J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 THis is as far off topic as I can imagine, but I am looking to go paperless (to the extent that it is actually possible) and want to know about experiences people have had and what works as well as what doesn't Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Carole Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Deleted. Wrong thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tennessee Stud, SASS# 43634 Life Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 J. Mark... we been explorin' goin' paperless. Two and possibly three-monitor workstations... 600 dpi scanners... document management software... etc. EXPENSIVE! However... I am committed to reducing the paperwork that threatens to sink my buildin' down to China. We're probably goin' to forego retro-scannin' history... just pick a date and go forward from there. ts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 I partially did it the last two years I practiced medicine -- hated it. All electronic patient charts, scheduling, prescriptions, etc. The problem is when power goes down, or the computer goes down, or Internet access is interrupted -- we didn't even know who was coming in for a visit or what, couldn't check records, etc. Give me a paper chart any time. One nice thing was the paperless prescriptions that went straight to the pharmacy. It eliminated script fraud, and there was a lot of that going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 I have been working with computers since 1964. In the late 70s I worked on newspaper software. We got paper out of the newsroom, then we got paper out of the ad department and then the classified ad department. Early on, small articles and ads were pasted onto paper pages for camera work. Eventually the entire page was laid out electronically and no camera was needed. In the 80s I worked on database software but consulted to "a major manufacturor of aluminum" ("the" actually) as they converted their factory to go paperless. The one universal truth is that people quickly forget how to operate without the computer. If those machines go down, a small number of people will remember how to do things and if the data was on the computer anyway, they will also be stuck. That's why we emphasize a goal of 99.999% uptime (= 5 minutes of downtime per year). If your office shuts down overnight you have a huge advantage. PS: Somebody in the Pentagon made the mistake of upgrading their software the night before Desert Storm. That's a big no-no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 I was in a store the other day waiting in line to pay for a used DVD when the power went down a couple of times. Of course the computers went down too. I said "I have cash" and the reply was, "we can't do any transactions until the computers come back up." This was for a $4.50 purchase, which included tax. I'd have given them a $5 bill just to get out of there, but they said "can't do it." Computers came back up after about 10 minutes, but I'm amazed at how everything ground to a halt and no one thought of any options. They could've taken the cash and tag from the DVD and scanned it later. No big deal really, but it goes to show how fragile and totally dependent we are on relatively new (to me) technology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 I work from home full time for a major healthcare corporation and the only paper I use is the scratch pad I use becuase my short term memory is horrible. Using Outlook for e-mail, Word, Excel, Power Point, Access in addition to company software on the servers. Works fine, I only want paper once or twice a year for when I have to re-build a very large provider contract, but even then that doesn't prevent me from doing the work, I just do it a little slower then I would with paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tennessee Stud, SASS# 43634 Life Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Speakin' of somethin' scary... read the book... One Second After. A highly improbable... but possible scenerio where a deliberate multiple-EMP attack paralyzes the U.S.A... and ALL electronic devices are fried (includin' cars). ts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 THis is as far off topic as I can imagine, but I am looking to go paperless (to the extent that it is actually possible) and want to know about experiences people have had and what works as well as what doesn't Thanks j. mARK: My firm is paperless. Every incoming document is scanned; every outgoing document is, of course, electronic to begin with. We maintain "shadow" paper files for back-up (as well as full daily electronic off-site back-up), but I rarely look at one. We have two offices, and have duplicate servers in both locations; if we lose one set, the other set is accessible by both offices. No down time. All the lawyers and many of the support staff use notebooks, with docking stations and large monitors at the office. All of my documents are accessible on the road via VPN. We also have a proprietary web-based file access, allowing clients with appropriate permission full access to their files. I love it. I'm old enough to remember offices with no computers, and my first office had a mimeograph machine. I would not go back to paper for anything. Everything is instantly available; no more lugging files around; no more lost paper; instant copies; instant document sharing, anywhere in the world; no more delays, waiting for documents to circulate for signatures; no more endless typed revisions. We now work 3 lawyers to one assistant; most young lawyers type most of their own documents; few documents are created from scratch, and start life as a form from a similar case; research is all on line, as are all of our briefs and memos, saved and indexed and searchable. Most of our clients have followed the same path; many will not retain lawyers who do not have full paperless capability - it's inefficient and expensive. I do, however, still maintain a reduced library; electronic research is great, but I still like to spend some time with a book in my hand. LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Thanks LL-just what I wanted to know. Could you get me the name of the software you use for file management? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Thanks LL-just what I wanted to know. Could you get me the name of the software you use for file management? We went the custom route - not a commercially available product. There are a lot of others out there that may fit your needs. If I was looking for a pre-packaged application, I'd call other firms of similar size and see what was working in the real world. (Of course, that's what you are trying to do, isn't it? ) LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 It is. We've grown to 9 attorneys, 3 locations and total staff of 32 employees. The bankruptcy side of the practice takes up most of the resources, but we have long been the filer of the most consumer bankruptcy petitions in Middle Tennessee. We are looking to grow a little more during the next year and perhaps add another attorney. The first product we looked at would cost about 50,000.00 over 4 years and while it might actually save us that in labor and eventual storage costs, I can't believe that there isn't something for a fraction of that price we could buy outright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 It is. We've grown to 9 attorneys, 3 locations and total staff of 32 employees. The bankruptcy side of the practice takes up most of the resources, but we have long been the filer of the most consumer bankruptcy petitions in Middle Tennessee. We are looking to grow a little more during the next year and perhaps add another attorney. The first product we looked at would cost about 50,000.00 over 4 years and while it might actually save us that in labor and eventual storage costs, I can't believe that there isn't something for a fraction of that price we could buy outright. I put a feeler out to a friend in New Orleans whose firm does mucho bankruptcy work; I'll pass along any info he can share. LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finagler 6853 Life Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 We have computers all over the place. All of our 300+ people have access to a computer screen for job information. We still use a lot of paper. I've found that by using laptops and tablets that I have been able to reduce the amount of paper I use. I still need to have a printed page once in a while to scratch notes on and for reference but am trying to have less and less. $50K sounds a bit high but your start up costs are going to be higher to begin with. You will also be hit with annual maintenence fees and annual licensing fees. We pay gobs of fees to keep our machines running and most of that is for software. That doesn't cover our design systems either. Then you have servers, routers, high speed lines, cables, video conferencing, Skype. It never ends. It can save you some time and money but if you are doing it just to go paperless you need to be committed to it. Don't do it because it is the latest fad and looks good. Getting people to change is the hardest part. Once you get used to doing your own entry (typing) and dragging around a laptop or a tablet you will find that you can do the work on it remotely, save it there and then transfer it later to a server that everyone can access. You can keep everything on a server but then if you need it remotely you may have difficulty accessing it. Hooking up to the internet, having the right wireless system and provider, etc. It can be frustrating but once it is your main method of operating you start to work around it. I don't go anywhere without my laptop any more. I have an Android phone now but prefer the laptop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 It is. We've grown to 9 attorneys, 3 locations and total staff of 32 employees. This is about the size of Wildcat's office. They are all paperless now, totally computerized -- they had to hire a full-time IT guy to keep it all running. You might want to consider that possibility of occuring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Here is a side-effect of the paperless company. My company has something like 70,000 employees. Our pay statements are available on-line. Sometime in the next 24 months I will stop working for the company (retirement unless I am lucky and they lay me off). At that time I will lose my account and no longer have access to my pay stubs. I don't know if I would want them but after I lose access is the wrong time to find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 J. Mark: I sent you an email with the software name and contact info. LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Dan Dawkins Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Sounds like a POS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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