Going 'paperless' not quite reality for Eastern Iowa businesses

From the time personal computers began to replace typewriters in the 1980s, there have been predictions that paper files eventually would be replaced by digital documents.

Eastern Iowa businesses and government offices have made progress going “paperless,” but eliminating all use of paper appears to be an unlikely scenario for now.

At the Millhiser-Smith Agency in Cedar Rapids, the decision to reduce paper was made in 2002.

“That's a big move for an insurance company. The paper files we have for clients are huge,” said Lynne DeVore, chief operating officer at Millhiser-Smith.

“We used to have an extensive filing system and people whose sole job was to file. They would retrieve files and often had to search them out on people's desks because they weren't always where they were supposed to be.”

Millhiser-Smith set a date when all documents deemed important would be scanned and attached to electronic client files. Employees worked for about 18 months scanning older files.

The process saved Millhiser-Smith the cost of payroll for filing clerks and the annual tab for reams of paper.

At The Eastern Iowa Airport, replacing paper copies of each month's Cedar Rapids Airport Commission agenda and supporting documents with electronic files and netbook computers has paid a dividend.

The seven Acer netbooks - smaller and cheaper than laptop computers and with fewer features - cost $1,946 to purchase locally. Airport Business Manager Don Johnson said the computers paid for themselves in seven months when considering the cost of materials, postage and staff time involved with paper documents.

Commissioner Dee Baird, president of Priority One and interim president of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, said replacing paper documents with computers is a trend in the public and private sectors.

“It's a shift that we're seeing all the time,” Baird said. “With technology becoming cheaper, it's certainly a reasonable option and a good use of our funds.”

Cardiologists PC in Cedar Rapids in 2005 made the decision to move to an electronic medical records system. The need to replace a 15-year-old computer system that handled billing and scheduling coincided with deciding what to do about additional paper records storage.

Cardiologists PC had been storing medical records in-house and needed to make a decision about future storage. The practice adopted a system that allows doctors to enter patient data in laptop computers and eliminate writing file notes on paper after the patient leaves.

Under a mandate from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, hospitals and other health care providers will be required to demonstrate “meaningful use” of electronic medical records by January 2015 or face a loss of 1 percent of their reimbursement per year, up to 5 percent.

(A recent survey by Physicians' Reciprocal Insurers of Roslyn, N.Y., found 65 percent of respondents would accept the penalty rather than switch to electronic medical records.)

ON THE HOMEFRONT

Another industry that's reducing the use of paper is the real estate sector. Realtors such as Amanda Burns at Century21 Premier in Marion can access information on houses for sale on the area Multiple Listing Service using a laptop computer, eliminating the paper MLS “book” that was published weekly.

“I also do HUD homes, so I'm able to access the HUD website, which is separate from the MLS site,” Burns said. “I also deal with home appraisers and home inspection services, which I can send an email through their website.

“Some Realtors are able to offer virtual tours using a video camera as they walk through a home. We're also seeing agents post a tour on YouTube as well as posting a Facebook page.”

Burns said homeowners who prefer to sell their house, known in the trade as For Sale By Owner or FSBOs, traditionally advertised the house in newspapers and posted a sign on the property.

"Today, they're creating a Facebook page or sometimes a separate Web page,” Burns said. “We're able to find those listings and work with them to show them the advantages of working with a Realtor to sell their home.”

Potential buyers can be alerted by email when a home matches their search criteria, Burns said. In many cases, that instant alert can mean the difference between snapping up a home at the right price or losing it to another buyer.

Burns said Century21 Premier has taken steps to reduce paper use and recycle where possible. But the volume of paper required to list and sell a home continues to grow.

“It still takes this much paper to get a home ready for listing,” Burns said, pointing to a half-inch-thick file. “The banks and mortgage companies continue to require additional paper forms and the abstract for a typical property can be as much as 2 inches thick.

“Every time the property is sold or changes are made, the abstract adds more pages.”