At ReleasePoint, we’ve been proudly serving the life insurance industry for over 20 years—and we’re committed to its long-term growth and innovation. We know that delivering fast, high-quality medical data is key to modernizing the underwriting process. That’s why we’re thrilled to work with Jennifer Richards—an underwriting leader with over 30 years of experience across some of the industry’s most respected carriers.
In this Q&A, JR shares insights from her deep background in underwriting, what sets ReleasePoint apart from other vendors, and what piece of data she believes is the most important tool for risk assessment.
Can you tell us a little about your background in the life insurance industry?
JR: I’ve spent over 30 years in the underwriting profession serving in roles ranging from case underwriter to head of underwriting at several large life insurance carriers and more recently, as a consultant helping multiple companies develop innovative solutions for Insurance Underwriting. What has always excited me about this field is the interdisciplinary nature of the work.
As a chief underwriter, you’re collaborating with actuaries, legal teams, distribution, marketing, claims, and policy administration. You’re on the front lines of risk management and decision-making, which keeps things both challenging and deeply impactful.
How did you first come across ReleasePoint’s solutions?
JR: During my time as head of underwriting at large life insurance carriers, I was involved in selecting and implementing medical data solutions — and I bought ReleasePoint’s solutions several times. So, I’ve experienced the company’s offerings from the customer side.
I specifically sought out the opportunity to work with ReleasePoint again because I believe in what they’re building and how they’re positioned in the market. Their ability to vertically integrate as a multi-solution medical data vendor is unparalleled and unlike other vendors, they have decades of experience empowering the life insurance industry with best-in-class solutions.
What makes ReleasePoint stand out in the medical data marketplace?
JR: Several things. For carriers looking to modernize their underwriting and claims workflows, ReleasePoint offers a rare combination of experience, innovation, and reliability.
- Vertical Integration: With ReleasePoint, carriers can access medical record retrieval and AI-generated summaries in a single, streamlined transaction. That means less vendor management, faster cycle times, and cleaner workflows.
- Industry Focus and Longevity: ReleasePoint has been dedicated to the insurance industry for decades. This isn’t a tech startup dabbling in healthcare data — they’re in it for the long haul, committed to refining processes and products that make underwriting and claims more efficient.
- Cost and Cycle Time Efficiency: It’s a bit of their secret sauce, but I can say confidently that their costs and turnaround times are unbeatable. This helps carriers lower operational expenses and improve customer satisfaction.
- AI and Structured Data Innovation: ReleasePoint is pushing forward with AI summaries — including a new bundled version of their new ReleasePoint Insights that comes with every APS or EHR order. Their structured data tools show strong potential to support automation via rule engines and predictive modeling.
- High Data Quality Standards: Unlike some vendors who deliver records “as is,” ReleasePoint applies rigorous quality assurance without sacrificing speed. They confirm that requested records are complete and relevant — for example, verifying that a five-year record request truly covers that time frame, or that specific tests like a treadmill stress test are included. There’s nothing more frustrating for an underwriter than requesting medical records, waiting to get them back, and then realizing they are incomplete. ReleasePoint’s quality assurance standards dramatically mitigate this to shorten review times.
When carriers evaluate medical data vendors, what should they prioritize?
JR: First and foremost, it’s about service—how fast can they get you the records you need, and how responsive are they when something goes wrong? Cycle time really matters. This is also a relationship business, and strong partnerships with vendors can make a real difference in how smoothly things run.
Cost is a big factor too. Retrieval fees can vary a lot, and not all vendors are proactive about managing those fees. The good ones make sure you’re not overpaying.
Then there’s data quality, which often gets overlooked. It doesn’t matter how fast something arrives if it’s incomplete or unreadable. Poor data quality just slows everything down and adds risk.
Finally, you want someone who’s looking ahead—a vendor that’s investing in innovation, like AI, structured data, and better user experiences. It’s not just about today’s needs but building toward where the industry is headed.
What sets ReleasePoint apart when it comes to data quality and service delivery?
JR: ReleasePoint doesn’t just retrieve records — they validate them. If you request five years of medical history, they check to make sure those five years are present. If you’re looking for specific documents, like a cardiology report or lab results, they ensure it’s included. That level of quality assurance is rare. For underwriters, this means fewer follow-up requests, faster decisions, and better experiences for both the carrier and the applicant.
Are there any misconceptions in the market about ReleasePoint’s offerings?
Yes, and this is something I’ve seen firsthand. Despite being in the industry for a long time, many carriers don’t realize how comprehensive ReleasePoint’s offerings actually are. They assume it’s just an APS retrieval vendor, but in reality:
- They offer both APS and EHR retrieval.
- They can bundle AI summaries with every retrieval.
- They proactively help carriers to improve HIPAA authorization forms to increase retrieval success.
- They constantly evaluate and address issues that impact cycle time, cost, and record completeness — and they often work with carriers to improve internal processes too.
There’s a lot of value being delivered behind the scenes that not everyone is aware of.
If you had to recommend one ReleasePoint solution that’s a no-brainer for every carrier, which would it be?
Without question: APS retrieval. While everyone wants EHRs to be the future, we’re just not there yet where we can eliminate APS retrievals altogether. I was an early advocate for electronic health records and helped pilot EHR integration at multiple carriers — including conversations with Epic and early patient portal projects. But despite progress, EHRs still don’t provide the depth and consistency that APSs do. So, you need both and ideally you use one vendor to address those needs – like ReleasePoint.
APSs remain the most time-consuming and expensive part of the underwriting process, but they’re still the gold standard for Undewriting. ReleasePoint’s APS solution not only shortens that cycle and reduces cost, but also transforms unstructured documents into digital data that can be used in rules engines, analytics, and predictive models. That’s an incredible advantage.