AIIM Knowledge Center Blog

Education Spotlight: Focused on Hyland Software

Kevin Corbett is the Director of the Hyland Software University. Hyland Software has had a long standing relationship with AIIM and supporter of the AIIM Education programs. I had the opportunity to interview Kevin recently and discuss how AIIM training has been of benefit to the team at Hyland Software.

I want to thank you Kevin, for talking time to talk with me and sharing your thoughts and experiences with our readers.

 

Bob: Please provide me with a description of your company, your role with the company and the AIIM Certificate courses your organization has focused on to date.

Kevin: I work for Hyland Software, an independent enterprise content management (ECM) software vendor. We’ve focused on ECM with our OnBase suite since we were founded in 1991. But a lot has changed since then. In those days, “ECM” translated to “scanning” and “archiving.” For us, this was first applied in banking. Paper-based checks were taking over valuable building space and couldn’t be managed effectively. 

 

Since then, OnBase has honed its concentration to managing almost any manual process and unstructured piece of content that’s out there. Though the financial sector still makes up the bulk of our nearly 9,000 customers, by revenue, healthcare has grown to be our largest vertical market. Many other industries have taken advantage of OnBase as well, including government, insurance, higher education and manufacturing.

 

As you know, these industries all have their own niche business problems. And in each of these numerous instances, ECM can help, but in slightly different ways. To make sure our employees have the best possible understanding of exactly how ECM can be applied most effectively, we dedicate a lot of resources to training. In fact, my department, Hyland Software University or HSU, is dedicated solely to training. Our belief is that by investing in it this way, we’ll develop the best product, sell it the right way and support it – all while exceeding customer expectations.

 

One staple of our employee training is AIIM’s certifications. We use it as a way to get employees onboard with the industry from the day they start, and also to keep them up-to-speed throughout their careers at Hyland. New employees are offered the Enterprise Content Management Practitioner training. We’ve found that it gives the most comprehensive overview of our industry – a very important tool when you’re training folks who’ve had limited or no previous exposure to information management technology. It also helps us to create an even playing field among our employees. Everyone is presented with the same knowledge, regardless of their background or role in the company.

 

After the Enterprise Content Management Practitioner training, many employees opt to take their education further. In HSU, we encourage staff to look for certifications that match their job function and expand their skill set. We’ve had great feedback on these other certifications, especially the more advanced ECM courses and the Electronic Records Management (ERM) program.

 

Bob:  When did you get the idea to make AIIM Education part of your company's training focus and what were the drivers for the decision?

Kevin: From the get-go, employee training was a priority at Hyland Software. HSU was actually started through an initiative led by our president and CEO, A. J. Hyland. He made it clear that it’s up to us to solve customers’ specific problems with solutions that are designed to operate intuitively. And, the level of expertise needed to achieve this only comes from continuous learning.

 

While the OnBase expertise was in place, we were missing a thorough source of industry knowledge. At the time, we agreed that looking externally would be the best option. The right partner would afford us a comprehensive, up-to-date resource base we wouldn’t have access to otherwise. Coincidentally, at the same time we identified this need, AIIM was working on their certification program. They brought us into the room with other industry experts to discuss the program’s objectives, audience, content and execution. It was clear that this was the resource we were looking for to round out our employee education.

 

Bob: How did this training expand your organization's knowledge?

Kevin: I think it’s fair to say that “expanding organizations’ knowledge of information management” could be AIIM’s broad goal for the certification program. It’s definitely been achieved at Hyland. But to us, the more important part is how the new knowledge is actually applied to better meet our customers’ needs.

 

One of our five core values states: “We deliver configurable business solutions that are intuitive to use. Our customers are confident when navigating our solutions.” It takes knowledgeable employees developing and supporting software that makes these things possible. AIIM’s program continues to help us to train people who build solutions for today’s problems, yet are flexible enough to add value tomorrow, too.

 

Bob: What do you feel is the greatest benefit gained from your organization taking this training?

