Simple Document Scanning Process
Brown & Meyers has been scanning and digitizing legal documents for years, and we can efficiently and confidentially scan your documents, as well. The process is quite simple:

1. SSAE 16-certified Brown & Meyers will pick up your documents at your office. If you prefer, you may deliver the documents to our office in Scarborough, Maine. If you have a large scanning project, we can process your documents on-site, right at your office.

2. We take out staples and scan your documents.

3. We name your digital files so that they match the names of your printed files.

4. We save your files in PDF format or whichever format you require.

5. If you like, the Brown & Meyers team will “OCR” your digital documents so you and your practice management team can find what you need when you need it. (OCR or Optical Character Recognition is a technology that converts scanned documents or digital images into editable and searchable data.)

6. We return your scanned documents on secure DVDs or we can save them to an electronic cloud storage system.

7. Finally, we return your organized documents to you or destroy them, per your instructions.

A Smart Business Decision
Besides reducing stress, digitizing documents is good for business. Here’s how:

• Valuable floor space becomes an asset rather than a liability

• Saves time, freeing up valuable billable hours

• Documents are safe and secure even if your office is vandalized or destroyed

• Keeps unauthorized people away from confidential information

• Authorized stakeholders have remote access to firm files from almost anywhere, 24/7

In addition to the reasons above, scanning your documents will allow you to convert your office to a fully integrated practice management software system such as Clio, Rocket Matter, or MyCase when you are ready to do so.

Good for now, good for later.

If you’d like more information about our legal scanning and OCR services, contact Brown & Meyers at 1-800-785-7505 or e-mail us at Info@BrownMeyers.com.

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This takes a lot of discipline, as organization does not come naturally to me.  In fact, I had reached a breaking point – I literally couldn’t find anything, which is ridiculous when you run a document management company.  I don’t want anyone to be in my previous situation, so I compiled a list of things to look for so you can reverse any bad habits!

Here are my top five pointers to look for if you think you might need an organizational intervention:

1)      It takes you more than 10 minutes to search for a file: This is a huge waste of time, as you know.  Imagine how many times a day you need to access information that you then have to search for.  You’re essentially getting paid to watch your productivity decrease, which in the end, doesn’t work out well.

2)      The words “I’m not sure, let me get back to you” are part of your daily vocabulary.

3)      You’ve ever missed a meeting with a client:  There is no excuse for missing meetings with anyone, or even being late.  With so many electronic organizational tools out there, you have no reason to forget something.  We use our email calendars to keep ourselves up to date.  We set reminders so even if something does slip our minds, we are reminded!

4)      You’ve had to have something recreated:  You know the expense of having something done the first time, like a presentation – whether you did it yourself or not.  So imagine having to do it twice?  Only this time as a “rush” order!

5)      You’ve ever missed a deadline:   Take this opportunity to go through every step of the process that you have in place, and figure out what went wrong.  Was there a communication breakdown? Was something being held up on your end because you didn’t follow through?  It is important to keep your clients and your supervisor as up to date as possible in the event that you need to ask for more help or an extension on the project.

How do I keep myself from making these mistakes?  I stay organized.  Through the help of the calendar, that I mentioned earlier, and the scanning and indexing that we do here.  At the end of the day, the only paper I should have on my desk is handwritten to-do notes for the next day.  Having everything organized and at my fingertips has really increased my productivity, and helped streamline a workflow.

How can something as simple as document scanning improve your company’s productivity?  Think about it!  How much easier would it be if everything you needed to meet with a client was something you could just print, rather than find, maybe?

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A really crucial piece of the digital imaging puzzle is how you want to be able to search for these documents once they are saved.  The process of titling your saved files is known as indexing.  Think of it like saving a word document and giving that word document a name that is relevant to the content, but something easy enough to search for.  How does it work?  When you scan images, you typically scan a bundle of a time.  So if you have 1500 images that need to be scanned, but they’re all different papers that need to be indexed and stored separately, that is no problem.  As soon as a scanning company is done scanning, they typically go through what they call a quality control process.  It is here that your images are ensured to be PERFECT, and then named to your specifications.

