How Can Scanning Medical Records Improve Efficiency In Providing Healthcare?

July 27, 2021 | 6:37 am
Written by: Brandon Harris

Digitization is a global trend that encompasses all the major industries. So it’s not surprising that the need to digitize has become an important goal for medical facilities as well.

But while many of the benefits of medical document scanning and digitization are associated with improved processes, reduced costs, and overall efficiency, they can also significantly impact the level of health care that the hospital can provide for its patients. 

In this article, let’s explore the relationship between medical records scanning and improved patient care. We’ll also look at why it makes sense to hire professional medical record scanning services that can make the transition less disruptive and more effective.

More Information

A big part of treating a patient is knowing as much as possible about their medical history. But no matter how seemingly efficient a paper medical record system might be, it simply can’t compare to the possibilities offered by digital records. 

Electronic medical records can be a vital tool for tracking chronic diseases, seeing how various health tests reflect a person’s health over time, and ensuring that the doctor has every bit of information they might need to provide the best care possible to each patient.

With an electronic system, it’s possible to set up alerts for both the doctor and the patient, informing them of important dates and regular check-up needs, reducing manual work, and ensuring that patients don’t slip through the cracks.

What’s more, having a convenient way to look at data at scale enables health facilities to gain insights into the overall health of patients in various groups. This can be incredibly helpful for medical research, providing possibilities for improving treatment options and preventing various illnesses before they can develop.

Better Efficiency

Dealing with patients takes time. But unfortunately, many medical professionals end up spending most of the time filing documents instead of actually helping the patient. And that can result in worse outcomes for people who need help.

But if you use medical record scanning services, you can streamline and automate various processes involved with data entry, implementing a simpler process for compiling patient histories that takes much less time.

By being able to quickly type in information and access the entire patient history with just a few clicks, the medical professional is equipped to get to know the patient’s situation on a deeper level and consider all critical aspects in any situation. 

Because of that, the overall quality of the decisions being made is improved, which can result in significantly better outcomes for patients over the long term.

Data Security

Patient data is highly sensitive and needs to be protected at all costs. But no matter how well your paper medical record system might be working, it can never match the security and risk mitigation potential of digital records.

If you use reputable medical record scanning services, they can provide you not only with a process for digitization but also with state-of-the-art document management and security solutions, which will prevent documents from getting lost or misplaced.

When everything is in a single digital database, it’s much easier to control who has access, and there’s virtually no chance of documents getting lost. What’s more, because you can utilize modern security features, the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands is minimized as well.

Reduce Costs

Finally, when you embrace medical records scanning, you can end up saving a lot of money by reducing overhead costs and simplifying the processes for managing a large paper document storage facility.

Sure, the initial investment into medical document scanning can be daunting, but if you choose a reputable provider, they can provide you with a reduced bulk scanning rate that makes it more affordable. And once the scanning process is done, you can go digital and reap significant savings that will carry over for as long as the medical facility is open. 

The storage in itself can account for significant savings, allowing you to repurpose current facilities and expand the type of care you can provide for patients and staff.

Why You Should Hire a Professional Medical Records Scanning Company

At this point, it should be clear that embracing digital records practices is the right choice for almost any medical facility. But for the process to be easy, painless, and effective, you need to find the right scanning services provider that knows the common challenges that are likely to arise and can deal with them effectively.

When you find a provider that has dealt with medical records scanning before, they can help you stay compliant with HIPAA and provide you with the best Electronic Medical Record (EMR) or Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems that will help make the transition easy and convenient for your staff.

Why Is It Important To Digitize Medical Records

May 31, 2021 | 3:58 pm
Written by: Brandon Harris

In the medical field, there is an abundance of documents and important information that must be organized, stored, and most of all protected. There is nothing worse than losing a patient’s documents to theft or disaster, and trying to recover that information can be almost impossible.

Thankfully technology today allows you to digitize medical records to make your practice more efficient and protect your patients’ information.

Streamline Your Practice

Medical records scanning makes it possible for you to save time, space, and money. Finding paper documents can be quite a chore and takes up a lot of time if they are misplaced.

Digital documents always stay organized and can be quickly and easily found with a simple keyword search. Digital storage also allows you to cut down on wasting space with the great wall of filing cabinets.

In fact, you could replace 30 filing cabinets with just one storage disk. Last but certainly not least, cut down on expenses and go green by saying no to costly photo-copying. Medical document scanning allows you to distribute important documents to your team digitally in an instant.

Protect Patient Information

Paper documents are fragile and can be damaged beyond repair in several ways, meaning important information could be lost forever. Digitize medical records to protect your patient files from being lost in accidents such as fire or flood water. The only thing worse than losing patient information is having it stolen.