Kevin: I think for Hyland, the greatest benefit of the training is having that outside perspective. It’s impossible to be aware of and understand every business problem, especially as we continue to grow our vertical expertise and solutions. In a way then, AIIM’s training has and continues to help us efficiently grow our business. Because the training compiles so many vendor experiences with organizations of all industries and sizes, it enables us to grow our knowledge in line with our customers’ needs and expectations.

 

Bob: How is your organization applying this new knowledge to address business challenges/issues for your company and your clients?

Kevin:  Customer service is the top priority at Hyland, and the better educated and informed our people are, the better service our customers receive. A.J. Hyland makes this commitment to our customers clear. One of the most obvious ways is that he has his desk and cell phone numbers on our Web site. Customers, should they feel the need to contact him, can reach him directly at any time.

 

As our customer count continues to grow - we’re now approaching 9,000 organizations worldwide - customer service becomes a bit more challenging. No customer is exactly like another, nor are the challenges they’re encountering in dealing with manual, paper-intensive processes. AIIM’s training is one of the most effective ways we address this challenge. It makes us aware of organizations’ information management issues, even before they’re brought to us. This keeps us on the offensive when providing customer service. And beyond that, we’re able to provide customers with ideas and solutions that they might not have considered otherwise.

 

Bob: For the future, what role do you see for AIIM education in your organization? 

Kevin: Although our industry’s technology is typically considered “mature,” there are many changes going on right now that have the power to influence what we develop. Take, for example, the explosion of e-mail communications. Organizations are realizing that e-mail is a critical source of information as well as a compliance challenge, and they need a strategy for managing it. Because of the constant changes, AIIM is and will continue to be our go-to for keeping our organization up-to-speed. The changes happen so quickly – and customers have higher expectations for vendor service than ever – so this education is imperative as we differentiate our company and product from the competition.

 

Bob: What would you say to someone teetering on the edge of taking one of our training courses?

Kevin:  In tough times, your best asset is your company’s knowledge base. It impacts the products you develop and how you’re able to sell and support them. If you’re going to invest in anything, it should fall into the employee training category. My advice would be to start small. Identify which certification makes the most sense for your organization right now. And tie the course with a business need. This will not only help upper management see the value in it, but it will also make it more meaningful for the attendees.

 

Bob: Would you recommend us to your users? Why?

Kevin: If you’re looking for content on information management, AIIM is the place. It’s a great start for those just getting into the industry and the perfect refresher for the experts, too.  I know it’s made a difference in training our employees, so I’m sure our users would benefit as well.

 

Bob: Is there anything else you would like to add that we may have missed?

Kevin: In any organization in any industry, employees make or break the success of the organization. If they’re trained and understand your business strategy, we’ve found that the business is much more cohesive and effective. This is why we invest so heavily in training our employees. By educating our staff for weeks before they hit their desks, they have a better handle on what we do as a whole and how what they do contributes to our success.

 

We know that our industry and product is complex for most folks when they come to Hyland. AIIM’s training is one tool we use to simply and logically explain it in terms they understand and can eventually apply.

 

Bob: I want to thank you again Kevin, for taking time to share your thoughts and experiences with our readers. 

 

Kevin Corbett, Director of Hyland Software University can be reached at Kevin.Corbett@onbase.com

 

What say you? How do you view and manage your training efforts? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

 

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09

San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

King of Prussia 12/08/09 - 12/11/09

Utrecht 12/08/09 - 12/11/09

Silver Spring 01/19/10 - 01/22/10

Chicago 01/26/10 - 01/29/10

Phoenix 02/09/10 - 02/12/10

Utrecht 02/09/10 - 02/12/10

London 02/23/10 - 02/26/10

Tampa 02/23/10 - 02/26/10

Toronto 03/23/10 - 03/26/10

Kirkland 04/13/10 - 04/16/10

Dallas 04/27/10 - 04/30/10

San Diego 05/04/10 - 05/07/10

Denver 05/18/10 - 05/21/10

Calgary 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

London 06/01/10 - 06/04/10

Silver Spring 06/08/10 - 06/11/10

Houston 06/15/10 - 06/18/10

 

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

 

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

 

Is your ECM house made of straw or bricks?

