Patient Transportation Manager Job Description

Patient Transportation Manager Job DescriptionPatient Transportation Manager Job DescriptionPatient Transportation Manager Job DescriptionThis patient transportation manager sample job description can assist in your creating a job application that will attract job candidates who are qualified for the job. Feel free to revise this job description to meet your specific job duties and job requirements.Patient Transportation Manager Job ResponsibilitiesSupports patient service and operations by transporting patients and items managing staff.Patient Transportation Manager Job DutiesAccomplishes patient transportation human resource objectives by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, assigning, scheduling, coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees communicating job expectations planning, monitoring, appraising, and reviewing job contributions planning and reviewing compensation actions enforcing policies and procedures.Achieves patient transportation operational objectives by contributing patient transportation information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews preparing and completing action plans implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards resolving problems completing audits identifying trends determining patient transportation system improvements implementing change.Meets patient transportation financial objectives by forecasting requirements preparing an annual budget scheduling expenditures analyzing variances initiating corrective actions.Gets patients to correct location by studying patient service schedules planning movement schedules responding to special requests designing and improving response systems.Transports patients and visitors by determining, evaluating, and scheduling van routes.Picks up and delivers items by developing courier services responding to requests.Serves customers by surveying needs and requests auditing and improving service.Keeps equipment operating by establishing and enfo rcing operating and preventive maintenance rules arranging for repairs.Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by establishing, following, and enforcing standards and procedures complying with legal regulations.Provides information by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data and trends.Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities reading professional publications maintaining personal networks participating in professional organizations.Accomplishes patient transportation and organization mission by completing related results as needed.Patient Transportation Manager Skills and QualificationsSupervision, Safety Management, Lifting, Customer Focus, Tracking Budget Expenses, Management Proficiency, Planning, Bedside Manner, Energy Level, People Skills, Creating a Safe, Effective EnvironmentEmployers Post a job in minutes to reach candidates everywhere. Job Seekers Search Patient Transportation Manager Jobs and apply on now. Find out mora abouthow t o hireRecruiting a New Hire if You Havent Hired in a WhileInterviewing Gaffes and Recruiting DisastersMaintain a Legal Hiring Process