Here are some examples of what you’d get scanned, and how you might want to request they be indexed by:

1)  Medical Records: Scanning medical records is a big undertaking.  When records are in paper form, you’re at the mercy of the person who does the file backs!  You look for them alphabetically and hope that they are there, and in the right order.  When you scan them, however, you have a couple choices on how you want to be able to search for them.  Maybe last name/first name works well for you.  What if you have two patients with the name Chris Smith?  That is when you might want to consider adding a search field for D.O.B.  In the very rare instance that two patients were born on the same exact day and have the same name, you will need another back up.  That is when something like a medical record number comes in handy.  If you get in the habit of always searching by a medical record number, you will find the patient that belongs to that unique number.

2)  Legal Documents:  If you have a bunch of closed cases that you were looking to have archived, you know that you may need to access them at some point.  How do you have those rows of documents stored right now? By case number? By defendant vs plaintiff?  Or maybe you just have them stacked in boxes in a basement – trust me, I’ve seen it!  Think about how you want them organized when you get a few minutes, I bet you’ll find that your ideal way of organization is very feasible!

3) Old Invoices:   Not everyone has quickbooks, or a way of digitally documenting what is owed to them, and what they owe people.  You are legally required to keep your invoices, and if you create them in a word based program, then you likely print and store them away in a filing cabinet.  This is very risky!  Scan them and have them indexed by invoice number, or client name.

4)  Books:  Did you know that you can have your books scanned, without having them destroyed?  You can!  As long as you are the rightful owner, of course.  Books can be scanned and indexed however you want.  Title, Volume #, Title Volume & Author – go crazy!

If there are paper records, they can be scanned.  Bills, vet receipts, recipes, construction documentation – think outside the box.  Don’t be a slave to paper because you don’t think there is an easier way to store it – keeping them electronically may actually streamline your productivity in ways you never thought possible.

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1)      No More Searching – Or paying people to search, for that matter!  If a patient calls and you need the chart, how often is that chart where it is supposed to be?  How much time do you then spend tracking it down?  With an EHR, you don’t have to do that.  All the most recent notes are displayed within the electronic record.

2)      Save Paper – As you know, a doctor has a lot to sign off on.  Seeing referral notes from specialists, ER notes, patient phone calls, etc.  A lot of software promotes paperless communication, like faxing, for information that doesn’t need an ink signature.  Controlled substances will likely always need to be written out on a prescription pad, however.  Imagine how easy your day would be if faxing meant typing in a number and clicking send.  Not getting up and walking to the fax machine, only to get distracted, put the papers down, lose them, search for them…you get the point.

3)      More time with patients –The less time doctors have to spend filling out paperwork, the more time they have to spend with their patients.

4)      Dictation/EHR Hybrid – It is possible to buy an EHR solution that supports transcription if you feel that dictating keeps you on track, time-wise.  It can be tedious to type notes into a template, especially if you need to touch on things that are not on the template.  A reputable transcription service can also eliminate errors.

5)      Revenue increase – Probably one of the more important points is the fact that going to an electronic health record can help streamline the billing process.  A patient leaves, the doctor states what they were seen for and any applicable ICD-9 codes, and your billing and coding team can then go in and create a bill based on that.  The patient gets the bill in the mail, and hopefully pays it!

When you’ve settled on software that you’d like to use for an EHR platform, you’re then going to have to decide who you want to scan your patient records.  When choosing a scanning company to come in and scan your patient records, be sure that they have ample experience scanning medical records.  Don’t be afraid to ask for a reference – this is not the time to be someone’s test job!  Get your practice a scanner so you can scan anything that comes in on paper that needs to be filed in a patient’s chart.

Practices and hospitals that have gone through the conversion process are rolling their eyes, and rightfully so.  I’m making this process seem easier than it is.  The decision to go to an EHR is a big investment – both financially and time-wise.  There will be a lot of meetings and strategic planning, and then you have to pay for the software, maintenance, support, and training.  There are a lot more pros than cons, however, which is why the Government is pushing the EMR Mandate.

Good luck on your journey down the road to an EHR.  Remember that it is unreasonable to expect that you’ll be completely paperless – many business processes are still done with ink and paper!