Ok, so I was channel surfing and ran across the cartoon story about the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs. For some reason, and I do not know why, I could see a connection between this and ECM. I admit this is probably the most off the wall perspective I have had in a long time, but it kind of makes sense.

Think of it this way, we in business face a variety of challenges in the form of audits, litigation and cyber attacks. Enter the Wolf. The Big Bad Wolf in the story tries to get to the Little Pigs who have chosen different ways of protecting themselves, the same as we attempt to protect ourselves and our business information. So in the first case, the Little Pig chose to build a house of straw. While this was enough to protect him from the elements it was not nearly enough to protect him from the Big Bad Wolf who blew the house down. (Fortunately for kids who read this, the Pig gets away and runs to another house.)   When we choose to ignore proper governance and management of our information stores, it is like the house of straw. Eventually it will get blown away and we will be at a high risk of loss.

In the second part of the story, the next Little Pig built his house out of wood. As you know, wood is a better material than straw but as anyone in the Gulf States of the USA knows it may not be enough to sustain high winds. This is also true in our story, the Big Bad Wolf is able to blow the second house down even though there was more thought and effort put into building it, it was just not enough. In an ECM environment, this is also true, that while we may have incorporated some strong technologies to assist us in protecting and managing our information, it just might not be enough to fully cover us and provide the gains and levels of protection we need. (As you know, both Little Pigs ran to the house of the third Pig, making the little ones who read this happy.)

Now enter the third Little Pig. He took time to think about his needs and requirements. He considered all of the elements that would be required to prevent the type of disaster inflicted by the Big Bad Wolf that his brothers had experienced. When the Wolf came, no matter what he did the house of bricks could not be destroyed and the Three Little Pigs were protected and safe. In my view, implementing a solid ECM environment means taking the time to identify and understand our requirements, developing a strategy and implementing a governance structure supported by processes and technology that enable our businesses to operate in a way that protects us from the Big Bad Wolves.  

All of this must address electronic and non-electronic information of all types regardless of format. Your ECM house needs to start with a strong foundation and framework, use of the right tools to construct it and a sense of what the future holds in store for your organization from both a business and technical perspective.

What say you? Is you ECM environment like the straw house or is t made of bricks? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

 

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09

San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

King of Prussia 12/08/09 - 12/11/09

Utrecht 12/08/09 - 12/11/09

Silver Spring 01/19/10 - 01/22/10

Chicago 01/26/10 - 01/29/10

Phoenix 02/09/10 - 02/12/10

Utrecht 02/09/10 - 02/12/10

London 02/23/10 - 02/26/10

Tampa 02/23/10 - 02/26/10

Toronto 03/23/10 - 03/26/10

Kirkland 04/13/10 - 04/16/10

Dallas 04/27/10 - 04/30/10

San Diego 05/04/10 - 05/07/10

Denver 05/18/10 - 05/21/10

Calgary 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

London 06/01/10 - 06/04/10

Silver Spring 06/08/10 - 06/11/10

Houston 06/15/10 - 06/18/10

 

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Pardon me sir, is this your Tweet?

A few months ago I posted a blog titled “To Tweet or not to Tweet, that is the question” and presented the idea that we should determine how and if it is used for business. The response from you was fantastic and I thank you. Today, I am presenting another perspective in this subject and including the other social media outlets as well, if you or your employees Tweet or use other social media outlets like Facebook, LinkedIn or more, should you have a policy in place that discusses capturing that information and storing it in your corporate repositories?

I know, you are thinking that I have gone too far with this governance thing, but have I really? The reason I am writing this blog is due to an article I read that triggered these thoughts. The article was in the Austin 10 written by Tony R. Bertolino, managing partner at Bertolino LLP titled MySpace, Facebook, GPS and other eDiscovery: Coming Soon to a Texas Divorce Proceeding Near You. The premise of the article is that content posted in these areas could be found and used against you. Taking this to the next level it made me think, is Twitter now included in this mix? In my view, I think it is and as a result we need to establish policy in the same way we do other content.

