eBridge Solutions Blog

Septic document management? Yep. We've got it.

When one of our phenomenal eBridge Solutions' account managers came in and said, "we need to create a marketing campaign targeted at septic and sewer companies," I'll admit, I laughed. To be fair (to me), I don't have a septic tank and don't know if I've ever even SEEN a septic tank. So, septic companies were never on my marketing radar.

Imagine my surprise, then, when today we signed our first septic tank company! And, guess where they found eBridge Solutions? The Okaloosa County Health Department environmental health web site.

Every day, septic company employees (and other service professionals) go to the Okaloosa County Health Department site to find permit information. Their Environmental Health department issues permits for new, repaired, modified and abandoned septic systems and evaluate existing systems for compliance with all local and state laws and ordinances, as needed.

Karen Arnett of Superior First Response is the owner of one of those septic companies. After logging into eBridge Solutions' document management system on Okaloosa's web site several hundred times over the past few years, she'd gotten pretty familiar with how it works, so transitioning her office to eBridge will be a snap.

And Karen isn't alone. To date, Okaloosa County, St. Lucie County and the City of Cleveland are putting permits or restaurant inspection reports into eBridge Solutions (either by scanning paper documents or printing electronic documents) so the public can quickly, easily and, best of all, inexpensively retrieve their own documents.

In an economy where every penny matters -- especially the government -- it's nice to see that people realize eBridge Solutions and document management can actually SAVE money. Touch a paper document once while scanning and then it will be forever digital and you can retrieve it from any computer with an Internet connection.

P.S. I was going to title this blog post 'Document management goes to *(#&$)' but didn't think anyone else would laugh. Would you have?

Document management can help keep reporters out of your dumpster

There is a right way and a wrong way to manage your confidential records. Let's start with the wrong way.

The wrong way is to keep files with social security numbers and credit card information in an unlocked file cabinet. Or in the dumpster behind your office, like these folks from the city of Middletown, Ohio. Read how citizen's confidential information ended up in the wrong place by clicking here. 

eBridge is working in many government offices across the nation. The RIGHT way to manage documents like the ones in the article would be to scan them into an online file cabinet and then hire a shredding company to come ON-SITE and shred those documents IN FRONT of someone.

Our web-based document management system is much more secure than a traditional file cabinet. User IDs and passwords are required, so only certain people have access to certain documents. In addition, if information was compromised, our audit trail would tell you exactly who, what and when. A metal cabinet can't do that!

So again, there is a right way and a wrong way to manage files. eBridge is the right way. If you aren't already using eBridge Solutions, call or sign up for an online demo today!

Even Florida CFO Alex Sink believes in document management

I don't pretend to know anything about politics. Ever. It's not that I don't want to participate, it's just that I feel to really understand politics and happenings in today's government, you need to spend a lot of time reading and studying current events. I don't have the time, unfortunately. (And even if I did, I don't have the desire!)

But, I WAS excited to see this press release that shows how Florida CFO Alex Sink is saving our state money with document management.

We, at eBridge Solutions, are thankful to know that the people of Florida care about document management and savings! In the past year, we have signed more than twelve Florida government departments - including Environmental Health, Public Health and Permitting - in as many counties. They are using eBridge to put records online so that the citizens of those areas can pull up documents themselves. Genius, huh?

eBridge Solutions and Cleveland's best (and worst) restaurants

Curious about the cleanliness of the kitchen at your favorite restaurant? Your father's nursing home? The concession stands at the ballpark?

Cleveland's health officials say that by year's end, the public will be able to go online and check the food inspection reports for all 3,000 Cleveland establishments that serve prepared food -- using eBridge Solutions' document management software.

The project was made possible after the Cleveland Department of Public Safety donated the laptops that health inspectors now use on their rounds. The Department of Public Health purchased the necessary software for $3,000 (it's about $1,800 annually for our services + laptop maintenance).

The move online is designed to bring more attention to local food safety issues, said Matt Carroll, the director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health.

Hard copies of the reports have always been available to the public, but processing requests was time-consuming. Earlier this year, the city's 25 health inspectors shifted from storing reports in file cabinets to scanning them into their computers. Maintaining the software technology will cost roughly $3,000 annually, said Willie Bess, the department's public health commissioner.

Carroll said that he hopes online access will encourage consumers to check out the health official's evaluation of their favorite restaurant, grocery stores, nursing home or assisted living center.

The reports include details of any recent food violations, which range from inadequate temperature control to improper labeling to cross-contamination of foods. Customers also will be able to read health inspectors' comments about sanitation in the kitchens or stock rooms and follow-up data on whether a business addressed previously incurred violations. Inspectors will also make note of facilities that meet all food safety standards.

User-friendly tips on how to read inspection reports, which contain technical information, will also be available online, Carroll said.

"They will probably need some explanation," Carroll said. "It takes some getting familiar with the document, but once somebody gets used to it, they'll get it."

Carroll added that he hopes online access to the reports will also boost the overall level of food safety across the city, as businesses feel pressure to step up food handling practices under public scrutiny.

"It's a good way to get people the right information, so they can take advantage of it and make the best choices," Carroll said.

Read the entire story here.

Document management systems in government

Today, I am sitting at a show for environmental health agencies in Atlanta. Why? Because these government agencies deal with a myriad of records: vital (birth and death certificates), geographical (maps and drawings) and compliance (inspections, applications, etc.) are just a few examples that have come up today in conversation.

So, how does eBridge Solutions fit in? We are working with more than a dozen health departments in Florida already to store and manage their paper records. In St. Lucie County, for example, the area of the health department that deals with swimming pools and septic systems has scanned in all of the inspections, re-inspections and reports. They give their citizens access to this information on their web site. That eliminates the need for the public to physically drive to the health department and get copies of that paperwork. They can simply log on, find their specific inspection and print it out.

By leveraging their existing IT infrastructure and resources, the Environmental Health Division increased staff productivity and improved customer service dramatically by adding eBridge Solutions' document management system. Contractors, for example, who need to locate a septic system permit can find and print it themselves in just seconds through the public access portal.

"They love it," Sonji Hawkins, operations and management consultant of the Environmental Health Division of St. Lucie County Health Department in Port St. Lucie, Florida said. "Now, they can retrieve exactly what they need in a couple of seconds versus waiting for days. And it's saving us time and money."

Now, instead of waiting 48 hours and paying nearly $52 to retrieve a document, public records are available online at no incremental cost to the taxpayer.

An unplanned benefit of this implementation is that government auditors can retrieve necessary files right from their home office, eliminating two full days from the formerly five-day audit process.

Of course, the most significant change has been the huge reductions in archiving, retrieval, and storage expenses. In the 18 months they've been using eBridge Solutions, the Environmental Health Division has saved nearly $13,000 in archiving expenses.

To read the St. Lucie case study, click here.