Maintaining access to about 1.5 million files isn't a task that's best executed via manual methods. With this in mind, the San Bernardino County Department of Human Services (HS), which serves residents throughout California's San Bernardino County, is in the midst of implementing an RFID-and bar code-based file tracking system.
Files maintained by the agency correspond to individual county residents and contain documents pertaining to assistance provided such as food stamps, financial aid, and adoption services, explains Ray Wimberly, business systems analyst. Inactive files were kept in the agency's office for 90 days, then packed into boxes and sent to one of five warehouses in San Bernardino. However, files must often be retrieved from storage in conjunction with state hearings or at the request of HS agents--for instance, situations in which a resident who has stopped receiving food stamps reapplies for benefits based on a new need.
"Retrieving the files was very time-consuming and usually required that warehouse personnel search through many rows of boxes with file case numbers printed on their sides," Wimberly says. Completing the job proved even more difficult and inefficient if the box or file had been misplaced, misfiled, or was being used by someone else.
Source: Integrated Solutions, http://www.integratedsolutionsmag.com