file re-organization

[susan1234]

I would greatly appreciate any ideas you might have to help me re-organize files. I work in a medical setting and have been assigned the task of reorganizing files consisting of forms used by our medical staff, e.g., operating room consent form, anesthesia consent form, etc.  I would like to have an index so people know which drawer which file is in. I am wondering if anyone has any ideas. I want to make this project turn out to be a masterpiece!



Thank you very much.

[msmarieh]

Are you re-organizing the blank forms (which could be alphabetical by form name) or the filled out forms (which might need to be alphabetical by patient, then in order by date?). Can you give a little more info?



Marie

[goldenearring]

I would reorganize by assigning a form number and description.  You can then pop that into Excel, and anybody can sort it and easily find what they're looking for.  Plus, if you want to expand the files later to include other things, you can simply number the files (1-infinity), plug in that column next to the form numbers, and your system has expanded relatively painlessly.  We keep track, too, re forms, of who prints it for us, and who is the "owner" of the form.  Hope that helps.

[dwreath]

I'm not sure about medical records....but I've always found multi-color folders to be a great help with the general office paperwork.  For example...I'll put all bank account info in one set of colors, all HR stuff in another color, all  vendor information in another.  You get the jist of it.  Makes it real convient to open a drawer and narrow down your search for a particular folder.

 

[susan1234]

Thank you all for your suggestions. To Ms. MarieH: I am organizing blank forms. I can put them alphabetically in the file drawer. How would you suggest I keep an index so people can go to the file and find the forms?

[susan1234]

P.S. These are printed forms in a file cabinet. They are not in any of our computers.



Thanks again.

[countrigal]

Susan, speaking as someone who has hospital forms herself, I suggest organizing them by number.  So many of my personnel come in and are looking for Form xx-xx and when you ask them what it is their name for it isn't always what the official form name is.  Then, in the file drawer just put one form per folder with it's number on the tab, and them all in numberical order.  So 1-123 would be before 10-2633.  This also allows you to easily input new ones if they come about, changes in numbering, etc.  You can also utilize different colors for each whole number (all the 1-xxx in red, 2-xxxx in blue, 10-xxxx in green) which will easily show if a folder is misfiled.  



To let others know how to locate forms, create a table of contents for your file drawer and put it in the front of the drawer.  Then if Y wants to find a form and can't figure out your system all they need to do is look on the table of contents and it'll tell them that Form x-xxxx is in a Red Folder, directly behind Form x-xxxy and so on.  If it oges for more than 1 drawer, on the outside of the drawer mark it Form x-xxx to y-yyyy and put the complete table of contents (with drawer numbers on it) in each drawer.  So by opening the first drawer I can find out that form x-xxxx is in the Red Folder in drawer 3, behind blue folder y-yyyy.



Does that make sense?  Hope it helps.

[susan1234]

I am concerned that numbering the forms could be confusing because the forms already are numbered. For example, the H&P form is form number 98-648.  

[countrigal]

That's what I mean, use the form number for the number to file it as...Form 98-648 would be after Form 10-2633 (10 before 9 ... then when they bring in a new form, ie Form 40-322, you just slip it in between them and update the table of contents.