I think all of these tools are fantastic and a great way to communicate with friends, family, colleagues, clients and prospects. I think that they provide value, each in their own way. The challenge we face is one of what is being said and does it have business value? Imagine being asked in court “Pardon me sir, is this your Tweet?” in relation to some court action against you or your company?” I am not saying we should be paranoid about these technologies and services, but I am saying we need to be aware and take ownership of our corporate responsibility to preserve content that has a value. I am saying that we should use these tools and minimize our risks by putting some form of governance and guidance in place that describes proper use for business purposes the same as we would for telephone, email and any other communications tool.

 What say you? How do you collaborate? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

• San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
• Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
• San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
• Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

• San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
• Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
• Tampa  12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Are you going to DocuBusiness ‘09 in Milan Italy? If so, be sure to attend a great session by Doug Miles, Research Director for AIIM. Doug is also conducting a new survey on BPM and you can participate by simply going to www.aiimhost.com/survey and answer the series of questions presented.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Canon: A Best Green Company

I had the opportunity recently to talk with David Lucioni the Environment & Product Safety Manager of Canon (UK) Ltd. regarding their recent award and recognition for being a Green Company. I have always felt that the ECM industry and its practices support being Green and was happy to learn of the accomplishments made by Canon in this area. The following is an excerpt of our communications.

Bob: First I want to congratulate you and Canon on this wonderful achievement. Tell me, how did you hear about the Green Company Awards?
David: I joined Canon in October 2008, by which time Canon had already received its first Green Company award in 2008. Canon came in 13th overall which is the highest in our industry sector. I was involved with our 2009 application, where we came in 32nd overall, but our environmental score was the same as for 2008. The difference this year was in the number of entrants had increased, and there were many entrants whose whole raison d’être was environmental activities.  We are still happy with the results and we have a plan in place to increase our rating for 2010!

Bob: What were the criteria for this Award?
David: The Sunday Times Best Green Companies award is unique, and the results highly relevant and credible. The award is based on a questionnaire that the Environment Manager has to complete, covering the environmental performance of the company (energy consumption, environmental policy and management etc.), corporate social responsibility (engagement with local community etc.) and also an anonymous employee survey, which must be completed by a minimum number of employees (approximately 30%). This makes for an interesting twist when you consider that the staff of any company will be its most cynical and critical judge of its culture and performance.

Bob: How did Canon qualify for the Award?
David: Canon's corporate philosophy of Kyosei, a Japanese word literally translated as "living and working together for the common good" is deeply entrenched in every activity that Canon undertakes and this philosophy is realised in our environmental management system. The philosophy also ensures that Canon behaves as a good corporate citizen - an example of this is Canon's long-standing relationship as the first conservation partner with WWF (over 10 years!) and its relationship with the Red Cross (Canon provides support to thirteen Red Cross National Societies across Europe, with a particular focus on new and existing Red Cross youth projects that support and educate young people to deal with the issues they face in today's society). The judging is by an independent consultancy.

Bob: What suggestions would you have for companies seeking to be Greener?
David: Start with an environmental management system. It will ensure that you can put in place a system to monitor and measure your impact on the environment, and then put a plan in place to reduce it. In most cases the exercise is cost neutral, as there are nearly always savings that can be made. The ONLY way to succeed is if ALL of the senior management buy in 100%. It is not simply a certificate on the wall - you have to believe in what you are trying to do and sometimes stick your neck out if you want to be a leader. No-one can be a 'green crusader' on their own, it is only with support from the top down that a company can be successful - and that is why it is so good here at Canon.

Thank you for this great insight and for taking time out of your busy schedule to share this with me and our readers. Best of luck for 2010 and I look forward to hearing from you again regarding your planned improvements.

 

What say you? How is your organization becoming a Green Company? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

 

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

• New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
• Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
• San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
• Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
• San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Florida AG: Text Messages are records

It is no surprise to me that last week that according to the news media, Bill McCollum Florida’s Attorney General, announced that smart phone text messages from his office will be considered public record going forward. What is surprising is that it took this long to happen and that I have not seen more of this from other government and private organizations. Text messages that are correspondence related to business activity should be treated the same as any other content and record and in government, this perspective should be even more dominant. The only difference between a text message and other types of correspondence is the form it takes. As such, it is the content that should determine the value and need to capture.

