Designed to eliminate costly document pre-sorting and post-sorting, the KODAK s1740 Capture System includes a fully integrated high-speed document scanner with inline document separation capability, and the controlling software to make it all happen.

• Typical applications include centralized batch scanning for customer service, magazine subscriptions, payment and invoice processing, mailroom operations, and others
• Automatically post-sorts documents into 2, 6, 8 or 12 pockets based on content (barcode, MICR, format or OCR) or document attributes (size, shape and more)
• Outputs up to six different images (color, grayscale and bitonal, both front and back) from just one pass
• Handles intermixed document weights, orientations and sizes from credit card slips to legal-size paper
• Real-time encoding of MICR data and imprinting of up to three barcodes on every document to keep pages from the same file together (with optional accessories)

Aggrieved family members, veterans groups and members of Congress are all asking the same question: How could officials at Arlington — the hallowed final resting place of presidents, generals, astronauts and troops that fought in conflicts going back to the Civil War — let this happen?

The Veterans of Foreign Wars believes one explanation could be an antiquated record-keeping system that is used to keep track of the 330,000 servicemembers buried at the sprawling cemetery.

Cemetery officials use handwritten, 3-by-5 index cards to track the graves and maps of the cemetery are sometimes inaccurate, according to an Army report released last week.

From 2002 to 2009, officials at Arlington awarded more than 35 contracts valued at more than $5.5 million to help digitize records — an effort that largely failed, according to the report. Army investigators said the lack of an automated system contributed to repeated mistakes in the interment process.

“This is the year 2010,” said Joe Davis, a VFW spokesman. “Electronic record-keeping is not a new thing. This is off-the-shelf technology.”

By comparison, the Department of Veterans Affairs has automated records for its 131 cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico. The VA has a website that allows users to locate graves using basic biographical information of a veteran, Katie Roberts, the VA press secretary, said Sunday.

The VA introduced its online grave locator in 2004, spokesman Drew Brookie said.

Perhaps further complicating matters is the spike in demand for Arlington burials, said Robert Fells of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, a trade group.

Troop deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan and rising numbers of veterans dying from World War II, Korea and Vietnam have forced delays in Arlington burials of up to six weeks, the Army report said.

The Army said Arlington held 2,740 funerals in 1972. Now, it handles 6,400 services annually.

Still, digitizing could have helped avoid mistakes, Fells said. “It’s much easier to save them on a computer,” he said.

Former Navy aviator Dan Coffman, who was visiting the cemetery on Sunday, said the mistakes were unforgivable and the mismanagement astounding. The cemetery’s superintendent, John Metzler, announced before the report was made public last week that he will retire July 2.

“I know the politicians love to play the blame game, and I’m always critical of that,” said Coffman, 77, after touring the cemetery with his wife and daughter. “But in this case I am not. I hope heads start rolling.”

After visiting her father’s grave on Sunday, Megan Timmons-Nies, 39, said she’s unsettled by the problems at Arlington, a place her dad first took her only two weeks before he died.

Her mother, Margaret Timmons, said she still wants to be buried with her husband at his plot in Section 66. Timmons-Nies has called cemetery officials and asked them to confirm that it is, indeed, her father who has buried under his headstone. “It’s a little unnerving or unsettling to think you can be buried with someone you think is your spouse but may not be due to what they refer to as mishaps,” she said.

Source: USAToday.com

Upon investigating, he found that dozens of his files were missing, due to an employee from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (who has since been fired) who had been destroying records. The employee had made a unilateral decision to go paperless.

“I would never have found out myself other than by accident,” said Wincapaw, who had missing from his file more than 100 pages of records related to his heart condition and pending benefit claims.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars is one of several accredited, independent organizations that can act on behalf of veterans and are given power of attorney by veterans to deal with their claims.

Steve Lawrence, speaking for the group, admitted that Lee Guerrero, who represented veterans on their claims, was fired in August 2009 for shredding all of their claimant files in the VFW service office.

He did not keep electronic copies of the documents, either.

According to Lawrence, subordinates tried to object, but Guerrero continued with his plan and eliminated the majority of the claims files, with the exception of some claims on which the VFW was actively working.

“He just thought going paperless meant getting rid of the files  . . . It cost him his job as soon as we found out about it,” Lawrence said.

In 2008 the VA Office of Inspector General audited all the regional VA offices around the country and revealed approximately 500 documents that could have affected veterans’ benefits claims were improperly placed in shredding bins in two-thirds of the then 57 locations. The bulk of the problem occurred at four VA regional offices, and the Milwaukee location was not considered to be a problem.

This precipitated stricter rules and tightening of controls on shredding across the country.