All About Flexible Jobs at Cactus Communications

All About Flexible Jobs at Cactus CommunicationsAll About Flexible Jobs at Cactus CommunicationsCactus Communications is a major provider of flexible job opportunities in general, and work-from-home freelance opportunities in particular. To that end, CACTUS engages more than 1,400 independent contractors worldwide who work virtually. Content at CACTUS is supervised by a team of in-house editors, including 43 who are certified by the motherboard of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS), making CACTUS one of the worlds largest employers of BELS-certified editors.We talked to CACTUS about the companys work, itsmission and history, and the expertise itprovides to clients in more than 116 countries.If youre interested in the kinds of opportunities offered by CACTUS, view and apply to open flexible positions hereTell us a bit about what Cactus Communications does.CACTUS Cactus Communications is a leading global provider of scientific and medical communication tafelgeschirrs to researchers, a uthors, scholarly journals, publishers, and corporations worldwide. ur mission is to enable growth through effective communication. In everything we do, we aim to accelerate the development of global scientific research by helping science break through the confines of geography and language.To this end, we offer world-class editing, translation, publication support, medical writing, transcription, and researcher training services to help individuals achieve their communication goals.What are some of the main responsibilities of freelancers who work with CACTUS?CACTUS Depending on their qualifications, abilities, and interest, our freelance editors work on one or both of our editing services- the standard editing service (SES), which involves linear editing, and the premium editing service (PES), which includes structural changes to the manuscript.Our freelance translators render academic documents from Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Portuguese into English. The main responsibility o f our freelance editors and translators is to ensure that the authors meaning is clearly conveyed.What process do you use to match candidates to papers and subject matter? Are applicants matched to topics that require their area of expertise (for example, if they have a masters or PhD in a particular subject)?CACTUS Because we deal with cutting-edge research, it is important that we place each paper in the right hands. This, of course, means associating freelancers with relevant subject-area clusters. So candidates with a masters or PhD as well as a flair for language will put both to good use, while also keeping in touch with the latest research in their field of specialization.The editorial teilen at CACTUS includes over 20 Centers of Excellence (CoEs), one for each major subject area group. Our hiring process is customized to each CoE.The translation division at CACTUS offers academic translation from Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Portuguese into English.What types of flexibilit y are offered with the freelance editor and translator positions? How are schedules or hours organized?CACTUS Freelancers can set their schedules and work when it pleases them. Our system enables each editor and translator to block dates when they plan to be unavailable for assignments. Our team of process managers schedules projects accordingly. Freelancers have the option of previewing an assignment before deciding whether to accept it.What makes an ideal candidate for a freelance editor and translator role with CACTUS?CACTUS This opportunity would appeal to anyone with a flair for language and a deep interest in their own area of specialization. Our freelancers make a real difference in the field of international research and scientific/academic communication.One of the biggest hurdles between ESL researchers and their target audience is language. Our freelance editors and translators help researchers improve language and clarity and ensure that their documents comply with academ ic style and conventions. As we aim to help authors meet their publishing goals, we expect our editors and translators to have high quality standards and meet deadlines.Because of the nature of the work, we prefer editors with a PhD or at least a masters degree. However, some CoEs do have openings for candidates with a bachelors degree. Our job descriptions list the minimum qualifications required for each position.For our freelance translator role, we look for candidates with native-level proficiency in English and the source language. They should be enterprising and be able to consult the right resources to find the most appropriate terms.How quickly can a well-qualified editor/translator begin to receive assignments through CACTUS after youve hired them?CACTUS Many of our freelancers hit the ground running Our processfrom application to hiringusually takes no more than three business days for editing and about a week for translation. Once hired, freelancers can log into their acc ount in our verbunden system and familiarize themselves with our requirements and conventions.The freelancer is introduced to the Manager of the CoE most appropriate to his/her expertise, and work may start almost immediately in some cases or after a week or so in CoEs with a large number of new hires. Projects may initially be sporadic, allowing time for our team to review them carefully.Reliable freelancers- those who consistently deliver good quality work on time- will soon receive a steady stream of projects.Is there anything else youd like readers to know about flexible opportunities at CACTUS?CACTUS As the name suggests, these are flexible freelance opportunities. Therefore, there isnt any need to relocate and you can choose when to work.You will be exposed to tomorrows research today, as you will help refine the work of authors who aspire to get published in scholarly peer-reviewed journals.We look forward to collaborating with youMany thanks to Cactus Communications for prov iding readers with in-depth answers to questions about the companys job opportunities View and apply for jobs at Cactus Communications here