 

In my view, Instant Messaging, Audio files, Video files, Email and any other tool used for content creation and communication should be part of an overarching governance plan. Who uses it? How is it used? Is it even allowed? Who is responsible to capture the content and bring it into the corporate repository? There should be no doubt that it is the content that has value and not the device that determines the need to capture. Those authorized to use tools like those discussed here and tools we will see in the future, should be trained in their proper use and held accountable to uphold the governance policies of the organization in relation to their use. The question is whether or not there are policies in place to address them.

 

The unfortunate but also not surprising part of this story is that the actions taken are in response to accusations made that staffers of the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC), the power regulator, had given out private Blackberry access numbers to a Florida Power and Light Company executive. As a result, FPSC is now under investigation for possible improper communication between them and the power company. The reason I say this is unfortunate is that it is a typical driver for an organization; when something happens, address it. The best practice is to be proactive. Address changes in technology and information management as it surfaces. Assess the risk and modify governance policies appropriately, before it is too late. I know this is a lot of work, but isn’t it better to pay $100 now to avoid paying thousands later in fines and litigation costs?

 

What say you? How are you managing governance of smart phones, text messages, Email, and the many other tools available today? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

 

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

• Kirkland 09/29/09 - 10/02/09
• New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
• Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
• San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
• Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
• San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

 

Know your Geography

I once asked someone if they know their geography in relation to ECM. The response was “The United States is below Canada and above Mexico. I know my geography, what is the big deal and what does ECM have to do with it?” From a technology perspective, it has little to nothing to do with it but from a regulatory perspective, it has everything to do with it. What may be acceptable here may not be acceptable in other countries and if you have information stored outside the United States, say in Italy, you need to know the regulatory requirements of Italy and establish policy, process and technology that support compliance in Italy. If the laws of Italy state information of certain types are not allowed out of the country, and you access it via a web interface from here in the U.S. there is a strong chance the law or at least the intention of the law has been broken and you could be prosecuted even if the information is still resident on the server in Italy.

Countries aside, there are differences from state to state and county to county so you need to understand what compliance for each. As an example, in one state it might be acceptable to use electronic signature tablets for use in signing contracts, provided the device has certain technological capabilities like biometric recording and encryption to ensure the integrity of the document and validate authenticity. In a neighboring state, this same scenario might not be acceptable and the signature requirement may still be hard copy with wet blue ink. This not only changes the approach you will use to capture that information but also the process to capture and manage it.

In my view, while this may see, like a daunting task, if you address this at the beginning phase of your project and add legal counsel to your team for guidance, it will put you in better position to minimize your risk and establish a solid ECM environment that is compliant, defensible and manageable as the regulatory landscape changes and technology advances.

What say you? How are you managing geographic compliance? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

 

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

• Kirkland 09/29/09 - 10/02/09
• New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
• Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
• San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
• Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
• San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

 

ERM Comes to Switzerland

The following post was submitted by my UK colleague, Alex Visser.

It should not be surprising that a land such as Switzerland, known among other things for its banking industry, would be interested in records management. And let me tell you they are. Last week the first AIIM Electronic Records Management (ERM) course was given and it looks like there will have to be more in the near future, as there were more people wanting to attend then there were places available.

Ludwig Gantner and Jurg Hagmann wanted to offer the members of the VSA the possibility to attend the AIIM course locally in the lovely town of Basel, instead of having to travel to the UK or Netherlands where these courses are regularly given as public courses for anybody who would like to learn more. So on Tuesday morning there was a room full of records managers, IT people and people in other roles that had to deal with information that would have to be stored as a record.

Of course there was the discussion of what is a record? This discussion always takes place and should also take place in the organization when looking at records management. During the discussion it quickly became apparent that everybody wanted to pass the bucket to the next role. IT people were quick to say that they need to get the requirements and specifications but that they, correctly, cannot determine what constitutes records. The legal people said that the law is in this case not descriptive and prescriptive so that they would probably only be able to determine a few information types that need to defined a record. The record managers were then looked at with a look that said: well you have the term record in your title so you should know.  However they also said we can only tell part of the story since many documents are records because of their value to the organization and only the people in the departments can define that value. Off course the business people said but we don’t know anything of records management so how can we determine what are records.