Storing digital records in a secure, offsite location minimizes the risk of theft. Additionally, paper documents are subject to deterioration over time. Digitizing these documents ensures they are kept safe for years to come.

Trust in HIPAA Compliance

Doctor-patient confidentiality is sacred, and so you must trust your documents are safe and secure. When selecting a medical document scanning service look for security measures that go above and beyond to protect your patients and your practice such as:

 

– Alarm systems to protect from fire and theft
– Around the clock video surveillance
– Keycard restricted access for authorized personnel
– Staff training in HIPAA compliance
– Non-disclosure agreements covering private information
– On-site scanning so the original copies never leave your sight.

 

With these security measures in place, you can rest easy at night knowing your patients’ information, and thus your practice is protected. Medical records scanning sets a new standard for security and accessibility. It is an absolute must for any medical practice to stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.

Digitizing your records will set your practice apart from competitors with better organization, faster distribution for immediate care, and top-notch security that you and your patients can believe in.

Don’t wait to digitize, because accidents can happen anytime, anyplace. Protect your practice and your patients today.

4 Simple Ways to Digitize Your Paper Documents

December 24, 2020 | 10:05 am
Written by: Michael Harris

Is your office or desk cluttered with paper files? Wouldn’t you love to clear out that clutter and finally get organized?  

One of the biggest reasons you should convert paper documents to electronic files is to save time in the long run. People waste hours searching through physical papers for the information they need. When you digitize documents, searching for information becomes much quicker and easier, saving precious time and effort. Additionally, digital documents are easy to share and retrieve on a much larger scale.

 

You can access your documents remotely from your mobile device if a sudden need arises, or e-mail them to people who need to see them in an instant. There is no need to wait until you are back at your office or wherever your documents are stored. 

You can also keep better track of your documents when they are digital. Depending upon the type of documents you work with, there are various rules and regulations for handling them. Certain documents need to be kept indefinitely, whereas some need to be eliminated after a certain amount of time. After digitizing paper documents, you will have an easier time keeping track of these different types of records, ensuring that you comply with the document retention policies in place. 

The best way to accomplish this task is by converting all of your hard copy paper documents to digital documents copies that can be stored and accessed online. Physical documents can easily be digitized, offering you numerous advantages.

Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to digitize paper documents.

1. Multi-Function Devices

A multi-functional device (MFD) produces good quality digitized documents, but it requires some effort on your part. If you already have such a device, it should feature a built-in scanner with which you can digitize paper documents. However, even if your MFD can be sheet-fed automatically, this is still a rather time-consuming method of digitizing paper documents. If you have a large number of papers that need to be scanned, this method may take quite a while. Multi-function devices also tend to jam from time to time, which can lead to a lot of frustration and wasted time. 

Generally, this approach should only be used if you have an MFD into which paper is sheet-fed automatically. This saves a considerable amount of time.

2. Desktop Scanners

This is another simple, but tedious, way to digitize paper documents. There are many varieties of desktop paper scanners available so you want to choose one to best suite your needs. A few things to keep in mind are the sizes of paper the scanner can handle, the speed, whether it can scan in color, and black and white, resolution options, and software capabilities. This option could be a good way to start on your document digitization but would be quite the undertaking if you have a large volume of papers to get through, or if some of them are irregular in size or type. This may not be the absolute best way to scan documents, but it can certainly get you started if you just have a handful of regular papers you want to digitize. 

3. Apps

If you have a very small quantity of paper documents, one option is to simply scan them within a scanning app on your smartphone or tablet. For instance, the Google Drive app features OCR software that allows you to scan documents and save them onto the drive. Camscanner and Scanbot are other popular options. This method can be a great approach if you do not know how to digitize documents since most apps have pretty simple step-by-step instructions that inexperienced scanners can follow. However, if you have more than just a handful of items you would like to save, this is definitely not the best way to scan documents. Scanning a high volume of papers will take time and a lot of storage space on your device.

 

Once again, go with this approach only if you want to digitize limited paper documents.

4. Document Imaging Services

The go-to option for bulk document scanning projects. Send your files over to a company that offers professional document imaging services. They can digitize and index all of your documents using workflow processes and specialized equipment that ensures your documents are digitized accurately, efficiently and at the highest quality. Document imaging service providers can handle your entire project from prepping, scanning, indexing, formatting, uploading to your EDMS, right through to document shredding. This option is typically the best way to digitize paper documents in order to make the best use of your digital files. Outsourcing is also generally much less expensive, quicker, less tedious and more accurate than handling it yourself. 

If you have a lot of important documents that you need to be saved, a professional document imaging service is by far the best way to digitize documents. 

What Should You Keep in Mind

Keep the following tips in mind to prevent potential issues.

