#1 Go (Almost) Paperless

As the new year begins, health center leadership and mid-level managers all over the country are planning to ramp-up a new year…bracing for the non-stop, break-neck speed of health center operations. Barely before your blood glucose levels return to their pre-holiday-gorging state, there’s no doubt that some leader somewhere will again be overwhelmed by a broad-spectrum of concerns. So how do team members who have such a broad job description stay focused and start the first quarter off intentionally? Over the next few blog posts, we will suggest 7 ways to start the new year on the right foot. First up…number 1!

#1 – Go (almost) Paperless

In this era of hybrid reporting (some reports are manual and others are computerized), paper is not yet a thing of the past. But much of the clutter filling our cramped and dimly lit health center offices is unneeded and decreases our efficiency. Before the new year, work to put at least one “paper something” on the computer…and then throw that “paper something” in the recycling bin.

Physical clutter can translate to mental clutter and results in stress and burnout. Plus, digitizing documents provides the power of the key-word-search and copying and pasting – both time-saving hacks.

Scanning documents that are hand-written logs or items that cannot be digitized is another great way to clear out your clutter. If you don’t have a document scanner, spend the money and buy one. Keep the most recent and shred the rest.

In this day in age, more than two dozen paper hanging file folders is unnecessary. The age of multiple four-drawer filing cabinets is (or should be) a thing of the past. Usher in the new year with a 21st century (almost) paperless office.

If you’d like more help raising your health center to the next level and move toward HRSA continuous compliance, please contact your health center-focused team at RegLantern at www.RegLantern.com. Our FQHC Mock Site Visits and web-based HRSA Continual Compliance tools will help save you time and money.