LOMA LINDA — A California record retrieval company has expressed the advantages of digitizing documents as they encourage law firms and insurance companies to go digital.
While this is an environmentally friendly move, especially in light of Earth Day, there are possibly inevitable concerns when it comes to digitizing documents for record retrieval given that many of ABI’s clients are law firms and insurance claim professionals.
Parviz Rezvani, director of field operations at ABI Document Services, told the Northern California Record that the company does not foresee any issues in this transition.
“There are no known hurdles to prevent paper files to be converted to digital records,” he said. He also advised all legal clients to remain knowledgeable of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, a regulation that protects individuals’ private information such as medical records.
Rezvani said digitizing documents could help protect clients’ security even more.
“Digital or cloud-based record storage reduces the need for the HIPAA-compliant disposal of paper documents, which requires locked receptacles and secure, on-site shredding services," Rezvani said. "Digitizing record retrieval and delivery can actually increase security by making records only available via encrypted access.”
While there are “no known hurdles,” Rezvani said there are plenty of benefits to digitizing records.
“Digitizing records is an efficient way to help protect the environment and reduce a legal firm’s carbon footprint," Rezvani said. "For example, there are millions of pages of records stored in paper format in California, and many medical professions and custodians have assigned no time or budget to provide copies electronically. That’s where providers like ABI come into play.”
ABI scanned more than 7 million documents in 2016, according to Rezvani.
He said environmental aspects aren’t the only advantage to digitizing documents, pointing to a more efficient workflow for clients and the potential to save money.
ABI began in 1981, according to its website, when Alice Benge, the first female private investigator in California history, wanted to obtain medical records in order to settle cases. Today, the company had 13 offices nationwide, with regional headquarters in Inland Empire, California; Houston; Orlando; and Springfield, Missouri. ABI has additional California offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield and Sacramento.
Parviz Rezvani serves ABI as the Director of Operations – California Order Entry, Field & Production. He has more than 30 years of experience in the record retrieval industry and is an integral part of ABI’s transition from paper-based processing to a completely digital environment.