This discussion came back several times over the 4 days and the understanding grew with everybody that this crucial decision, of what is a record, can only be determined by group effort. Everybody has to provide their feedback in this discussion to come to an answer. The team that is created will also continue to work together after this initial discussion has been resolved, since records management is not an one shot thing but rather a programme with a continuing need to take care of the crucial type of information that we call records.

 

So after 4 days of sharing experience and having some strong arguments everybody left happy with more knowledge and the realization that we do not stand alone but need to work on this as a team. A team that can look each other in the eyes and ask tough questions but like the attendees in Basel leave happy, looking forward to continue as friends and colleagues to make sure we can always find that piece of information that we call a record. Or in the words of one person: “We can see the water rising and we will make sure that we are ready in time with the boat called Record Management.”

What say you? What perspective do you have when trying to identify records? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organizations are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ERM Certificate Course

Phoenix, AZ 10/20 – 10/23

San Diego, CA 11/10 – 11/13

Silver Spring, MD 12/01 – 12/04

Tampa, FL 12/15 – 12/18

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

 

Doctor, Doctor give me the news..

..I’ve got a bad case of content blues! OK, so I am repurposing some lyrics from the song made famous by Robert Palmer, but to a degree, I think it fits here. If you are in the Healthcare segment or even associated with it, you must now turn your focus and attention to managing patient information and records digitally. When I talk about patient information here, I am not only referring to some of the obvious elements like MRI, Diagnosis Summaries and Doctor’s notes, I am also talking about insurance benefit and financial information as well. Patient information and records covers all of these things in whatever forms they take including audio and video files from clinical studies. Many small and mid-sized practices and clinics are now singing the content blues as a result.

 

Adding some level of distress to all of this is the additional recent mandate from HHS requiring all Healthcare and associated entities to disclose to HHS and under certain conditions all patients cared for by a provider, if there is a breach or suspected breach of information security with regard to patient information and records. This is certainly a driving force moving an entire industry deeper into the digital world as mandated, using a myriad of technology solutions that include Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Electronic Records Management (ERM) and Business Process Management (BPM) solutions in part or collectively. Over time, the Healthcare industry will be fully engaged in the digital world but is it enough?

 

In my view, to be effective, we have to look beyond the immediate or obvious candidates within the Healthcare segment. We need to assess and understand the full course of information flow including the on ramps and off ramps of patient information and records. Not only where it comes from or originates but where it goes to in addition to the provider. For example, information passed to the insurance carriers for bill payment. My Physician has made the conversion to a digital world and has found it to be quite efficient, though costly in the initial phases. He also sees the long term advantages, yet the pain point for him is the fact that most of the insurance carriers he deals with still require hard copy submissions with only a few willing to accept digital submission. So, while he has made this transition, the break point now becomes the interaction with the insurance industry. Even with those he can provide digital submissions, there is no consistent format to follow as each one requires the same information but for many, slight variations on how they want it presented. Yes there are some standardized forms in place like the HCFA and UB 92 but do they serve every need for every situation? What I hear from those I meet and talk with, no. While this is not uncommon or unique to Healthcare, it is unfortunate.

 

Moving toward a digital world is a wonderful goal and I applaud the intention of increased efficiency with lowered operating costs, but if you still need large administrative staff to manage the content and information to be processed, has the goal been achieved and can success really be claimed?  The other element in all of this is how well can we control access to the information once it has been transformed back into a physical state? If it is maintained in a digital form, we can use the audit tracking capabilities many of these technologies provide to ensure the integrity and security of patient information is maintained. If there is a breach, we can use these same tools to identify the cause and take corrective actions.

 

If we are to become a digital society embracing digital transactions and records keeping, it requires all parties, or as some may say the entire village, to be part of it and take an active role. Healthcare providers are merely one piece of a larger puzzle and challenge we face if we are to make it all work as hoped. In process analysis I would ask the question, when we do this, what other entities will it impact and will that impact be a positive or negative for each party? It is time to move forward, but it is also time to move forward together.