      • It’s not always necessary to scan every piece of paper in your office. Check your organization’s document retention policies to determine what you need to keep and what just be shredded.
      • Save electronic files in a universal file format, such as pdf, to maximize usability.
      • This applies after you have digitized all documents. Now, if you ever get a physical copy, digitize it instantly instead of waiting.  If you delay it, the documents will just pile up, and it will be a hassle for you to digitize them again. Once you have digitized your backfile, setup scanner substations in your office to scan today forward documents into your electronic document management system. Streamline this practice as part your daily process so documents don’t pile up
      • Maintain multiple backups of all electronic Either store copies of your database on external hard drives, your local server and/or the cloud. 
      • Name files properly and add dates or other index fields where required so they can be searched for and accessed easily. Make sure the digital files are organized in a hierarchy into folders and sub-folders so that when you search later, you can easily find the information you are looking for. Most Imaging services will do this for you so be sure to ask.
      • Scanning high volumes of documents are no easy task and there are bound to be errors. Make sure you have comprehensive quality assurance policies in place during every step of your process to reduce errors and maximize quality.

Whether you are very familiar with the process of document digitization or have no clue where to begin, contact us today. Here at Smooth Solutions, you can trust us with digitizing your precious documents. We have over 25 years of experience, so you can be confident that our highly-trained staff will handle your important papers quickly and safely. No matter the size of your paper or film, our team of experienced professionals will get the job done. If you need to digitize your paper documents but don’t know where to start, call or email us and we will be happy to help!

Choosing an Electronic Document Management System: Three Things to Consider

June 27, 2019 | 12:40 am
Written by: Michael Harris

Considering the dynamically changing face of executing businesses and running organizations, irrespective of their size, nature, and audience they deal with, the quantity of information only tends to increase with every passing day. There are extensive documents and files that need to be organized and used in the most benefiting manner.

Gone are the days when documents used to stay in filing cabinets and would overflow from files. In the digital world today, the emphasis is on organizational efficiency. Every bit of information is now highly important and needs to be accessed and processed rather quickly. Thanks to digital advancement, you can now easily digitize all your documentation without any hassle. What’s better is the ease of accessibility that comes along. Now you don’t have to struggle with all the manual documents and files to get your required document or have to travel all the way to the location of the file. All documents can be easily accessed digitally from anywhere.

Document management systems have indeed made things a lot easier and have helped in increasing organizational productivity substantially. The electronic document management system allows your documents to be easily scanned and stored digitally. You can retrieve them without any difficulty at any given time. This system is more like your in-built search engine. You can put the file name or keyword in the search query and have your required document pop up right away.

However, choosing the right system is highly important. To help you in the process, we’ve accumulated some of the important factors you need to consider when choosing an electronic document management system. Let’s have a look at them.

1.     What Security Measures The System Offers?

This should be the first thing you should look for in the system. Document security remains the primary concern in today’s world, where cybercrime and data infringement practices prevail. It’s better to get assistance from the professionals of document scanning service to help you select the more secure system for your documentation.

2.     How Much Storage Do They offer?

The second factor to look for is the storage available in the system. This feature is dependent on your company’s size and the nature of business you do. For instance, for a larger retail business, the paperwork is ultimately extensive. You’d need a system with enough storage to accommodate all your inventory details, receipts and order invoices. Similarly, for a smaller business with a limited target consumer base, there’s no point of investing in a system with greater storage.

3.     How Strong is the Backup Support?

When choosing an electronic document management system, you need to ensure that the system offers good backup support and the risk of losing the document is practically zero. You don’t want to lose your most important documents, and for this, you need a system with highly efficient backing support. So make sure to have the expert opinion from the document scanning service to make the right decision.

A document management system is an important investment that can provide you tremendous organizational benefits. From increasing employee productivity to reducing unnecessary labor, it can help you boost your competitiveness.

4 Major Document Management Problems That Can Be Solved with Digitization

May 16, 2019 | 11:11 am
Written by: Michael Harris

How well does your office manage paper-based documents and records? Are you files kept in a disorganized manner?  Do you often find it difficult to locate information when required? Do these issues affect collaboration, productivity and efficiency levels? The answer is probably, Yes!

Managing paper-based documents is tedious and time-consuming – even when you color code files, use proper labels and keep all records in chronological order. What’s that one effective solution that can solve each and every document management problem? Digitization! Choose document scanning services and convert all your paper-based documents to digital format.  

Let’s review common document management problems that can be solved when you hire a company that specializes in document scanning services and move onto digital documents.

1.   Lost Documents

Over 7% of paper-based business documents are lost and never found again. Moreover, when employees search for these documents and try to obtain duplicates,  valuable time is wasted. This significantly lowers productivity.

