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MeCARE Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you have any questions you would like to have included here,
please let me know by calling 624-5350 or by e-mail
Note: If you are reading this, you have obviously successfully "dialed in".
You may want to print this page for reference in the event that you can't dial in successfully in the future.
[DOT] Standard Dial-in Procedures [DOT] Closing Win95/Starting problems
[DOT] When I put in my password, I get a message saying "Local Login failed. Do you want to log in remotely?" What does this mean?
    This most probably means that you have mis-typed your password. Usually, if you respond "No" to the message above, and just retype your password correctly, you will get in to MeCare successfully. There have been a few times when, for some reason, you may also have to retype your MeCare id, as well as your password. Note: If you type your password in a different case (upper case vs lower case) that the password you entered into the system, you will get the same response.
[DOT] I have an assessment on my laptop, ready to go. When I attempt to complete the General Information Tab, nothing happens. What am I doing wrong?
    You need to complete the Referral Tab first, by entering a Scheduled Date and time, and then pressing the "Complete Schedule" button. When you do, the assessment will move from the Assessed state to the Scheduled state. At that time, you can complete all the other tabs. (It is assumed that you need to contact the consumer or representative first in order to verify the information on the Assessment Detail Tabs taken by Intake.
    [DOT] When I dial in, the SecureID number changes while I am trying to enter it. What should I do?
      You can re-enter the ID with the new number. Just remember to also re-enter your PIN number before entering the new SecureID number
    [DOT] I need to dial in from a location where you need to dial "9" before you can get an outside line. How do I do it?
      When you activate the Shiva Dial-up, you will see in the Shiva "box" a line saying "Phone number:" followed by the toll-free number (1 888 xxxxxxx) Just insert a 9 before the 1 - Note: If it takes a second or two for you to get a new dial tone after dialing 9, put a comma (,) in after the 9 and before the one (i.e. 9,1 888 xxxxxxx). Make sure you remove the "9," when you dial in on the next phone that doesn't need the "9"
    [DOT] I can't get in at all - who can I call?
      It really depends on the nature of your problem! If you think the problem is related to dialing in to the state network i.e. you don't get a "Passcode Accepted" message, or you can get in but don't seem to be able to connect to anything (i.e. you get "Passcode Accepted", but you cannot get to MeCare, the Internet, or e-mail) you should call the BIS Help Desk at 624-7700. Identify yourself as a MeCare Assessor, and explain your problem. If you can get to the internet and e-mail seems to work, but you cannot get to MeCare, contact David Perkins at 758-2341, and he should be able to help you.
    [DOT] After I have been working for a while, the laptop starts making a "whirring" noise. What is it?
      After you have been working for a while, the laptop starts to heat up. The noise is the laptops internal fan starting up. It's nothing to worry about. The laptop can become fairly warm. Just make sure that you don't leave it in extreme environments - i.e. in your car in the summer with the windows up.
    [DOT] How long can I run my laptop on batteries?
      There is an indicator in the LCD above the keyboard that tells you how much there is left in the battery (as a percentage of fully charged.)(IBM 760/77O ONLY) Usually you'll see a batter icon in the lower right hand corner of your screen. If you rest the mouse on the icon, it should indicate how much you have left. If you have two batteries in your laptop, it should last close to 3 hours. Note that when the indicator drops somewhere below 20%, the laptop will go in to "hibernation" mode - it should save all your work so that when you plug the laptop in to an outlet, you can continue work. You can plug your laptop in at any time - even if you have it running and MeCARE is active. If at all possible, you should take advantage of available outlets. The laptop will take up negligible power.
    [DOT] When I was connected to the server, I got a message that my connection was broken, asking me if I wanted to reconnect. Before I reconnected I got a MeCARE "Fatal error" message, and I was kicked out of MeCARE. What happened?
      The first message indicated that your telephone connection to MeCARE was disconnected for some reason - someone at your location may have picked up the phone, or somewhere between you and the MeCARE server the telphone connection was interrupted. If you are not activly performing some MeCARE activity, you may be able to reconnect with no problem. However, if you are attempting to perform some MeCARE activity, MeCARE will "time out" trying to do whatever it is trying to do, and will give you a "fatal error" message. You should re-connect, and check to see if you have lost any data. You should make a point of "Assessment/Save" often to make sure that if you lose anything, it will be minimal.
    [DOT] When should I dial in to MeCARE?
      You can dial in to MeCARE whenever you want to update the data on your laptop, send completed assessments to the server, or get new assessments to complete. It is good practice to connect first thing in the morning and after you have completed all the work you anticipate doing on the laptop.

      It's also a good idea to dial in whenever you have completed an assessment, or have scheduled one so that "central office" will be updated with that information.

    [DOT] What are those little graphics on the upper right hand corner of the MeCare screen?
      Those indicate client status for a numer of conditions. Specifically:
      • The green State of Maine - indicates the client is Medicaid eligible
      • The yellow State of Maine - indicates the client is "Pending" Medicaid
      • The gavel - indicates the client has a guardian
      • The pen & paper - indicates that there is some form of "Advanced Directive" in place
    [DOT] When does Medicaid information update my laptop?
      Medicaid information is passed to MeCare from the State of Maine's WELFRE system when a referral is created. When you accept a referral, you will get the most current Medicaid information. Each night, any new Medicaid information is passed from Welfre to MeCare. As long as an assessment on your laptop is in the Accepted or Scheduled state, it will be updated when you connect to the server. Note that this "feed" occurs once each night; therefore if you connect in the morning, don't expect to see any changes in regards to Medicaid information until the next day.