How do we interact with our medical aid organisations? Paper. From claims to contracts, correspondence and complaints, most of our dealings with our medical aid administrator is done through paper.
Even when we contact a call centre, the operator needs to have access to all the data about us, whether correspondence or claims forms, to be able to offer an efficient service. The alternative is to log the call and wait until the company calls you back after it has found the relevant data in your files and can answer your questions. That is, assuming that all the relevant documents are correctly filed and available.
An electronic document can never be checked out and buried under a pile of records in someone`s inbox.
Paul Mullon, marketing director, Metrofile
Gartner reports that office productivity is reduced by poor paper management policies. The research company estimates that eight hours of productive time a week per office worker is lost in some activity dealing with managing papers. This includes finding, sharing, distributing, storing, archiving and retrieving documents - none of which could be described as a core competency.
Given the incidence of misfiling or simply losing papers in this process, lost productivity is probably even higher. Who has not wasted time searching for a document they need to do their job? In some cases, the lost documents are merely "lost" somewhere on our desk.
This is where a well thought through records management solution can deliver the appropriate documents in electronic format to call centre operators, clerical staff or whoever needs them, as required. As a result, productivity will be vastly improved, allowing employees to deal with the tasks they are paid to manage. Call centre operators with access to a single view of the organisation`s data will be empowered to deliver first-call resolution as a norm instead of playing pass-the-customer. And that assists in building and maintaining good customer relationships.
Additionally, an electronic document can never be checked out and buried under a pile of records in someone`s inbox. The record is available to whoever requires it, even to multiple people simultaneously. It also assists in reducing the potential for fraud as properly managed electronic documents are more difficult to alter without leaving traces of the crime.
Another benefit of electronic documents is self-service, permitting companies that want to enable customers to use the Web or interactive voice technology to serve themselves with ease.
Getting from paper to e
Notwithstanding the benefits electronic document management will bring, the problem still remains that medical aid administrators are not document management experts. The organisations can try to set up in-house departments to take all incoming and outgoing documents and digitise them, feeding the images into the corporate workflow system, but why create a new business with all the hassles and expenses when it is not your core competency?
Bringing in an external records management specialist not only ensures a professional approach to imaging, but it works out cheaper than a DIY approach. The options generally available are to have all documents transported to an external location, scanned, indexed and stored while the electronic images are returned to the administrator or made available online; the second option is an in-sourcing solution in which the service provider sets up shop in the administrator`s office and digitises and stores records on the premises.
Whichever option is chosen, the administrator benefits from the advantages of having all records electronically available for a set monthly fee, while the service provider deals with the issues of staffing, equipment maintenance and quality. A service level agreement ensures that there is no delay in the digitising of records and that auditable processes are in place to ensure that the original documents are scanned and safely stored without the possibility of changes.
Success in business comes from focusing on what you`re good at: on your core competency. Any issues that are important to the smooth running of the business, but are not critical functions of the service or product you deliver to customers are generally the core business of someone else. Passing these tasks on to a service provider not only lowers the costs of doing business, but ensures the outsourced function is done professionally, quickly and accurately by people focused on that service. The business is then able to focus on its core competency without any distractions from non-core issues.
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