Massachusetts Launches Comprehensive Document Management Program for Public Records

Beltsville, MD (PRWEB) May 30, 2008 -- The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS), recognized the need to establish secure processes to efficiently and accurately capture approximately ten million vital records and convert them to digital images. Converting these paper documents and capturing their information content, will pave the way to ultimately provide three key benefits: identity verification for Medicaid (MassHealth), an efficient way to store and retrieve the documents (http://www.databankimx.com/hosting_services.htm), and establishment of an electronic disaster recovery program.

"As the Department of Public Health for the Commonwealth moves forward with this birth and death records digitizing project, it is just one more step towards the end result of cooperation and interagency collaboration that will establish Massachusetts as a leader in this space" said DataBank's Barbara Martin, VP for Government Business Development (http://www.databankimx.com/government.htm). "DataBank was selected to perform these services because we understand the importance of records management and security, and have the technology and capacity to accurately, and efficiently complete this project on time and within budget."

Stanley E. Nyberg, Register of Vital Records and Statistics for the Commonwealth, had a goal to implement a more efficient and effective way to conduct searches pertaining to births. Currently the Commonwealth collects, processes, validates, preserves and issues copies of birth, death and marriage records that have taken place in Massachusetts. RVRS also processes and collects core public health data to be used by DPH for healthcare policy and researchers studying the health of Massachusetts citizens.

The vital records documents consist of approximately 5 million birth certificates from the years 1935-1987, 4.5 million death certificates from 1935-present, and 500,000 amendments from 1935 to present. The vital records are both handwritten and typed. Many of the records have been environmentally damaged. The document conversion (http://www.databankimx.com/document_management2.htm) solution by DataBank will leverage the latest tools and technology to transform an estimated ten million vital records into digital images, and capture hundreds of millions of data characters with near flawless accuracy to build a corresponding index file. The complete collection of images and information will be delivered to the Department of Public Health's EMC/Documentum system. From there, authorized users will be able to search, retrieve, and print scanned images depending on the level of security they have been granted.

"We commend the DPH/RVRS on their strategic approach to move ahead with this initiative, and we look forward to a valued partnership with successful results," commented Chuck Bauer, President and COO of DataBank. "As other states move through these vital records' legislative challenges they should look to the Commonwealth as a benchmark for the nation."

About DataBank

Databank is a premier national full service provider of Imaging and Information Solutions. With nine production centers throughout the United States, they deliver a full range of document imaging services, technologies, and tools to capture, manage, store, preserve and deliver information for their clients. They are committed to providing world class security and compliance as a trusted and reliable extension of their client's internal operations. They design and deploy solutions and workflows that provide business process improvements and streamline operations. As a customer-focused organization DataBank takes the time to gain a thorough understanding of their clients' environment and security requirements. As a leader in the document management industry, they have a proven track record of success in delivering value to their clients.

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