Claims department cuts paper use and carbon footprint

All over ClaimLinx, we have been working to cut down on our paper use to improve communication and reduce our carbon footprint. Health insurance tends to be a paper-heavy industry, with enrollment applications, incoming medical claims, documents from providers, invoices, Explanations of Benefits (EOBs) and more.

In looking at the company, we identified cutting down on paper use as a way to help the planet and a way to improve service for our clients and members. The more our process is stored digitally, the more people within the company can see what other team members are doing. We also liked the idea of needing less supplies so we can free up more resources to improve other parts of the company.

The claims and billing departments have been the latest to transition to using less paper. This has required changing some of our processes to depend on transferring items digitally, rather than physically. Last year in the service department, we transitioned our entire implementation process to digital.

Already we have seen this improve communication throughout the company, as multiple team members can now see documents others are working on, instead of single pieces of paper sitting on desks only individuals can see.

We encourage clients to take a similar look at processes at their company to see where they can be transitioned to using less resources. The best part about these adjustments is not only are they good for the planet, but also they often save the company money. Spending less on utilities and office supplies means you can spend more on upgrades to equipment, hiring more employees, training current employees, etc.

See these seven tips for reducing your carbon footprint at the workplace:

• Turn lights, computers, appliances and other machines completely off at the end of each day or when they are not in use.
• Try adjusting the thermostat to a few degrees cooler in the winter and a few degrees warmer in the summer.
• Switch to cloth towels or hand dryers in bathrooms and other wash areas.
• Cut down on printing by sharing documents digitally, getting electronic signatures or showing documents on a projector for meetings rather than printing.
• Place recycling bins at central parts of the workplace to serve as a reminder and to make it easy.
• Encourage staff to bring reusable water bottles, coffee mugs, containers, silverware and plates. You could even invest in a set of office cutlery and dishes.
• Add new or swap out artificial plants for real ones; they look nice and help purify the air.

Making changes in the office can be difficult. It has been at ClaimLinx as well. We had to take a real look at where we could adjust our processes so they depended on digital resources instead of the paper ones we were used to. That required investments in time and sometimes new software, but we believe this will help our company continue to evolve in the future.