The healthcare industry produces and mails billions of communications annually. Because of the PHI (protected healthcare information) typically included, these documents must abide by regulatory requirements, including HIPAA. Many companies outsource this with patient statement printing and mail services to ensure compliance, optimize processes, and reduce costs.
In this guide, you’ll learn what those services include and why it makes sense to outsource them to a trusted transactional print and mail company.
What Are Patient Statement Printing and Mail Services?
Patent statement printing and mail services refer to companies outsourcing these functions. Many organizations choose to do this because they are not core competencies. They generate lots of costs and require rigid protocols.
When working with a provider, they manage the process from end-to-end, including:
- Secure file processing
- Data scrubbing (e.g.,address hygiene tools to access USPS address change data, correct misspellings, remove duplicates, and make comparisons to a “bad” address database)
- Delivery of confirmation reports with samples for approval
- Printing
- Intelligent insertion of patient statements into envelopes using 2D barcode scanning of each piece that defines the addressee and grouping, which inserters use to fold the correct number of pages, followed by an integrity camera taking a photo for validation
- Presorting and postage optimization
- Tracking through the mail system to delivery
Businesses can send patient communications via regular mail or certified mail if required. Each step in the workflow optimizes for automation, compliance, accuracy, and quality.
What Patient Statements Can Companies Outsource?
A patient statement is typically a bill for services rendered. They could include any responsibility of the patient after insurance payments or total bills for self-pay. Normally, these communications break down the costs of a physical visit, treatments, procedures, labs, or other diagnostics.
Ideally, partners focus solely on transactional communications, which means their entire production prioritizes and upholds compliance. These companies assure compliance by:
- Having HIPAA compliance and HITRUST certifications
- Ensuring data security by following HIPAA rules and employing best-in-class standards like encryption, firewalls, network segmentation, and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
- Deleting or shredding any documents with patient information in line with compliance rules and best practices
- Having a Compliance Officer and team that concentrate on complying with laws and taking proactive measures
- Using frameworks like Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma to build and maintain reliable processes for the production of healthcare communications
- Generating audit trails for reporting and investigating non-compliance
Print and mail companies that deliver all these HIPAA-compliant services offer the healthcare industry confidence in outsourcing.
What’s the Process of Transitioning to an Outsource Model?
Moving print and mail from in-house to outsourcing can be a complex process without the right guidance. Some providers are experts in this, having transitioned hundreds of companies with a proven methodology.
If you’re evaluating services, ask these questions about implementation:
- Will you have dedicated resources?
- Does the engagement include an assessment of current operations and recommendations for improvement?
- Does the company have a defined implementation process?
- Do they have a dedicated implementation team?
- Do they have detailed plans that define the roles and responsibilities necessary for the transition?
- What checks and balances are in place before going live?
- Will they provide a detailed project plan with a timeline?
- What’s the ongoing follow-up and review happening after go live?
What Are the Potential Improvements with Patient Statement Outsourcing?
Your organization could realize many benefits from outsourcing patient statement printing and mailing, including:
- Improved accuracy of mailings due to their advanced equipment and workflows
- Consistent compliance efforts and the ability to adjust to new ones quickly
- Standardized workflows that are continually audited to ensure processes do not deviate
- Enhanced data and physical security
- The ability to track all jobs and letters from data submission to mail delivery
- Ability to send conditional messaging and images to better engage with patients
All these advantages help with compliance and protect against mis-mailings. These are extremely valuable in healthcare. There’s more to enjoy as well with cost savings.
You can eliminate labor, equipment, technology, and overhead expenses. It then becomes part of your operating budget. Since transactional print and mail companies produced considerable volume, you could also see reduced costs for postage and materials.
Are Patient Statement Printing and Mail Services Right for You?
If managing these communications has become too expensive and complicated, you can simplify and reduce by outsourcing. It’s the right fit when you have a trusted partner with decades of expertise in the industry.
You’ll find that and more with PCI Group. Contact us today for a no-cost evaluation.
Patient statements almost always include PHI or other confidential information, which requires compliance protocols.