Contrary to this, if you have a digital copy of the documents, you won’t lose the documents in the first place, provided you index files properly and back them up regularly. Moreover, finding information in digital documents is really easy especially if you manage them using a document management system.

2.   Different Management Techniques

You may know where each and every document is located in your department, but assume you need a document that is usually handled by another department. Do you know where they keep their files? And once you have access to their files, do you know where the required information is?

Unify records management across the board by digitizing all of your paper files with professional document imaging services. Now, whatever information you need will be available easily, and if you choose cloud storage, you can even access files from your phone.

3.   Errors

As good as your team may be, managing paper-based documents can and does result in frequent errors. Incorrect labels, wrong dates, misplaced information – prevent these issues caused by human errors by converting to digital documents.

4.   Too Much Clutter

If you haven’t yet digitized documents, you’ll find paper everywhere in the office. Despite filing the records daily, your office is probably cluttered. Furthermore, paper-based documents can be accessed by unauthorized individuals easily.

Digitize documents and get rid of the clutter. As far as authorized access is concerned, deploy user roles and assign document creation/editing/modifying roles to every team member

How many of these document management problems have you faced? Choose professional document imaging services and digitize all your records for enabling easier access and generating greater productivity levels.

Scan Documents In-House or Outsource to a Document Scanning Company?

November 02, 2018 | 11:26 am
Written by: Michael Harris

Most organizations and individuals are aware of the many benefits associated with digitizing their documents but may not know where to start. Scanning documents inhouse is certainly one option and makes sense if you have a very small quantity. But what if you have tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of pages?

High volume document scanning isn’t as easy as some people might think, especially if you want it done properly. Scanning large quantities of documents requires expensive equipment, a dedicated staff, project managers, technical training, space for workstations, specialized software, quality assurance procedures, and perhaps most importantly – a workflow process to ensure the job gets right.

There are several reasons why outsourcing your document scanning project to a professional service provider makes sense:

  • Document scanning companies are skilled professionals that have proven processes in place that are designed to maximize image quality and data accuracy. 
  • They use a variety high end scanning equipment capable of digitizing various type of documents, including high-speed scanners, flatbed, wide format, photo scanners, book scanners, microfilm scanners and more.
  • They have documented quality assurance procedures in place for delivering the best quality images and accurate index information.
  • Document preparation requires manual labor and having experienced clerical personnel further ensures high quality results.
  • Technical expertise is required to process large amounts of data into useable databases and for compatible upload into existing document management systems or cloud-hosted systems.
  • The overall cost to outsource your project to a competent document imaging company is significantly less than what it would cost to perform the project in-house.

 

Archival document scanning is a very painstaking, time consuming and labor-intensive undertaking and the steps involved often prove to be extremely overwhelming. Outsourcing to a professional scanning company is typically the best choice for most organizations. Utilizing an experienced service bureau is less stressful, less expensive, more convenient, and quicker. It also results in a more efficient, higher quality digital conversion with significantly better accuracy.

If (when) you decide to outsource, there are a few things to consider when choosing a document scanning company. Be sure to choose a company that has experience completing projects of a similar size and scope to yours. What are their security measures and do they have a SOC 2 Compliance Audit Report? Do they have proven project workflow procedures in place in ensure your project is converted correctly, i.e. every page is actually scanned and kept in order, pages aren’t lost, all images are legible and index fields are accurate.

 There is actually lot that can go wrong when dealing with large amounts of physical and electronic data. I’ve been in this business for 30 years, so believe me I know! The next section outlines a few reasons why Smooth Solutions is a great company to do business when your organization decides to digitize it’s documents.

10 Reasons to Choose Smooth Solutions, Inc. as your Document Conversion Vendor:

1. Experience and Reputation:

Smooth Solutions has been in business over 25 years with the sole purpose of providing high quality and high-volume document scanning services. Our loyal clients can testify to exceptional level of service we bring to the table and our ability to complete difficult projects on time and within budget.

2. Wide Ranging:

We provide services to organizations across a wide range of industries including Fortune 500 Companies, universities, hospitals, physicians, financial institutions, non-profits, lawyers, insurance companies, publishers and government agencies.

3. Versatility:

We are experts in the digital conversion of all types of documents and various media:

  • Paper from business card-sized to large format drawings, maps, binders, bound books, etc.
  • 16mm and 35mm microfilm, microfiche cards and aperture cards
  • Photographs, film slides and negatives of any size
  • Consumer video tapes (VHS, Hi-8, MiniDV) and broadcast tapes (Betacam, DVCPRO, DVCAM)

4. Security and Compliance:

Secure Conversion Facility with SOC 2 Security Compliance: SOC 2 – The scope of our SOC 2 addresses the principles of Security, Availability, Confidentiality and Processing Integrity. Through a third-party audit it has been certified that our security policies and procedures are in alignment with compliance standards ISO27001, HIPAA, GLBA, etc. and that we can trusted as a secure data hosting company.