Rejection Letter Template

Rejection Letter TemplateRejection Letter TemplateCompanies can get slammed with hundreds of resumes for every job listing they post, so its tempting to let the polite, caring touches go by the wayside. However, applicants that take the time to apply and possibly interview for a job deserve to be thanked. They deserve your cordial communication at each step of the recruitment process, including being rejected. Be an Employer of Choice Your companys reputation is built one candidate at a time, and how you treat job applicants is crucial for your success in recruiting future talent. If an applicant, who possesses rare skills has to chose between two employment offers, he or she may likely select the organization that has the better reputation as an employer of choice. In this day of social and professional networks, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, its difficult for an employer to hide. Salaries are regularly compared online and candidates can check out your reputation as an employer by reading employee reviews on sites such as Glassdoor. Job applicants make decisions about you as an employer based on your actions. Treating all applicants with respect and consideration can attract much-needed talent and make you an employer of choice. Rejection Letter Template This rejection letter template can assist you in writing rejection letters Start with the applicants address from his or her resume, as you would with any formal business letter if you plan to mail the rejection letter. In an email, your approach may be more informal.Use a standard salutation, such as Dear John.The first sentence of your rejection letter should thank the applicant for taking the time to come in for the interviewExample We appreciate your interest in our company and the time you spent with our interview team.If the applicant is being rejected after applying for the position, but has leid yet had an interview, this letter can be simpleExample Thank you for taking the time to ap ply for our (name of position) job opening. The second paragraph of the letter should state the reason for the rejection. This statement should be carefully crafted so it is not misinterpreted or used as a basis for future legal action. Discrimination in any aspect of the employment relationship from recruitment to the end of employment can be the basis for legal action. Also, do not state that you found another more qualified candidate. Lawyers warn that in order to make a comparison, candidates could request to assess the qualifications of others applying for the same job. In addition, you dont want to spend hours fulfilling subpoenas and filing court documents, nor exposing your recruitment process to unnecessary scrutiny. Use the final paragraph or two of the rejection letter to list next steps, encourage the applicant to apply in the future, or simply, cordially sign off. When rejecting an applicant before an interview, thank the applicant for his or her interest in your compan y.If the applicant appeared qualified for jobs that open in your organization, encourage the applicant to apply again. If the applicant did not have the qualifications or experience you typically seek, keep your thanks simple and straightforwardExample Once again, thank you for taking the time to send your resume and cover letter for consideration for our position of (name of job). You have not been selected for an interview at this time.Example Once again, thank you for coming in for the interview. We enjoyed meeting you and learning about your experience and interests. While you were not selected for this position, we encourage you to apply again in the future for openings that match your qualifications. Sign the rejection letter. The hiring manager, the company owner in a small business, or the Human Resources staff person working on recruitment should sign the rejection letter and provide their title and contact information. If you use a team to interview employees, especially a fter team members honigwein the applicant, the signature can say on behalf of the interview team. Use this rejection letter template to formulate your rejection letters at each stage of the recruitment process. Your applicants will appreciate your thoughtfulness and you will build your reputation as an employer of choice.

So if not me, who did get the job

So if not me, who did get the jobSo if not me, who did get the jobWhen two candidates are equally experienced, equally capable, and equally impressive, who gets the job? Well, when two companies have similar products, with similar ratings, and similar prices, which do you pick? If you think about it, you might say the one that wants my business more. The saleswoman made an extra effort, or the people at the store went out of their way to be kind, or its as simple as they just smiled back and said wed like your business. Its no surprise we prefer to buy from companies that make us feel like were a welcome part of their community. And who gets the job if the applicants are equals? The candidate with a passion for the business. A zeal for the industry. An excitement. An enthusiasm. A zest for the art, and the craft, and the science, of what makes a company in the field succeed. In todays economy - a sophisticated economy increasingly based on design, thinking work, proprietary creativi ty, and the ability to grasp and apply complex intellectual abstractions - the need is greater than ever for those who can think. And thinking work is different from the typical jobs of even a generation or two past. A steel mill manager, a radio set salesman, or a train operator could measure their success in physical quantities how much steel poured, sets sold, or tons shipped. In an information economy, on the other hand, the measures of success are increasingly intangible. The iPod was better than other MP3 players not because it had more, but because it had fewer buttons and features - the right buttons and features for music on the go. A restaurant chain displaces a competitor because it feels more (or less) like home. A shoe company thrives because it gives away half the pairs that you buy. Even vacuum cleaners, cars, and backyard grills are made, marketed and sold in ways that were inconceivable in the brde century. Producing these products and services, consequently, is l ess a function of the volume of resources that are put in. In generations past, more raw materials, capital equipment, or men punching your time clock meant more finished products or services coming out the other side. Today, its often more important how little you put in, or how artfully you arrange the features. Finding people who can make those decisions well, and then execute on those decisions, is difficult for bosses. They have to figure out who is going to understand the customer better, the manufacturing process better, the marketing better, the interface better, and so on. Whats more, bosses need to determine whos going to stick with it - there are a lot more forks in the road, and bumps along the way, in this intangible world. Perseverance through the inevitable fumbles and fiascos is needed because without perseverance there are no victories. And what bosses have discovered is that somebody who is passionate about the business tends to be a better employee and a better p rofessional to work with. Because somebody who is passionate is inherently motivated, and internally driven to succeed, they try harder to find answers. They think up clever stuff on their own. They enjoy the business, and the customers, and the industry so much that theyre always discovering new things or perceiving additional ways that the business could succeed. In short, passionate people are better employees because they care more than dispassionate people. Passionate people care more than the average employee, they care more than the average applicant, and they care more about their industry than, on average, you do.And thats why - if youre not excited about the industry, the company, the opportunity - you might not get the job. Its a common reason people get passed over, turned down, or put in the nice to have pile.If you truly want success in this modern business world, you need to do what youre actually passionate about. Otherwise, youre just unfairly stacking the deck in someone elses favor. Im rooting for you.p.s.This guy, for example, is ridiculously passionate about his special job.

