One of the many challenges facing Human Resources professionals is the management of confidential personnel files. Trying to control this information was one of many challenges facing the HR department at Barnes Jewish hospital. Some of the issues they faced were simply the space needed to house a growing file, the labor involved in retrieving documents, the lack of integrity and confidentiality of this information, which are inherent with paper files, security issues in this ever-growing litigious society, and a need for a disaster recovery plan in case of fire, earthquake, etc.

Initially, they spent a considerable sum of money on electronic power files, to help manage the paper. They saved some space, and gained some control, but it was a short term solution which was outdated within a year and a half.

Aware that other areas of the hospital managed records electronically, they contacted HITS because of their long-term relationship with Barnes Jewish. The solution that followed was a low-cost document management system that ran on their existing IT infrastructure. HITS scanned 3.5 million pages of paper and converted them to digital images, in 60 days, and loaded them into Docsvault software.

The amount of space now needed to manage these files, is the size of a thumbnail. The files themselves are password protected, meaning no unauthorized viewing of these records is possible. Documents are there within seconds when needed, and can no longer be lost, absent or misfiled, since they are electronic. Records can also be routed to authorized personnel electronically, a feature they really like, since it makes the delivery of information more timely, and the personnel managing the information, more productive.

The bottom-line is: they are very, very happy with their decision to go digital and manage their files electronically, and the benefits for doing so, were immediate.