 

 What say you? How are you managing or planning to manage patient information and records in the digital world? How do you handle transactions outside of your immediate organization? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

 

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

• Silver Spring 09/15/09 - 09/18/09
• Kirkland 09/29/09 - 10/02/09
• New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
• Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
• San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
• Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
• San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Requirements, we don’t need any requirements.

Where have I heard this before? Hmm, I guess that would be from former prospects in my past life in the vendor community. All too many times I would approach a prospect to discuss how I may be able to help in providing them with an ECM solution and ask the question, what requirements do you have for this type of technology? Many times, and even now I would hear the response, what requirements should I have? At this point the salesman in me would be jumping around thinking I hit the pot of gold and could lead the prospect any place I wish to meet quota. The inner consultant would beckon to help this individual and discuss the importance of sound requirements in order to ensure what was chosen is the right fit for the need. I guess that is why I am no longer in sales, as the consultant side of me won every time and I guess that is not a bad thing since the objective is to keep a client forever thus being a consultant and choosing the right technology meant a happy customer.  

 

Enough about my sales career, back to the topic at hand and that is requirements. In my view, the best approach to any project regardless of type is to understand as best you can, the vision and goals of the organization. What is it you are trying to achieve both now and in the years ahead? You must also understand what the organizational goals are in support of the vision and the tactical activities needed to achieve those goals. Once you know these business requirements, you can formulate a set of functional requirements that support your business requirements and whenever possible, using industry standards and keeping all of this aligned to the vision and goals of your organization.

 

It is this set of standards and functional requirements that should help you determine the technology set needed to operate effectively, efficiently and successfully. Using a saw to bang nails, while eventually might get the desired results, is not the best choice. In our world, if you are trying to capture paper based information, a Web content solution unto itself is likely not a good choice. Likewise, if what you need is document management with check-in/check-out capabilities along with version control, why buy an email management solution. You need to fit the right technology to the job as you would with any other project.

 

When you look at the core technology set for ECM, remembering that ECM is an environment made up of a combination of technologies, policies, people and practices rather than a singular technology, it is easy to stray and sway from the right tools. Know where you want to go and how you want to work then address the technology and you will achieve higher levels of success.

 

What say you? How develop your requirements? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

 

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

• Silver Spring 09/15/09 - 09/18/09
• Kirkland 09/29/09 - 10/02/09
• New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
• Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
• San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
• Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
• San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

 

Private and Secure: Really?

When I hear folks talk about information of any type, inevitably they will bring up the topics of privacy and security. Is an ECM system secure? Is an ERM system secure? I usually smile and say let’s look at it all, not just the perspective of electronically stored information versus paper based, but let’s take a holistic view. We all know paper and electronically stored information occasionally escapes and somehow appears where it should not. Is it the fault of the paper or electronic information? Did it somehow make a conscious decision to leave the confines of its storage facility to meander aimlessly into the hands of someone who should not have access to it? While we have so-called intelligent systems and information, I cannot accept that is has reached the point where information can decide on its own to be released.

 

My view, and some may differ with this perspective, is that the weakest link in the information chain is typically human. It is humans who remove paper files and mistakenly or purposely leave it out for unauthorized access. It is the human link who copies electronically stored files onto removable devices and in email attachments to release it from its captive bonds in the repositories of the corporate archives. It is the human element who loses removable media and laptops containing confidential information.

 

Even beyond this, without realizing it is happening, folks are in the open discussing confidential information over cell phones in airports, restaurants and conference show floors. It is the human element placing information into the hands of others through what they believe to be secure platforms using social media sites. It is the human factor we should be looking at and scrutinizing and it is we who should put the mechanisms and tools in place to ensure our information is secure and protected. It is we who must ensure that there is a way to monitor the activities of those we hold in confidence and trust with our information. Do you have a way to track the activities of those you employ? Do you have a means of identifying potential breaches of security?

 

 What say you? How do you determine monitor and secure your information? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization is doing.

 

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join me for the BPM Certificate course in Chicago, IL from September 22-25. I look forward to seeing you there.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.