Top Should I Include References on Resume Choices

Top Should I Include References on Resume Choices Should I Include References on Resume Can Be Fun for Everyone In reality, if youre attempting to relocate for work, I would suggest removing all location information unless you may offer a local address. When youre asked for references, its possible to strategically pick the best people to represent what you would like highlighted for the opportunity, she states. The people that you include in the list needs to be relevant to the job which you are applying for. At any moment in your career, you must have a list of people prepared to endorse you. All About Should I Include References on Resume If your reference is someone renown in the geschftlicher umgang or industry. Following your interview, your references could be a fundamental component on whether you get a job offer from a business. After your interview, they could be a key component of whether you receive a job offer from a company. Type of Should I Include Reference s on Resume For most job applications you wont need to incorporate any references with your resume. If you dont are directly asked for just a couple of references, plan to include three or more references. Your references ought to be updated on your recent successes, but you might want to continue to keep your new job search confidential. Theres simply no reason why you need to ever include references on a resume. Make certain that your resume contains everything the employer should be convinced that youre a very good match for the position. The range of references you list is dependent upon your career level. An academic advisor, based on the period of time you spent with them, is another wonderful alternative for a reference. Your references need to have a clear idea of the sort of position youre pursuing and be in a position to relate it to your previous experience. Find our what you have to put on your resume and what recruiters want to get. Resumes are intended to s how you have what is necessary to do exceptional work in a particular position. They are tricky its sometimes difficult to know exactly what to include. Writing a resume may be an exciting process if you remember your hard work can bring about an outstanding job. The only time that it is acceptable to include references with the resume in a work application is when theyre requested directly in the work vacancy description. If you include accurate info, then you might acquire low-balled when it regards your starting salary. The customary practice in recruitment is to get in spur with references the exact same week as the work interview. The Fundamentals of Should I Include References on Resume Revealed Quite often, a reference list is requested in the on-line application practice. Nearly all resumes also incorporate a concise work history section. For instance, if one of your references is a famous person at the organization youre applying at, go right ahead and include them on your resume. Its acceptable to use difference references for various positions. The Tried and True Method for Should I Include References on Resume in Step by Step Detail You also can be certain their contact information is accurate. For online resumes, its better to put Will be supplied upon request. Ask each reference if theres any information they dont want listedthis will help safeguard your contacts private info, Nolan states. If youve had a specific reference for more than a calendar year, call to verify that you still have the appropriate phone number and other details. Also, its a CV not an affidavit. Prior to making a resume reference page or sending the contact information of anyone to a prospective employer, its crucial to ask permission from each of the referencesyou would love to use. Be certain to let your employer know you have references available upon request. If their interview procedure includes references, employers will request that you provide them. Completing the education section may be hard if you continue to be in school, or have only recently graduated. In other words, a reference is an individual, possibly a former employer, teacher or just a co-worker or friend thats ready to vouch for all the wonderful abilities and achievements you laid out so beautifully on your resume. Heres What I Know About Should I Include References on Resume Contact information ought to be set on top of your resume. Resumes are usually quite short often only about a page but they are frequently the very first gelegenheit youll have to make an impression.