5. Top Notch Equipment:

We only use state of the art scanning equipment to capture the highest quality images. We utilize Dual-Stream Scanning as a standard for all paper scanning projects. Dual-Stream scanning captures every image in both Black and White and Color simultaneously, which is especially necessary for old or fading documents.

6. Commitment & Compatibility:

Our team is dedicated to delivering the highest quality output and customer service. We have experienced project managers, Prepping Clerks, Scanning Technicians and QC Operators and Engineers. The average Smooth Solutions employee has over 10 years of experience in the document imaging industry. Our technical team ensures that all images and index data are 100% compatible for upload to our clients’ existing Electronic Document Management System.

7. On-Site Scanning Experts: 

Sometimes organizations have confidential, fragile or historical documents that are not permitted to leave their facility. We mobilize a team of experienced personnel and the necessary equipment to get the job done at the customer’s site.

8. 100% Quality Control:

We have multiple quality control checkpoints throughout our production process. After scanning, quality assurance operators review each individual scanned image to verify that they meet our quality standards. Poor quality images are flagged to be rescanned.

9. No Job is Too Big:

Smooth Solutions has successfully completed and continues to excel at high volume and in-depth document conversion projects. Below are a few of our larger, more difficult undertakings:

  • NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene – We scanned and indexed 12 million original birth certificates for people born in the 5 boroughs of New York City, dating back to 1910.
  • Major Financial Institution – We converted over 9 million pages of financial documents in a building condemned for lead and asbestos at Ground Zero. Our team of 20 employees were required to wear double hazmat suits at all times while on premise.
  • YIVO Institute for Jewish Research – Smooth Solutions was awarded the contract to scan historical documents for the Vilna Collections Project, a 7-year initiative to digitally reunite prewar archival and library collections separated during the Holocaust.  The project (to-date) has included the scanning of over 7,000 rare books and fragile archival material dating back to the 16th Century. To learn more about this important project visit https://vilnacollections.yivo.org/Project-in-NY

10. Proven Process:

We follow a strict production workflow process for every conversion project. Our software engineers have developed a proprietary document tracking and management software. SPLAM (Smooth Project Lifecycle and Management) tracks all documents from the time they are taken into our possession to when they are delivered back to the client’s office. The system keeps track of which documents have been processed and what stage in our conversion process they are in (i.e. scanning, indexing, QC, etc.). The software does not allow a box or batch of documents to move to the next phase until the previous has been completed. This is how we make sure we do not miss anything when dealing with large amounts of documents. The follow is a summary of our process.

 

Document Scanning Workflow

Electronic Document Management Overview

September 21, 2017 | 9:51 am
Written by: Michael Harris

Introduction

Organizations of all sizes and industries can benefit from the backfile conversion of paper documents to digital documents. Whether you choose to scan documents in house or outsource to a company specializing in document scanning services, your organization will see positive results. By utilizing an electronic document management system (EDMS), you can expect to save time, money, and space. Scanning documents also offers improved security, data protection and industry compliance.

Employees typically spend 20% – 40% of their time manually searching for paper documents. This equates to thousands of dollars lost each year due to poor document management and search-ability. It also represents countless hours of lost productivity and valuable time not being spent on more important tasks. While this may be a troubling statistic, your company doesn’t have to succumb to it. 

By scanning documents and taking advantage of EDMS, you can expect your organization to run more efficiently. In turn, this offers you the ability to increase profit margins, boost productivity, improve customer service, become compliant, and save time & money. 

Throughout this article we will cover the following topics:

  • What is electronic document management?
  • Benefits of utilizing an electronic document management system
  • The document scanning process and steps involved in a high volume scanning project.
  • Industries and departments that benefit from document scanning and EDMS
  • Should you scan documents in-house or outsource to a scanning service bureau?
  • What to look for in a document scanning service company
  • How can Smooth Solutions, Inc. help your organization?

What is Electronic Document Management? 

Referring to both paper and electronic documents, document management encompasses the policies that dictate how documents are created, stored, shared, and discarded throughout a business. Systematically, this refers to a software used to store, manage, and track electronic documents.  

Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS) refer to actual integrated software programs that allow you to implement policies with regards to managing electronic documents. The primary function of an EDMS is to organize and manage electronic records and associated metadata. This results in easy retrieval, searching, distribution, reproduction, and more. 

Improper document management will cause your business or agency to waste valuable resources like time and money due to poor productivity. In fact, document related challenges account for a 21.3% decrease in productivity (IDC). If you have tons of paper documents – you may also be wasting valuable office space. 