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If you are a company that is looking to outsource digital conversion to a document scanning company, then you have a lot more important decisions to make.  Unfortunately, it is more than just a plain old Google search.

First, you should think about what kind of records you’re going to be scanning.  What IS your business?  Are you an insurance company, a medical practice, a hospital, a veterinarian office, a law firm, accounting firm, etc?  Any reputable company should be able to professionally scan any type of paper documents IF they have state-of-the-art equipment and software, and most importantly expertise and experience.

With that being said, when picking a scanning company, if you have too many options, it may be overwhelming.  Find a company that you can trust.  If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  A company should be able to examine your documents, provide you with a quote, and explain everything about what their plan is for converting your documents.  If there are any “let me find out” answers to your questions, you’re not talking to the right company.

How secure a company keeps your documents should be discussed in the first meeting.  If you’re handing over your office’s medical records, then you’re going to want to ensure that they’re as secure as they can be, e.g. are they familiar with PHI and HIPAA terminology and safeguards, do they lock down the Internet in production areas, etc.  Ask questions, see examples, and ask for a tour, does the company have reference letters they are willing to provide?

A clear sign of the right company is a company that takes the stress out of the process for you.  All you should ever have to do is sign on the dotted line, and pay.  The company you choose to scan your images should arrange a pickup, boxing services (if necessary), job configurations, deadline adherence and of course the scanning, indexing and reassembly (again, if necessary).  You should be able to request to be kept as up to date as possible during the scanning process without an eye-roll or hesitation from the company.  Another good feature to ask about in scan-on-demand.  Does the company you’re looking at offer a service for scanning records you need access to while they have them?  Are they going to charge you for it, essentially meaning you’ll pay twice for those records?  Be sure to read the fine print!

As much as this process should be about business, it should also be about trust.  You can choose the company with the lowest prices, but can you trust that they’re going to do a good job?  Can you trust that you’ll get your documents in the turnaround time they promised?  Does the company want your business, or do they want your money?  Silly question, yes, but think about it – have you ever made a financial decision out of pressure?  Who benefited from that?  You’ll know the right fit when you find a company that can put you at ease, don’t settle on the first one, and don’t be afraid to say no!

If I can offer one last piece of advice, it is this: remember that you get what you pay for.

Let me know what your experiences have been with scanning companies.  Have you ever felt taken advantage of?  Have you had a bad experience?  Or, have you had a great experience, only to make you wonder why you didn’t go digital sooner?  I’d love to hear from you!

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We do have clients that say no to our proposals, and when I ask them what their plan is, they often say they’re going to do production “in-house”.  We strongly advise against this.  In fact, I would rather you choose a different company over ours to save yourself that frustration. You will not save any money, and you might even spend more.

As I stated above, document imaging is more than running paper through a scanner.  You need to be organized and methodical when it comes to how you’re going to start the project.  What are you scanning?  Medical records?  Legal Documents?  General office records?  They all need to at some point be indexed so you can easily find them.  You’ll need to assess how you are going to want to search for these records in the future.  Is “Tax 2009” going to be specific enough, or do you need them broken down further into “write-offs”, “income”, etc – we would call this bookmarking.  What are you going to save your documents as?  PDF’s?  Do you want them OCR’d?  Lots of decisions.  And the information needed to make your project the most optimal, efficient and cost-effective will come from a professional company that knows what they are doing.

The next step is buying the scanners, or maybe even renting them.  However, as you know, renting them means paying a lot of money, only to return them!  What is the tech support that comes with the scanner?  Can someone set them up for you?  Do you have the space for the scanners?  Are you going to hire a temp to run them, or have an employee do it?  Either way, there is going to be a learning curve, as there is with any new process, and you’re going to have to train them.

You will have to prep these documents to go through the scanner.  This is the most important part as junk in means junk out.  You’re going to need someone, a temp or a regular FTE, to sit there and remove all staples, paperclips and rubber bands, fix dog ears, etc.  All post-its need to be removed and taped to the back of the document it was stuck to.  Are you planning on using the bookmarks I mentioned earlier?  If so, your bookmark barcode separator sheets are going to have to be made and inserted somewhere along the way so the scanner knows how to batch your images.