The Motivations of Passion and Money

The Motivations of Passion and Money In their recent book Just Start Take Action, Embrace Uncertainty, Create the Future, Schlesinger, Kiefer, and Brown determined that, in order to do your best work, you must either be doing something that you love or something that will lead you to something you love. The desire to do your job well will allow you to be more creative and efficient thus speeding up the progression of a career path. But does doing what you love always lead to money? The short answer is no, nothing guarantees financial success. But does that mean you should abandon your dreams of being a pioneer, starting a business, or pursuing unconventional work? Of course not. But that answer comes with conditions. For instance, if your passion wont allow you to subsist at an acceptable level or would affect your education then you probably shouldnt bet your economic stability on its success. Af ter all, without your basic needs being met you have lack the capacity to pursue your passions in any successful fashion.But even the threat of economic ruin shouldnt keep you from participating in your passions to some extent. In fact, research has shown that people who regularly work towards something for which they are passionate are more satisfied and fulfilled than those who do not. This is just as true for individuals who possess the materie means to do what makes them happy.Most of the time, people who have more than enough money to consider pursuing more fulfilling work refuse to do so simply because doing so would shrink their income. To these individuals, the point where they have enough money to abandon the work that keeps them unhappy is never reached. But the assumption that they dont already have sufficient means to do so is frequently wrong.Another incorrect assumption is that doing what makes you happy can never lead to financial success. The fact of the matter is th at you never know where your passions will lead, what you will produce, and the value that others may find in your inventions or insight. The only way to find out what your dreams have to offer is to act towards reaching them. The only way to turn an uncertainty into a certainty is to actively pursue the consequences.The fact is that you can never precisely predict the future. You can never plan for every eventuality. All one can do is move slowly, and smartly, towards making a reality and wait and see what happens. Even small steps can change reality in a big way or reveal perspectives that were previously unseen. And, you never know, you may find that your passion can and does turn a profit. But even if it doesnt, spending part of your day doing something that makes you feel purposeful and content is necessary in being happy and more productive in both your personal and professional lives. Dont let the money factor keep you from pursuing your dream.