Benefits of Electronic Document Management 

Regardless of the industry you are in, converting paper documents to digital format will have a positive impact on your company. Electronic documents award you easy access and the ability to search a plethora of documents quickly and efficiently. But, this is only the beginning!

Increased Productivity 

  • Immediate Document Retrieval: Scanned documents are typically indexed with relevant identifying information, or metadata. Entering this unique information into searchable fields enables particular documents to be located immediately. Common index fields include ID number, name, date, etc.  Electronic documents can also be scanned as fully searchable PDF files utilizing OCR (optical character recognition). Being able to search all available content through properly setup DMS can increase productivity by 30% (AIIM). 
  • More Time: Manual document retrieval can take up 20% – 40% of employees’ time. Scrapping file cabinets & folders and upgrading to an EDMS will reduce the amount of time employees spend manually searching for and retrieving documents. This frees up valuable time that can be better spent on more meaningful business operations. 
  • Better Organization: Scanned files can be organized in your EDMS in a way that makes the most sense for your company. Electronic documents don’t have to be removed and therefore risk being misfiled. 
  • Distribution: Creating paper copies takes time and costs money. On top of that, you still have to distribute the information. Electronic documents can be retrieved and sent to customers or colleagues via email in a matter of moments.

Better Use of Office Space

Document scanning can transform the way your office functions. The amount of space filing cabinets take up can be quite significant. To illustrate this, a single DVD can replace up to 30 filing cabinets worth of paper documents and information. And this is just a DVD. Imagine what using flash-drives, hard-drives & cloud storage can do!

  • Re-appropriate Space: After documents are scanned and indexed, they can either be shredded or stored off-site inexpensively. Idle space that formerly housed filing cabinets can be put to more valuable use. The addition of workstations, new equipment, a meeting room or additional staff equates to increased productivity and profits. 
  • Reduce Clutter: Removing physical documents also means removing countless storage areas like cabinets, bins, folders, etc. Frequently, offices don’t have every document in its intended space leading towards piles of paper or disorganized folders. Remove the paper – remove that problem!
  • Downsize: Real Estate is expensive to rent, especially in major cities. Paper intensive organizations can benefit from document scanning by reducing the amount of space needed to operate. Depending on how much space your paper documents take up, you may be able to move to a smaller office and reduce rental costs. In this scenario, the return on investment for outsourcing to a bulk document scanning service bureau can be seen in as little as 2 years.

Secure & Integrated Document Storage

  • Disaster Recovery: An organization’s records are the glue that holds it’s inner workings together. Paper documents can easily be misplaced, thrown out or even stolen. They can also be damaged or completely destroyed in the event of a disaster. How would your company be affected if all of it’s documentation and records were lost tomorrow because of a fire or flood in your building? Without a data protection plan in place it could be irreparable. Digital images can be backed up in multiple places such as hard drives, tape, remote servers or cloud. This way, day to day operations can continue smoothly after a disaster.
  • No Degradation: Paper documents will degrade over time whether they rip, wrinkle or fade – it will happen. Digital documents eliminate this problem entirely! 
  • Remote Access: 77% of business owners want to be able to access documents remotely (Intuit). Remote access allows for immediate viewing, distribution & sharing of documents from anywhere in the world. Never worry about forgetting important files at home or the office again! Efficiency can also be improved by 20% -25% by allowing employees remote access to company documents (AIIM).
  • Document Security: Regulatory compliance protocols determine which members of an organization are permitted access to certain information. Enforcing these practices in a paper world is extremely difficult. An EDMS provides the ability limit or grant access to sensitive information by assigning user roles or through password protection. In order to keep track of who, when and from where a particular file has been viewed or edited, an audit trail functionality can be put in place.

Industries That Benefit From Electronic Document Management 

Any industry the requires documentation can benefit from document scanning and management. Industries we have personally worked with include: 

  • Corporations
  • Educational Institutions
  • Federal Government
  • Financial Institutions
  • Historical Agencies
  • HR/Personnel Departments
  • Insurance Agencies
  • Law Firms & Legal Departments
  • Libraries & Museums
  • Local & State Government 
  • Media & Publishing Companies 
  • Medical Practices & Hospitals
  • Pharmaceutical Companies
  • Real Estate & Title Agencies 
  • Utility Companies 

The Document Scanning Process

While document scanning may seem like an easy process, there is a lot more than meets the eye. It is a very detail oriented process which requires a lot of planning, expertise & equipment to complete properly. Especially if you want it done quickly & want to do it right!

Below is an outline of best practices involved in a document scanning workflow.

Project Planning

Whether you plan to digitize and index documents yourself or use a document scanning service company – here are some essential questions that need be answered before getting started.

