Getting Your Infrastructure Right Before You Open the Software

One of the most common reasons new ChiroTouch practices hit a wall in the first few weeks is a server that was never built for the job. The system expects a dedicated, standalone computer running Windows 11 (64-bit) or Microsoft Windows Server 2016 or newer. Laptops, Macs, and all-in-one units are explicitly not acceptable as the server machine, and the main computer cannot be a Mac under any configuration. For a practice with one to seven workstations, you need at least 6 GB of available RAM, 20 GB of free hard-drive space on a SATA III drive, and a CPU with a benchmark score of 3000 or higher on cpubenchmark.net. If you plan to run eight or more workstations, those numbers climb to 12 GB of RAM, 50 GB of storage, and a benchmark score of 8000 or higher. Before your onboarding specialist walks you through data transfer, confirm that the server machine meets these thresholds; retrofitting a laptop or a repurposed desktop halfway through go-live is far more disruptive than provisioning the right hardware from day one.

Two software pieces trip up practices more than any other. First, ChiroTouch runs on Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express Edition or Standard Edition (or newer), and the Standard Edition is the recommended choice when the EHR module is enabled. Second, every workstation must have the 32-bit version of Microsoft Office 365 installed locally and licensed for commercial use; this is not optional because the software relies on Word and Excel to open, export, and print forms and reports. Equally important, every workstation and every user on that workstation must be able to reach a shared directory on the server. If your office manager or IT person set up isolated machines with no shared-folder access, ChiroTouch will not function as intended. Confirm these three items—SQL Server edition, 32-bit Office 365, and a reachable shared directory—before the first provider logs in.

Network wiring matters more than most practice owners expect. Every workstation needs a 10/100/1000 Mbps wired connection or an 802.11ac wireless adapter, and the server itself must sit on a wired link. ChiroTouch also requires specific firewall ports to be open: 1433 for Microsoft SQL Server traffic, 8221 for iPad app traffic, and 443 for general web traffic. If your practice uses CTSecure for off-site data storage, the connection should support at least 25 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload. In a new-build or relocated office, it is worth having your IT vendor verify port availability and throughput before the ChiroTouch team begins configuration, because a blocked port or an under-provisioned line will surface as intermittent errors that are painful to diagnose after go-live.

Finally, spend ten minutes reviewing the list of known incompatibilities before you buy or install anything else on the server or workstations. ChiroTouch will not coexist with several other chiropractic applications, including ACOM Healthcare (on-premises version), ChiroNotes, ChiroOffice, Chiro8000 EHR, Attendant, EZBiz, MyoVision, Pinnacle, QuickCharts, Sage, and Seamless. It also does not support 32-bit operating systems, Windows Small Business Server, Surface tablets, touchscreens, 4K monitors above 1920×1080, network printers, biometric fingerprint scanners, VPN connections, terminal workstations, or RAID 5 arrays built on spinning disks. None of these are exotic tools; they are the kinds of items a practice might already have in a back office or on a receptionist's desk. A quick inventory check with your IT person, cross-referenced against the ChiroTouch System Requirements page, will save you a support ticket, a lost afternoon, and a frustrated front-desk team on the morning you most need the system to work.

Sources and further reading