5 Helpful Tips on How to Write Emails from Your Phone

5 Helpful Tips on How to Write Emails from Yur Phone5 Helpful Tips on How to Write Emails from Your Phone Today, 80 percent of Internet users own a smartphone. Its been predicted that, by this year, eight in ten emaille users will access their email accounts exclusively from their mobile devices . Were reading and writing mora emails on mobile than ever, so getting it right has never been more important. Getting communication right (in email or otherwise) is the driving force behind Grammarlys recent launch of a mobile keyboard for iOS and Android . But, although Grammarly will help you write mistake-free messages, its combining that polish with style and substance that will inevitably make your written communication effective.Weve all seen the ubiquitous Sent from my iPhone email signatures, or sigs along the lines of, Please excuse the brevity. This welches sent from my phone. These signatures, in part, are meant to excuse the sender from typos, autocorrect slips an d all those other times our thumbs betray us when we communicate via mobile devices.But just because you wield your thumbs instead of ten phalanges carefully placed on the home row doesnt mean everything you send from your phone has to look as though it welches transcribed by a typing chimpanzee. Theres hope This article will guide you towards writing clear, concise emails from your mobile device with panache.Nearly half of mobile readers spend three seconds or less reading an individual email. That is, of course, if you can get them to open your email at all . But lets assume you send emails that people want to read. Your challenge is to keep those emails brief or risk losing your reader to a very short digital attention span.That means its essential to optimize. Before you put your thumbs to work tapping out your email opus, take a few minutes to figure out the key point you want to get across in your message. Ask yourself If I could have my recipient take just one thing away fr om this email, what would it be? Use the answer to that question to front-load your email so that the most critical information comes first. If you dont, your recipient might miss the point of your email entirely, or breeze past it in their haste to move on to their next email to-do.Hi Jane, Yesterday, I was talking to Jim and he suggested you would have some good ideas about the upcoming Windy City Widgets marketing campaign. As you know, Windy City is an important client and this marketing campaign is pivotal to our success here at XYZ Advertising Associates. Im going to be downtown tomorrow afternoon, so I thought we might have lunch at JBs Sammiches to unpack what the client has told us about their ad needs and deadlines. JBs is close to your office, so I thought it would be convenient. Does 1230 p.m. work for you? All the best, RichardOy That email comes in at around a hundred words, and most of them arent necessary. Lets consider all the things this message conveys that it doe snt have to.For starters, its elend necessary to state that Jim suggested talking to Jane. Especially not up front. If Jims referral would be helpful in sealing the lunch appointment, go ahead and use it, but consider saving it for later in the email.Its also not necessary to reiterate that a client is important. Any time you start a sentence with As you know , youre probably telling the reader something they actually do already know. Driving home the point with an as you know statement can translate as passive-aggressive . Its as if youre saying, You should know this, but Ill reiterate just in case youre not good at your job. Make sure you dont come across as talking down to your colleagues.While its nice to consider a lunch location thats convenient for your colleague, its not necessary to point out how nice youre being. That extraneous information adds words, not impact.Lets front-load this email with important information and leave out any unnecessary detailsHi Jane, Are you available to meet me for lunch tomorrow at JBs Sammiches at 1230 p.m.? Id like to unpack some of the info Windy City Widgets gave us about their needs and deadlines for the upcoming campaign. Let me know if that would be convenient for you. All the best, RichardMuch better The message body comes in at a sleek forty-nine words and the all-important ask is straight up front rather than buried in a bunch of unimportant details. We can almost taste those sammiches nowCan you imagine how long it wouldve taken Tolstoy to compose War and Peace on a smartphone? If you want to really feel like a slacker, consider that one novelist wrote a significant portion of his novel on his smartphone while commuting on the subway . (And he did it nearly a decade ago.) When youre using two thumbs and staring at a small screen to craft your messages (let alone a novel), it pays to know how to keep your writing lean and mean.First, avoid common filler words and phrases . We already talked about As you know . Now, strike useless phrases like As a matter of fact , For the most part , each and every , and at this point in time from your lexicon. Your readers will appreciate your clear, concise language and youll convey your points much better without all the clutter.While youre at it, dump most adverbs . These words, which often end in -ly, are unnecessary unless removing them drastically changes the meaning of your sentence. So, dont bother thumb-typing words like basically, very, usually, extremely, probably and absolutely .Your signature may say that your email was sent from your phone, but that doesnt mean you should bypass the rules of polite email discourse .When you send email to multiple recipients at the same time, respect everyones privacy by masking their email addresses with BCC. Similarly, dont use Reply All and accidentally share an email with all members of an email chain when your reply was meant only to go to one person. And dont automatically assume that email is priva te and confidential. Avoid saying things in an email that you wouldnt say publicly. Otherwise, that email could come back to haunt you.Heres a tip Dont email when youre angry. If you must tap out a strongly-worded letter, hold off on hitting the Send button until youve had a chance to let it simmer. If you can wait, leave that letter on the back burner and come back to it twenty-four hours later. Were you more hostile than you meant to be in the heat of the moment? Could you have been more diplomatic and gotten your point across just as well? EditSome years back, my friend and I tried having a Messenger conversation by using our phones voice-to-text feature, and then sending whatever our smartphone interpreted. The result was hilariously bad. But voice-to-text has come a long way since then.Most mobile keyboards have voice-to-text functionality. On the Grammarly keyboard, simply long-press the comma key to activate your phones voice capabilities and dictate your message. Once dictat ed, you can quickly edit or correct any misheard words .Heres a tip Speak your punctuation so you dont have to add it after the fact. Dave, did you remember to file your report? would be spoken as, Dave comma did you remember to file your report question mark.You want to make a good impression . Proofreading is one way to ensure you will. We often write hasty notes when we use mobile technology, figuring that others will forgive us because, well, writing on a mobile device has its challenges. But proofreading before you hit send isnt that complicated. And, if youre using the Grammarly mobile keyboard, you can simply press the Grammarly button once youve finished writing to check your text and make sure your grammar, spelling and punctuation are pristine. No more excuses just because you sent it from your iPhoneThis article was originally published on Grammarly . It is reprinted with permission.

