I am trying to convert my psychology office to paperless filing.  I
have files for each client that have numerous pages that I need to
scan and store.  I do not need to have extensive access to the files
and I will not need to modify them once they are stored.  I am just
legally required to store the information for a period of time.  I
might need to add additional documents if the client returned for
additional treatment.

Basically I am trying to find the simplest and least expensive way to
create this digital storage.  I am wondering about the type of scanner
that would be best and the software I would need.  Ideally, I would
like to have one file per client that contained all relevant pages and
was locked or password protected. It is important that the files be
secure due to confidentiality and HIPAA requirements.  A scanner that
would self-feed and process pages quickly seems like it would be best.
 Some pages are also double-sided.  I have looked at numerous options
but have found it difficult to separate out what I need from what the
different companies offer.  Thanks for your time.

I am a consultant in the computer industry servicing a number of
different types of clients: manufacturing, law, real-estate, etc.

One of my clients is a medical billing business, servicing a number of
medical offices. They also have a substantial amount of paperwork (one
12x12 storage area full of paper to be scanned!) that they have
started to scan and store using a Canon auto-feed scanner ($5k) into
an indexing program called Aquarius DMS
(http://www.aquariusimaging.net/).

The indexing feature is important in this case, because each office
can have quite a lot of documentation that needs to be searchable
after the scanning and subsequent destruction of the paper (daily
disposal service).

This process also requires a server with adequate storage, and a
backup library capable of supporting that ($15k).

In order for you to begin scanning documents and safely, securely
storing them you will have to possess at least a server, backup
library, scanner, and I would also guess to comply with HIPPA, a
document disposal service, and possibly an offsite storage facility
for your backup tapes.

The server provides the security you need for your electronic
documents, and will also allow you to index the scanned documents
without the need for a special DMS (Document Management System). You
will most certainly need to carefully plan the folder structure of the
SAN/NAS (Storage Area Network/Network Attached Storage) or internal
storage, depending on the size of your projected document base.

Your backup library should be large enough and automated to be able to
process and store your backups without too much intervention.

You may have to research scanning software if you decide not to use a
DMS, to determine the level of scanning quality, document type
created, automation level provided/required, etc.

I know this all sounds quite complicated, but my client initially
started with a minimal system, stored all documents on the server, and
found that method to be less than ideal. Finding documents was
difficult at best, mainly because of poor planning, e.g. file naming
conventions, file/folder layout, etc.

Hope this helps.