  • What is the organizational structure of the way your paper documents are currently filed?
  • Will you maintain this structure electronically or can it be improved?
  • Are files broken up into different sections or document types?
  • Should documents be indexed at the folder level, section level or page level?
  • Will documents need to be scanned in color, black & white or greyscale?
  • Do you have an Electronic Document Management System in place or do you need one?
  • What will you do with the physical paper documents after they are scanned?

Document Preparation

After a plan is in place, the next step is preparing the paper documents for going through a high speed scanner. This involves removing documents from their folders and carefully taking out staples, paperclips and other fasteners. Folded pages need to be unfolded and wrinkled pages flattened. Only straight, flat paper should be going through a high speed scanner. Anything else will cause jams or damage to the equipment and slow down the conversion process.

Over-sized or irregular pages or film should be taken out so those documents can be scanned on a specialized scanner. A placeholder sheet is to be inserted where the removed documents are taken out. This way they can be put back in their original place both digitally and physically.

The proper use of intelligent bar-coded separator sheets is what takes high volume document scanning to the next level of speed and efficiency. They are colored sheets of paper with two dimensional bar-codes printed on them, which are inserted as cover sheets for each individual document. This allows multiple documents to be neatly stacked and placed in the scanner.

Every time a separator sheet is scanned, the information contained in the bar-code tells the scanning software to perform a desired action. Bar-code sheets can be configured create a new folder, document or document type, which automatically sets up the folder structure. They can even be used to auto-index metadata for the documents, eliminating the need for manual data entry. 

Document Scanning

This is where the paper documents are converted to electronic files. Specialized equipment and software is required in order to handle the needs of a large back-file conversion. The scanner chosen must be versatile and able to meet the required specifications of the project including resolution, color, file format and the ability to feed documents of varying size and thickness. 

There are also certain functions of professional scanning software that can be used to automate additional processes such as automatic blank page deletion, auto-rotation and de-skewing. Dual Stream Scanning allows for pages to be scanned in both black & white and color simultaneously so the best image can be used for the final output. The scanning technician views each scanned image on the monitor to check for quality and consistency.

Quality Control

This step involves checking the scanned images to ensure perfection. 100% Quality Control means that each and every individual image is checked for overall quality and clarity. Poor quality or inconsistent images are flagged by the QC specialist. Flagged images are checked against the originals and re-scanned as necessary.  

If dual stream scanning was utilized then poor quality black and white images can be replace with color versions. Stray blank pages and separator sheets not automatically removed can be done so at this time as well. Of course, quality assurance procedures and policies should be in place for every step of the document conversion process.

Indexing

This is where the appropriate information is attached to the scanned documents as metadata so they can be retrieved and worked with. Data captured from the intelligent bar-code separator sheets is compiled and formatted. 

Additional index values are manually entered by data entry personnel for each folder, document set and/or document type. This step ensures your data is properly organized and therefore easily searchable.

Formatting & Processing

This is where everything finally gets tied together!

  • Images are cropped and rotated to the proper orientation
  • Electronic files are converted to the appropriate file type – PDF, TIFF, etc.
  • Bookmarks are created. Images and index data are linked and formatted
  • Images are OCR’d for fully searchable text
  • Folder and file structures are configured according to specifications
  • All information is formatted for proper import into the EDMS of choice.

Post-Production

This is where you choose what to do with the original physical documents after the digital conversion project is successfully complete. From here documents can be certifiably shredded or put into inexpensive off-site document storage. Your options will largely depend on your industry’s regulatory compliance policies with regards to document storage.

Should You Scan Documents In-house or Outsource?

Now that you’ve seen the document scanning process – the big question you need to ask is should you scan your documents yourself or should you hire a company to do it for you? 

The questions you need to ask yourself are:

  • Do you have only a couple of boxes to scan? Or do you have thousands or millions of pages to scan?
  • What kind of scanning equipment does your company have? Will you need to purchase or rent any equipment?
  • Do you have an employee(s) who can dedicate time to the scanning project without taking away from their regular work?
  • How much money will you spend labor to do the scanning in salary, benefits, and other overhead?
  • Do you have the time or resources to hire and train employees to perform the work efficiently in-house?
  • What is the time frame for completion of your document scanning project?
  • Will it be more cost effective to outsource to a document scanning service company?

Choose in-house scanning if:

  • There are only a small amount of documents to be converted to digital
  • The prepping, indexing and technical processing requirements are minimal
  • You have the staff or can easily hire and train staff to perform the work
  • You own the necessary equipment and software to scan the types of documents you have
  • Your office has the required space available for scanning workstations
  • There is no set deadline for completion of the document conversion project

Choose a document scanning service company if:

  • Thousands or millions of pages need to be scanned for a large backfile conversion project
  • You have minimal scanning equipment and/or limited man power
  • There is no available key staff member who is well versed in the information presented above that can oversee the project.
  • The prepping, indexing and technical requirements are intermediate to complex
  • Taking on a document conversion project would hinder the day to day operations of your department
  • The transition to a paperless office needs to be complete within a certain time frame. 