This is why some companies and people still prefer fax machines

This is why some companies and people still prefer telefaxgert machinesThis is why some companies and people still prefer fax machinesThe fax machine is a symbol of obsolete technology long superseded by computer networks but faxing is actually growing in popularity.Four years ago, I wrote a history of 160 years of faxing, saying my book covered the rise and fall of the fax machine. The end I predicted has not yet come Millions of people, businesses and community groups send millions of faxed pages every day, from standalone fax machines, multifunction printers and computer-based fax services. It turns out that in many cases, faxing is mora secure, easier to use and better suited to existing work habits than computer-based messaging.Businesses often use faxesFaxing remains alive and well, especially in Japan and Germany and in major sectors of the U.S. economy, such as health care and financial services. Countless emails flash back and forth, but millions of faxes travel the world daily too.A worldwide survey in 2017 found that of 200 large firms, defined as companies with mora than 500 employees, 82% had seen workers send the same number of, or even mora, faxes that year than in 2016. A March 2017 unscientific survey of 1,513 members of an online forum for information technology professionals found that 89% of them still sent faxes.The persistence of faxing and the people who send faxes is in part because the fax industry has adapted to accommodate new technologies. Fax machines still dominate, but both surveys suggested users were shifting to computer-based services, such as fax servers that let users send and receive faxes as electronic documents. Cloud-based fax services, which treat faxes as images or PDF files attached to emails, are also becoming more popular. These new systems can transmit faxes over telephone lines or the internet, depending on the recipient, handling paper and electronic documents equally easily.Legal acceptanceEven parts of the f ederal government preferred faxes over email for many years thereafter. Not until 2010 did the Drug Enforcement Agency allow electronic signatures for Schedule II drugs like Ritalin and opiates, which comprised about 10 percent of all prescriptions. That meant a pharmacist could accept a faxed prescription but not one scanned and sent by email.Faxs longevity also benefits greatly from reluctance both legal and social to accept email as secure and an emailed electronic signature as valid. Faxed signatures became legally accepted in the late 1980s and early 1990s in a series of legal and administrative decisions by state and federal agencies. The Electronic Signatures Act in 2000 also gave digital signatures legal power but institutional and individual acceptance followed only slowly if at all.The fruchtwein recent FBI Criminal Justice Information Services policy allows faxing from physical fax machines without encrypting the message, but demands encryption for all email and intern et communications, including cloud-based faxing. Its much harder to intercept faxes than unencrypted email messages.Faxing and medicineAnother reason faxing hangs on is because competing technologies are weak. The health care industry generates huge amounts of data for each patient. That should make it fertile ground for a fully digital record-keeping system, where data can flow easily between patient, provider, caregivers, researchers, innovators and payers, as Seema Verna, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, put it in a speech earlier this year.Federal privacy laws and deliberately incompatible standards, however, stand in the way. Immediately after the passage of the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, fax vendors retooled their transmission, reception and storage systems and procedures to protect patients personal records. Specifically, HIPAA-compliant fax systems ensure the correct number is dialed and limit who can see received fax es. Digital patient-information systems have struggled to meet the same standards of administrative, technical and physical security.The Obama administration spent more than US $25 billion encouraging doctors and hospitals to adopt electronic medical records systems. Crucially, rather than forcing competing systems to be compatible in order to receive federal support, the administration believed the market would decide on a standard to communicate.What actually happened was that competing companies deliberately created incompatible systems. Doctors offices