Hopefully, your documents are ready to be scanned in the timeframe you need them scanned in!  Are your employees trained to scan them?  Do they know what to do if there is a jam?  Do they know what to do after the batch is done scanning?  Is there a quality control process?  Are you sending them through an OCR software?  Do you know what format the images will be saved in?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and frustrated reading this, think of how you’ll feel when you’re actually doing this project in-house.  It is a fact that companies who choose to do their work internally look for the lower end software and scanners, which means limited to NO tech support without additional payments.  Trust me, you will hit speed bumps.

Companies that outsource their work to us, or any other scanning company, will say that it is absolutely worth the money.  The turnaround times are met without any stress on their end.  We also offer scan-on-demand, so you’re never really without your records.  Good scanning companies keep their technology up to date and are protected behind the strongest firewalls and virus protection available.

My writing this is not mean to discourage you out of going digital – but to inform you of the risks of doing it yourself!   The greatest error in scanning is human error – leave your sensitive information conversion to the professionals.

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Happy 60^th Anniversary of the Barcode!  Can you believe the barcode has been around for that long? What would life be like without it?  Before I got into this industry, I knew barcodes were on foods and items from stores, but I didn’t know they had a practical use outside of the grocery store!

When we are prepping a job to be scanned, and there are multiple files, we often separate them with what we call a barcode sheet.  This means that we make barcodes specific to the information that comes after that sheet.  For example – if we are scanning a box of medical records, we will print barcodes for each patient in that box; John Smith, Jane Doe, etc.  This automatically populates an index field for that patient when we scan it, saving us time and reduces our margin of error.

In large hospitals, barcodes are used on all forms and patient charts.  Every patient in that system has a barcode unique to them, so when their information is scanned, it automatically goes into their electronic chart – saving hours of searching for a misfile!

How have barcodes helped your business, or daily life?

While we are grateful for the barcode, we are also grateful for our friends at www.howtogeek.comfor the use of the barcode timeline! 

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HIPAA itself is an acronym for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.  Signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, its main goal was to not only regulate how private health information is shared, but health care needed to be improved, and fraud needed to be reduced.  Every healthcare professional and their corresponding offices had until 2003 to comply with the new laws.  Everyone needs to be held to the same set of standards when it comes to safety and care of patients.

HIPAA regulations are broken up into two titles:

• Title 1: Health Care Access, Portability and Renewability –  Pertaining to group insurance plans (through your employer), this forbids insurance companies from hiking up your rates, or denying you coverage based on your medical history.  You will pay the same rates as your hypertensive co-worker.  HIPAA also regulates how long the waiting period can be before you get coverage for pre-existing conditions through a new employer.  We’ve all been nagged to death more than once by HR about open enrollment – and you can thank HIPAA for that.  Don’t confuse group insurance rates with individual rates.  If you’re insured through your company through Anthem, and then leave the company, you can keep Anthem coverage, but you must pay individual rates.  In this case, you CAN be charged more for your health condition.

• Title 2:  Preventing Health Care Fraud and Abuse; Administrative Simplification; Medical Liability Reform – the part of HIPAA we’re likely all familiar with.  This is broken down further into 5 rules;  The Privacy Rule, The Transactions and Code Sets Rule, The Security Rule, The Unique Identifiers rule, and The Enforcement Rule.  This title clearly illustrates offenses relating to healthcare, and consequences you can expect.  These consequences range from civil to criminal. Under this title fall the rules on PHI – Protected Health Information.  HIPAA regulates what is exactly protected, and how information can be transmitted electronically.  Since paper charts are becoming a thing of the past, it is more important now than ever before to ensure patient information is kept safe

There is obviously a lot more detail I could go into for both titles one and two, but you don’t have all day to read this blog!  If you visit: http://www.hipaa.org, you’ll get a plethora of information that you’ll find very helpful!  When it comes to HIPAA, remember this – just be smart!  Don’t talk about patients in an open, public area, scan all documents to secure software, and as a consumer or patient – know your rights!

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