How do you file?

[catnapper]

This is a major issue at work right now. MAJOR.

The person who does the filing was let go and now we're reorganizing all the files. They were arranged how she files so we all just went along with it. Now that she's gone, we are trying to find out the best way the filing should go. I was amazed that with 6 people we have 6 completely different ways of filing!

The biggest issue is this: do you file with most recent papers on top of old ones or do you put the most recent papers behind the older ones? Apparently this is a major thing... who knew!?

Do you file customers alphabetically or chronilogically?

Oh, and this apparently is huge too.... staple papers together or paperclip?

I swear, this is going to cause a riot in my office! People are passionate about the way to file papers. I don't see the big deal. I'll put papers whereever you tell me to do so.

I was just wondering what the general opinion was on how to organize files.

[jennielynn1970]

From working in doctors' offices for years, I can tell you how we did it at those places.

First, our file cabinets/wall shelving units were organized alphabetically by the last name. If hyphenated, we used the first name of the last name. We didn't separate the years because if they came back for new tests or appts. we just updated for the year we were in. You could tell by looking at the color coded labels who was in most recently.

For the inside stuff, we always put the newest papers on top. We did have sections in the folders for different things though. We had the History and Physical in the first section, along with the paper that the doctor filled out the the info from the visit, and the nurses as well. They always wanted to see the notes first. Then we had a tabbed section for all testing results. We had a place for all insurance info and EOBs from the insurance companies if they were individual. We kept bulk EOBs in a separate area by date, newest first, and we had them separated (Medicare, BC/BS). For any private EOBs we made copies of bulk payments, highlighted the patient's name and put the copy in their personal folders.

We did not staple. We did paper clip.

I guess it all depends on how it works out to be the most efficient for finding what you need when you need it. There should be a way that everyone can agree on.

You can buy those stickers for the charts too. So, you can put the first three letters of the patient's last name on the chart, and then up at the other end you can put the last two digits of the year. Then you can also get stickers that let you know if they are a certain health insurance as well.

Check out your vet's office too, or your own doctor's office... just say you were curious.

[critter crazy]

well the way we file in our office is this way:
Alphabetically
Newest paperwork up front
Paperwork, no longer being worked on, gets stapled.
Paperwork, held, and still being worked on gets paperclipped

simple, easy and to the point!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Alphabetically A101, A102 etc all the way to Z

Use staples all the time - paperclips come out or attach themselves to the wrong thing.

I have to say that the person who did your filing has pulled a blinder and earnt my utmost admiration - the first rule of admin is to make filing so complicated that you are the only person who understands it - how else have I lasted so long?

[RedHedd]

We go through this at the lawfirm. In my department, the files are filed alphabetically by client name - last name for individuals; company name for businesses. Everything is put in chronological order with the latest on top. We have separate files for pleadings, correspondence, client documents, etc.

Some departments sort by client number, but I know everyone has the most recent stuff on top. Just makes it easier to file - can you imagine digging to the back to put the newest stuff in? That doesn't make sense to me.

Paperclips in files drive me nuts! It just makes the files thicker and more difficult to handle. If the document is meant to be kept together, it's stapled.

[Marigold2]

Excellent advice, this is how we do it as well and it works.

From working in doctors' offices for years, I can tell you how we did it at those places.

First, our file cabinets/wall shelving units were organized alphabetically by the last name. If hyphenated, we used the first name of the last name. We didn't separate the years because if they came back for new tests or appts. we just updated for the year we were in. You could tell by looking at the color coded labels who was in most recently.

For the inside stuff, we always put the newest papers on top. We did have sections in the folders for different things though. We had the History and Physical in the first section, along with the paper that the doctor filled out the the info from the visit, and the nurses as well. They always wanted to see the notes first. Then we had a tabbed section for all testing results. We had a place for all insurance info and EOBs from the insurance companies if they were individual. We kept bulk EOBs in a separate area by date, newest first, and we had them separated (Medicare, BC/BS). For any private EOBs we made copies of bulk payments, highlighted the patient's name and put the copy in their personal folders.

We did not staple. We did paper clip.

I guess it all depends on how it works out to be the most efficient for finding what you need when you need it. There should be a way that everyone can agree on.