and hospitals that use different records databases cant communicate with each other digitally but they can via fax. For many medical professionals, particularly independent physicians, faxing is far easier than dealing with expensive, hard-to-use software that doesnt actually do what it was supposed to securely share patient information.Comfortable inertiaOne more personal factor preserving faxing is users reluctance to change. S mall businesses who find that faxing meets all their needs have little reason to spend the money and effort to try a new technology for document exchange. Every company that prefers faxes inherently encourages all its customers and suppliers to keep faxing too, to avoid messing up existing ordering processes.Its important to remember, too, that fax machines and multifunctional printers with a fax capability provide an inexpensive backup capability in case of technical problems with an internet connection, or even a cyberattack, like the Russian attack on Estonia in 2007.Absent a compelling reason or some management or government mandate, people often dont change technologies. This is true beyond faxing I drive a 2005 Camry. There are plenty of cars that are better in some way safer, more fuel-efficient, more comfortable but so long as the Camry passes state inspections and performs adequately, I can avoid the challenges and costs of buying a new car and learning how to use its new features.International popularityFaxing is still popular overseas, too. In Britain, the 2000 Electronic Communications Act encouraged but did not explicitly authorize electronic signatures. In 2018, urged partly by the European Unions promotion of electronic identification, the British Law Commission concluded that electronic signatures were indeed legal but needed significant promotion to increase their acceptance and use.Not surprisingly, a recent survey found that Britains National Health Service operated more than 8,000 fax machines. In response, the U.K.s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock labeled faxing a symbol of National Health Service technological backwardness and pledged to introduce new technologies more quickly. In December, the National Health Service decided to stop buying fax machines in 2019 and end their use by the end of 2020. Thats the same goal the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Verna has for American doctors to stop faxing. Nevertheless, faxing continues because it remains better cheaper, more convenient, more secure, more comfortable than the alternatives for many people, businesses and organizations. Faxing will remain important until transmitting digital data becomes easier and more accepted. That could be a long way off, though. U.S. federal initiatives are trying to make medical records systems more compatible, but no one has yet been hired to take a key leadership position at CMS.Eventually the older generation of people more comfortable with faxing than emailing will fade away. Until then, however, fax machines will whirl away.Jonathan Coopersmith is the author ofFaxed The Rise and Fall of the Fax MachineJohns Hopkins University Press provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.Jonathan Coopersmith, Professor of History, Texas AM UniversityThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Video Zdenek P Bažant 2012 Honorary Membership in ASME

Video Zdenek P Baant 2012 Honorary Membership in ASME Video Zdenek P Baant 2012 Honorary Membership in ASME Video Zdenek P. Baant, 2012 Honorary MembershipZdenek P. Baant is an internationally-recognized expert in solid mechanics and structures. His size effect law is widely used in determining safety factors for large structures made of concrete and other composite materials. His models for materials behavior helps engineers design ships, aircraft, bridges, highways and nuclear containment structures. His work also includes a detailed analysis of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York City.Dr. Baant is a professor of civil and mechanical engineering and materials science at Northwestern University. He earned his Ph.D. in engineering mechanics at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague. His undergraduate degree is in civil engineering, from Czech Technical University in Prague. Dr. Baant is the author of six books and numerous journal articles.Dr. Baant come s from a long line of engineers. He is the fifth generation engineer in his family.Read more about the 2012 Recipients of ASME Honors and Awards The copyright of this program is owned by ASME.