Source:

JSOnline.com

In Albuquerque, a warehouse storing medical files for UNM Hospital caught fire near the end of July, 2010. For days, firefighters battled the flames–it’s believed that nearly 40% of the patient records were destroyed during the initial incineration.

Even after it was extinguished, the fire rekindled several days later, destroying even more valuable information.

Hospital Executive Director Catherine Porto said that since 2005, the hospital has switched to an electronic system, minimizing the number of patient-care complaints as a result of the disaster. However, patients who have since made requests for pre-2005 files are being informed of their destruction.

Porto also said that files housed in another warehouse are now being scanned to electronic format.

In 2005, UNM Hospital began the conversion project which, in retrospect, was an invaluable investment in their process. If they had waited a few more years to get started, what would have been the outcome? How many more records could have been lost? In five years, will your business be facing a disaster that will compromise your records? Let’s hope not, but just to be safe, give us a call.

Sources:
NewsWest9.com
KOB.com
KRQE.com

Steve Crabb from Cabinet NG demos CNG-SAFE.

With over a dozen area businesses in attendance, the Visitor Suite was full. Fortunately, all of the boxes have a few rows of balcony seating outside.

Ed Canary and Jason Abare of E-BizDocs watch the game from the balcony seating.

Howard Gross, owner of E-BizDocs, threw out the first ball to start the game, then hurried back to the suite to answer questions about using less paper in the office, how to scan documents to electronic format, and Electronic Records Management in general.

We had a great time, and look forward to seeing everyone at the next event!

Chris Ginart from E-BizDocs

View more pictures from the event on our Facebook page here.

Make sure you “Become a fan” on Facebook and look for us in the Capital Region!

Cabinet NG (CNG), provider of document management and workflow software, today announced that its Shared Access Filing Environment (CNG-SAFE) has again been recognized by Business Solutions Magazine (BSM) as a Best Channel Product. CNG ranked at the top in the SMB ECM Software category, with its highest scores in the “richness of features/functionality” and “product reliability/durability” subcategories. A list of winners will be included in the August 2010 issue of BSM.

E-BizDocs is proud to be involved with all the people at CabinetNG and a Value-Added Reseller of the CNG-SAFE family of products.

As a provider of document management services and products, E-BizDocs knows how to get your paper records into electronic format and the best ways to access and use them. CNG-SAFE fits squarely into that formula, offering an electronic repository for your files that will revolutionize how you look at your data.

Source:
CabinetNG.com

LISTEN HERE

We thank the radio station and the host for the opportunity to talk about doing business in the Capital Region, particularly in the industry of Electronic Records Management. Companies use a lot of paper these days, even though the technology to scan paper documents into electronic format is widespread and reliable.

E-BizDocs wants to help companies break through their paper barriers and increase efficiency in the office with electronic business records. Give us a call to find out how.

Company Overviews:

E-BizDocs is an Electronic Records Management company in the Capital Region. We help businesses, organizations, and government offices use less paper, manage their information in electronic images and files, and improve workflow and efficiency in their daily practices.

Customers have reported boosts in productivity and declines in time wasted looking for files. With Kodak scanners, you can effortlessly scan your incoming documents to an electronic image, file, email, or distribute them, and archive them on your network.

Excelsior College helps busy working adults earn the degrees they need with flexible distance learning programs.

The College, formerly Regents College, was founded in 1971 on the fundamental philosophy that what you know is more important than where or how you learned it. They recognize that adult learners can attain college-level knowledge in many ways. Their name, which means “Ever Upward,” depicts how, with over 130,000 graduates, they propel students just like you toward their goals.

Goold Orchards has been in the family since 1910. They are clebrating our 100th Anniversary this year. Their mission is to grow and sell only the highest quality apples and freshest pressed apple cider (certified kosher). They host school tours, pick-your-own apples, and hold an annual festival.

“We added about 70 new clients last year. Having reviewed our office space requirements, we could see that moving forward, we’d need an unfeasibly large storage space for current and archived records.  We just couldn’t justify the fixed costs associated with storage any longer, so there was a very clear business case to digitise documents.”
David Green, Gowers’ managing director

Kodak’s series of document scanners are gaining popularity in office environments for good reason. By helping streamline workflow and making documents more accessible, an increase in productivity and efficiency is inevitable.

E-BizDocs has been rolling out document management solutions for offices for nearly a decade, and we stand behind the Kodak brand. We also suggest CNG-SAFE from Cabinet NG for your file management and access. “How can I use less paper in my office?” If that’s your question, we have the answer.

E-BizDocs, Inc.
(518) 456-1011

Source:
NewsBlaze.com