You can buy those stickers for the charts too. So, you can put the first three letters of the patient's last name on the chart, and then up at the other end you can put the last two digits of the year. Then you can also get stickers that let you know if they are a certain health insurance as well.

Check out your vet's office too, or your own doctor's office... just say you were curious.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I would put the most recent on top, names alphabetically, and I'd use staples.

[lizbud]

I would put the most recent on top, names alphabetically, and I'd use staples.

That's the way it was done at my office. Most Managers don't even give
filing organization a second thought, until they are the ones who have to
find a critical file.

[kuhio98]

I would put the most recent on top, names alphabetically, and I'd use staples.

Me too!

[Edwina's Secretary]

The answer to how you file is how you use the files. Do you have more occasion to retrieve files by customers' name or by date?

If it is by name...then alpha. If it is by name but date is also very important...I would use a file label that has both on the label...

Jones, Susan 2007, July

The order...most recent or oldest...again...which are you more likely to use?...probably most recent... Whatever is most likely to be needed should be easiest to retrieve (on top!)

[Logan]

I like most recent information on top, too. But I've got to say that whoever it is that is going to be doing the filing is the one who should choose how to do it!

[Catlady711]

At home I alphabetize by utility/catagory, use staples frequently until they are so thick the stapler jams and I have to start a new file, and I put the most current in the front since I'm most likely to be wanting to look up last month or two utility bill or something similar.

At work we alphabetize by owner's last name (if hyphenated we go by first of the two last names), most current file gets put in the front (client files only), and we use staples (paper clips have been known to suck up someone else's file and then it gets filed with another client's folder and may never be found, staples don't do that). Our computer system can look up by animal name so we don't use that for our paper filing method only the owner name.

At work our invoices/utilities get filed in whatever system the longtime receptionist wants to do, and it confuses me because she puts the most current invoice in the BACK. I'm also likely to find the GTE/BELL/VERIZON/Sprint invoices all in the same file listed under "T" for 'telephone'. Gets kinda confusing to me, but she's been doing that way for years and always seems to know where to find the invoices we need.

[Russian Blue]

The answer to how you file is how you use the files. Do you have more occasion to retrieve files by customers' name or by date?

If it is by name...then alpha. If it is by name but date is also very important...I would use a file label that has both on the label...

I've worked in Records Management for a long time and you really should decide first on how you use your files as mentioned above. Also, you should consider how long you legally need to retain your records as well. Filing is only relevant to current files, but you need an efficient system to find your files once they are boxed up or off-site.

Or you can just go here and read until your eyes fall out (literally, the bible of the Records Management world): ARMA

[Freedom]

I would put the most recent on top, names alphabetically, and I'd use staples.

Yup, that is how we did it at the CPA firms, the law firms, and the trust companies!

Paper clips are a big no no; they pick up other stuff.

[catnapper]

Ahh, a lot of you agree with me.... alphabetize, newest on top, and stapled.

The problem is that we phased out the position of the person who did the filing and she won't be replaced. We're all going to file ourselves from now on. Nobody will be in charge of it. Hence the big hoopla over how it'll be set up.

Basically, the store doesn't keep folders of people, they basically have daily transaction folders. They rely on the computer for the personal info. So it would be chronological. Say Mrs. Smith bought a sofa on June 25th. It would be in that day's folder. Say Mrs. Smith came back today to change something on her order. We couldn't find the original sales slip unless we knew which day she bought the sofa. We'd find her name on the computer, which would then give us the day she bought her sofa, which then we could pull that folder to make a note on the original paperwork. A little backward but, hey it works.

The hoopla is coming when we have service requests. Say Mrs. Smith gets her sofa and it comes in with a hole in the fabric. We would then fill out a form for the service guys to go out and either fix the hole or bring out a new sofa. We'd file that in the service folder. Nobody agrees on whether to file these alphabetically or chronologically. If we do it chronologically, we fight over whether it shold be the newest on top or the oldest on top. You see.... if the oldest is on top and still there, we are alerted to WHY its not done yet. I have no idea what happens to the service requests once the service has been perfromed... we also can't agree on where those papers will go and how they'll be filed. Such drama!