Conclusion

High volume document scanning is a very meticulous, time consuming and labor intensive process. Digitizing a small quantity of documents and day forward scanning might make sense for some organizations to perform themselves. However, the aforementioned steps involved often prove to be overwhelming for most.

When you consider the staffing, equipment, time, space and learning curve needed to successfully transition to a paperless office, outsourcing to a professional scanning company is the best choice for most organizations. Outsourcing to an experienced service bureau is less stressful, more convenient, quicker and results in a more efficient, higher quality digital conversion with significantly less errors. 9 times out of 10, the overall cost to outsource to a competent document imaging company is significantly less than what it would cost to perform the project in-house.  

What To Look For In A Document Scanning Company

When choosing a company that provides high volume scanning services, there are a number of things to consider. 

Reputation

How long has document scanning company been in business? What kinds of companies and agencies have used them in the past and do they have references? These are just a couple of questions that attribute to the reputation of a company. If you want the job done right, make sure to use a document scanning firm who has a proven reputation in the industry. 

Experience

Does the scanning company have experience scanning similar documents to what you have? Have they successfully completed projects for clients related to your industry? What was their biggest scanning project? Make sure the firm you choose has experience completing projects of a similar size and scope to yours.

Security

Many industries have sensitive data that needs to be digitized.  It is important that confidential information remain so and that original documents are kept safe. What security measures does the scanning company have in place? Do they have a state of the art facility? Do they perform background checks on employees before hiring? These are important questions to have answered in order to make sure your data is secure and protected.

Equipment & Capabilities

Different types of documents require different equipment. Loose pages, bound books, blueprints, microfilm, etc. all need to be scanned on specialized scanners. Make sure the company you choose has all of the necessary equipment to complete your job timely and effectively. Is the equipment up to date and maintained properly?

On-Site Capabilities

Many reputable companies have on-site capabilities. This typically alludes to the company having an army of scanning equipment, tight procedures that are followed to a T, and the ability to work carefully with sensitive information.

Companies that have a good track record with on-site scanning can often be trusted due to the fact that they will work directly in front of their clients – because there is nothing to hide! Not to mention this allows clients of any industry, with any regulations to hire a document scanning firm. 

Productivity 

Last, but not least productivity and turn-around time are very important to consider when hiring a scanning firm. You want to get the most for your money and you want to receive your documents as quickly as possible so you can start utilizing your DMS. Make sure the scanning firm you hire has the capability to complete your job done within the time frame needed. They will need to have all necessary equipment and the man power ready for you.  

Why Choose Smooth Solutions?

With over 25 years in the document scanning industry, Smooth Solutions has a proven track record across a plethora of industries. Our long company history has given us the time and experience to adapt and perfect all of our scanning processes.

Document Scanning Solutions

As a full service document scanning firm, we have the equipment to scan all types and sizes of documents and film you can imagine. We scan paper files, technical manuals, rare books, magazines, engineering drawings, microfilm, aperture cards & more. We also have tonnes of experience with different systems integration and EDMS. For a full list of our document scanning services click here!

Industries We’ve Worked With 

Throughout our history we have worked with companies spanning across various different industries. We have scanned documents for the US Army & Navy, NYU, Harvard Medical School, Con Edison, the NFL & more. To see more industries & clients we’ve worked with click here!

Facilities & Security 

Smooth Solutions has worked tirelessly to train and cultivate a team of document conversion experts. We utilize and maintain the best commercial equipment available. Our proprietary document scanning and project workflow software tracks every document throughout the entire conversion process. We follow strict procedures to guarantee all scanned documents are of the highest possible quality and accuracy. 

Our secure facility in Lodi, NJ is fully equipped with fire & theft alarms, 24-hour video surveillance and requires a tracked key card for entry. All of our employees are bonded and bound by blanket non-disclosure agreements. Client data is stored on secure Raid Level 5 servers with mirroring as well as backed up to magnetic tape subsystems. Our valuable paper & records insurance and data breach insurance coverage offers further protection of vital information.

Fun Facts About Smooth Solutions

  • We have over 40 state-of-the-art scanners in production
  • We’ve performed scanning jobs in excess of 30 million different images
  • In the last 5 years alone we’ve completed over 50 on-site scanning projects

Summary

If you are looking for a company with a full range of document scanning solutions, our reputation and track record speak for itself. We have hundreds of satisfied and repeat customers who have experienced and benefited from our expertise. Let Smooth Solutions help your company too in providing document imaging solutions!