Health insurance providers rely on documentation to quickly process and close patient claims. If you deal with a high volume of business mail, it’s easy to discount how much time the company loses sorting through it all.
Mail scanning services for health insurance providers take over the receipt and handling of incoming mail, so managers and owners can keep the business running smoothly.
Below, we look at how these services help you manage mail and reduce insurance fraud risks, plus how to choose a compliant and reputable provider.
A mail scanning service intercepts and handles letters and packages and digitally records key information, like the sender and return address. All reputable companies typically accept and scan each piece of mail on their clients’ behalf, but each provider has its own service menu.
Popular mail scanning services for healthcare insurance providers include:
Some mail processing services are HIPAA compliant, but it’s not a requirement. Ultimately, healthcare insurers are responsible for maintaining HIPAA compliance, so it’s important to find a service that supports all HIPAA regulations, like Stable.
Health insurers may receive anything from tax notices to protected health information (PHI) in the mail. When the stakes are high and data protection is essential, virtual mail service providers can help health insurance agencies run a little smoother and with more peace of mind.
The healthcare industry is still littered with physical documents that can really start to pile up — and go missing. Digitizing physical mail reduces physical clutter and junk mail in the office and can potentially reduce errors by making important information more accessible.
It can also help employees segment and track patient claims. For example, a mail scanning service can tag mail by claim number so providers can view all relevant patient information in one digital location. And organized, standardized document management leads to better fraud detection and prevention.
While not healthcare-specific, SOC-2 is an assessment tool used to evaluate a business’s privacy and business processes with respect to data integrity. It’s separate from HIPAA, but the security, availability, confidentiality, and processing integrity regulations overlap quite a bit.
An SOC-2-compliant mail scanning service must protect data from physical damage and unauthorized disclosure or access. They also need safeguards in place to ensure business continuity and data recovery. For health insurance providers, this translates to complete, accurate, and timely data processing for more efficient workflows.
High postal mail volumes often lead to delayed response times. If you’re not responding quickly to inquiries, compliance requests, or auditors, your employees may find themselves spending more time in the backlog than anywhere else.
With mail scanning, you can reduce the time spent on document management. Instead of opening, organizing, cataloging, and storing mail, employees can quickly locate the relevant details for faster follow-ups.
For example, if an auditor mails a request for additional information and their letter ends up in the wrong pile, this can delay their investigation or even lead to a failed audit. With virtual mailboxes, you can digitally flag the auditor’s request for immediate priority so you can respond on time.
HIPAA-compliant mail services are non-negotiable for health insurance providers, but not all mail scanning services will meet this need. Here, we’ll look at how to narrow down providers to find the right one for your business.
Finding vendors often begins with a standard internet search. You can start with a “best of” digital mailbox list to see your options, then do a deeper dive into each provider's reputation, pricing, and service menu.
The top leading mail scanning providers include:
Virtual mailroom services can vary depending on the provider’s core client base and technical functionality. For example, not all platforms can support application integration, which can lead to time-consuming workarounds.
Additional virtual mailbox services, such as important mail storage, secure shredding, and mail forwarding, can offer health insurance providers more support.
It’s important to identify which services you need before selecting one provider over another. For example, Thatch’s platform may comply with all HIPAA regulations, but the company does not offer registered agent services, which may be an important factor for providers with locations in multiple states.
The best way to check for SOC-2 compliance is to visit the provider’s website for clarification. If the provider does not explicitly state that its platform meets SOC-2 compliance guidelines and that they hold a current certification, you can assume that they are not compliant.
SOC-2 is an important defense against industry fraud. In 2022, there were more than 64,000 healthcare fraud cases reported, an increase of 1.4% since 2018.
SOC-2 and HIPAA compliance can’t prevent all criminal activity. But better data protection for physical mail can help healthcare insurance providers cut down on exposure, reduce violation risk, and preserve data integrity.
When you choose a digital mailroom service provider with expertise in the healthcare industry, there’s less back-and-forth to get up and running. Plus, a reputable provider will lean on their experience whenever possible to help clients avoid any headaches or hassle.
To find out if vendors have experience in the healthcare industry, search through the customer stories on their company website or blog, check third-party reviews, or speak directly to sales.
Stable is a virtual mailroom with expertise and a proven track record of success in the healthcare industry. In addition to being SOC-2 and HIPAA compliant, we help our clients conserve their limited resources.
For example, when we partnered with Andros, a healthcare network management solution, we managed to save the company 20+ hours per month.
We offer registered agent services, secure mail shredding, prompt mail forwarding, check depositing, and more to busy agencies that could use the extra support. Stable helps insurance providers cut down on workloads with efficient tools and smarter mail management strategies.
If your team could use some extra help to keep up with high claim volumes, get started with Stable today!
