGA is desired for personal asthetic reasons.

A regular VGA monitor has a legacy viewing format similar to a tube type TV. VGA will typically fill the screen with no border on either side. However, it cannot be used for TV off the air, generally. Flat panel monitors which are wall mountable are generally inexpensive. An older VGA tube type monitor is usually quite sufficient for a desk height display in the corner of a waiting room area. Nineteen inch diagonal VGA monitors will usually be large enough to be viewd by a person with 20:20 vision in a 10×20 waiting area for most HCPcast graphics other than the highly detailed US National Weather Service weather reports.

Q) Why do only you install HCPcast?

A) There is a specific procedure for HCPcast to be installed to function properly. To verify everything will be as smooth as possible for the Practitioner, it’s pre-tested to be working for each office. In other words, there is commitment to make sure than when it comes out of the box at the Practitioner’s office, it simply works properly and is ready to be connected to the office Internet. Everyone pretty much knows how to connect a computer to the Internet, plus it’s slightly different for each office anyway. But other than that, we know we have done our best to make this Easy, Simple, and Effective for you!

Q) How do I renew HCPcast?

A) Soothee, Inc. will email you a reminder in plenty of time.

Q) How reliable is the HCPcast service?

A) Many thousands of clients have been using the technology of HCPcast for over a decade.

Q) How exactly does the “$100 Forever Referral” Work?

A) Let’s say you use HCPcast and love it SO well, you call about ten fellow Practitioners. Eight of them look over the Web site, and sign up, entering your name in the “Referred By:” entry field on the order form. As each of them orders, you get $100 credit toward your next renewal. Since you would have more referral credit than renewal cost, your renewal is free for the next year. And if those people also renew, your credit also renews, so if they all renew every year, your renewal is also free every year. But, no, we don’t credit for more than what is due upon renewal, and we don’t accrue multi-year. But let’s say one drops the service because they are closing the office due to retirement. Then, you would have to make up for the missing $100 credit, or else find someone else to recommend who takes the service in their place for your service to remain free.

Why do the US weather graphics look so different?

Weather graphics come straight from NOAA, the US government weather agency. They are presented untouched and unmodified for consistency with NOAA weather reporting standards. A side effect is that some of the graphics are smaller, but it does make people focus on them harder, which is a good thing, because they are focusing on the screen harder too.

Graphics for Canada are provided as best as possible using US data, as the Queen of England owns the rights to all Canadian maps, including weather maps, and it’s a nightmare to get the permits to reproduce Canadian weather from Canadian sources for HCPcast. So we do the best we can, anyway, which means we use as much US data as we can instead.