Orthofix Inc., a sales and manufacturing subsidiary of Orthofix International, N.V., distributes products to orthopedic surgeons and patients via more than 200 sales representatives located in nine markets across the country. Orthofix recently deployed a solution integrating Datacap Taskmaster with its Captaris® RightFax® fax server and Global 360 Keyfile system reducing its order entry department by half and creating additional time and cost savings.

Orthofix receives 3,000 to 5,000 faxes per day seven days a week ranging from five to 10 pages each from the more than 200 sales representatives. To manage this workload, Orthofix employed four full-time and one part-time order entry employee to manually sort these faxes into the nine regional baskets for processing. Occasionally, due to the volume of orders, an additional three employees in the Sold Orders department were asked to assist.

Orthofix recently opted to integrate Datacap Taskmaster with its Captaris® RightFax® fax server and Global 360 Keyfile system. With a few easy customizations, Orthofix was able to configure Taskmaster to locate order types and sales representative IDs on each fax cover sheet using zone and numeric hand and machine print recognition and verification, automatically routing the order into the proper regional bucket. Orders are then delivered with index information to Global 360. Taskmaster automatically sends a confirmation email to the salesperson and administrator, eliminating the need for follow-up calls.

Immediately, Orthofix was able to reduce its Order Entry department to three full-time employees. Instead of spending time sorting and entering data, they now provide support for the automated process, creating additional time and cost savings. The Sold Orders department is once again free to focus on serving customers. Orders are processed more quickly with fewer employees and accuracy is increased with a drop in the number of "lost" faxes.

To read the full case study, click here.

Survey Report: OCR Delivers Value To Accounts Payable

Datacap, Fujitsu and IOMA Survey Included 400 Accounts Payable Managers 

The first survey of accounts payable focusing exclusively on scanning and OCR technologies for AP documents confirms that automated data entry delivers cost savings of about 40%.  When asked to provide the average cost of processing one invoice, the mean average of those using OCR systems was more than $5 lower per invoice than those processing invoices manually.

The detailed survey, sponsored jointly by Datacap, Fujitsu and the Institute of Management Administration, which provides education and certification to AP managers, shows a distinct relationship between job satisfaction and automated processes.  Those who had already adopted imaging, data entry automation and electronic workflow systems consistently rated their performance, and job satisfaction, higher than those without automation.

The survey portrays a department in transition, from a paper-intensive back-office process to a strategic asset providing real-time visibility into an organization's financial performance. Indeed, survey respondents reported that the primary decision maker for scanning and OCR systems is their CFO. 

A significant percentage (30%) of respondents indicated that scanning and OCR systems were not considered a priority in their organizations. Since many were from the same segment of the survey that indicated dissatisfaction with their department's performance, the case could be made that AP managers need to do a better job of selling automation internally. 

To read the complete survey report, "Scanning and OCR In Accounts Payable," send an e-mail to marketing@datacap.com.

New Recorded Webinar Features Survey Results

Datacap and Andrew Dzamba, editor of the Institute of Management Admistration's (IOMA) AP publications, recorded a webinar that presents highlights from the Scanning and OCR Survey. Mr. Dzamba provides perspective and analysis of the data, based on 30 years of experience as an AP Manager and journalist covering AP issues. This 45 minute recorded webinar is free of charge.  Click here to view.

Case Study: Central Coast Alliance for Health

Public Health Plan Increases Claims Processing Speed with Datacap Taskmaster for Invoices

The Central Coast Alliance for Health, known by its members as "the Alliance" is a locally operated public health plan serving California's Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. The Alliance has realized significant cost savings and efficiency through data entry automation with Datacap Taskmaster for Medical Claims and Fujitsu scanners.

Prior to implementing Taskmaster for Medical Claims as its capture solution, the Alliance employed 12 data entry operators to manually key and process medical claims from healthcare providers, institutions and 30,000 Alliance members in Santa Cruz County. The process was tedious and time consuming but the acquisition of Monterey County and 48,000 new members prompted the Alliance to search for a capture solution.

With more than twice the amount of claims to process, the Alliance quadrupled its workforce, but reduced the data entry staff by half with the help of Datacap Taskmaster and Fujitsu scanners.

Presently, five data entry operators manually key only handprint forms and verify problem documents. The claims department now can focus all of their time processing claims, speeding turn-around time despite the drastically increased workload. Taskmaster for Medical Claims speeds processing time, increases accuracy and guarantees compliance by allowing administration controls only to those who need them. 

To read the full case study, click here.