Automate Print & Mail: HIPAA Compliant Direct Mail

HIPAA Compliant Direct Mail

HIPAA is short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The act is meant to protect the medical or health information of patients. It provides data confidentiality and security provisions for safeguarding sensitive information and allowing people to have better control over how their data is used.

HIPAA applies to all organizations, including healthcare institutions and pharmaceutical companies that deal with health information on a regular basis. These companies are called HIPAA-covered entities and are supposed to carry out all their offline and online communications under its provisions. Any violation of the HIPAA provisions could attract legal action and heavy penalties.

One of the main purposes of HIPAA is to regulate marketing activities that require dealing with PHI (Protected Health Information). While sending direct mail, including PHI, direct mail marketers must make sure to stay HIPAA compliant.

What is HIPAA?

HIPAA was brought into force in the year 1996 by Congress for two main reasons. The first reason was to regulate the use of PHI and protect it from fraud and misuse, while the other reason was to help people get healthcare insurance benefits while they shuffle between jobs.

HIPAA direct mail is crucial to establish patient communications through correspondence, keeping the patient’s information on priority. You cannot expose confidential information when sending a HIPAA direct mail including fingerprints, date of birth, Identification information, license and security numbers. With HIPAA compliance, businesses have the right to safeguard their personal information. Mail items are targeted to a specific demographic audience with content related to their health. These items include Explanation of Benefits (EOB), Patient billing statements, Patient letters and notices and, more.

Title 2 consists of the Privacy Rule that was established in 2003 and states the use and handling of PHI. It limits the disclosure of personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. As the name goes, the rule was formed to give absolute control of one’s own health information to people and prioritize their privacy. This rule was accompanied by several provisions and protocols that healthcare providers and other covered entities should strictly follow.

One of the other rules of HIPAA is the security rule that states everything regarding data stored and transmitted electronically. It also prohibits organizations from sharing sensitive information with third parties so that the privacy rule can be honoured. Similarly, the enforcement rule makes sure that all involved parties comply with HIPAA. All violation investigations are conducted under this rule.

What Is Protected Health Information or PHI?

We have already come across the term PHI, so let us know more about it. PHI could be any slightest information that reveals a person’s medical data or even their identity. Even a person’s name is considered as PHI that should be protected and kept private.

Find below a list of details considered as PHI:

Name
Email address
Mailing address
Date of birth
Facial images
IP address
Medical statements
Health insurance information
National insurance number
Phone number
Availed health plans
Any medical test reports
Medical billing information
Correspondence between medical staff pertaining to a patient’s health
Biometric identifiers and anything that can possibly be related to a person’s health or identity

HIPAA-Covered Entities

Any business or individual handling PHI can be referred to as a “covered entity.” This term was coined for easy classification of entities and to determine whether they should be HIPAA compliant.

Health plan entities like all the health insurance companies are covered entities and need to follow all HIPAA provisions strictly. Though not all their communications are covered under HIPAA, they always need to be careful.
The next on the list is healthcare clearinghouses that process medical information. Clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes, and even professionals like doctors, psychologists, and dentists are all covered.
Other than all the healthcare providers listed above, there are more entities and people who need to remain HIPAA compliant. For example, clinical trial recruiters, someone working in an old age institution, or a home nurse. When it comes to communicating private medical data, especially via post, all related individuals and organizations are covered entities.
All the above points talk about providers that directly or indirectly deal with medical data regularly. But, HIPAA applies to a lot more companies, such as a gym promoting their services based on people’s medical data or a belly band manufacturing company. Any company that is likely to use health information to promote its products and services is advised to comply with HIPAA. Not only that, since a person’s identity is also regarded as PHI, every company that uses names and mailing addresses to send out direct mail is the covered entity.
Cloud hosting companies, email and direct mail solution providers, and fax and SMS service providers are also not excluded. Furthermore, firms storing PHI electronically, also called “business associates” who take data from covered entities for providing their services are indirectly covered under HIPAA.

The Royal Mail, FedEx, and other mail service providers are excluded from HIPAA because they don’t have access to view, create, receive, store, or transmit PHI. They merely take letters and parcels from one place and drop them off in another without knowing the exact contents of the mail.

HIPAA Compliant Mailing: The Use Cases

HIPAA compliant mailing service providers like PostGrid help you send high-quality items without displaying a patient’s health condition, finances, treatment-related data, and more that is kept private. In addition to this, HIPAA compliant mailing is one of the great ways for hospitals, healthcare marketers, etc. And, they can send the following documentation:

Explanation of Benefits (EOB)
Patient billing statements
Patient letters and notices
Medical statement inserts
Patient or physician mailers

Sending HIPAA Compliant Direct Mail

Basically, HIPAA restricts all hospitals, nurseries, clinics, healthcare professionals, and other healthcare providers to share data with other companies for marketing purposes, although it doesn’t stop them from marketing their own services to their patients using PHI.

For example, a hospital can send direct mail, including information regarding their upcoming diabetes checkup drive to their old patients, irrespective of whether they are diabetes patients. Hence, they can use their own data for advertising but cannot share the same with outsiders.

So, what can covered entities and associated businesses do to remain HIPAA compliant? Firstly, they can send out all their communications using envelopes. Avoid sending postcards or self-mailers that allow the postal workers to view your mail. It is best to stuff your mail in sealed envelopes with no windows so that all PHI is completely kept hidden.

Secondly, select a HIPAA compliant direct mail solution provider like PostGrid. Its print and mail API can store your data securely while also assisting you in all your direct mail activities. Find below a few examples of healthcare documents that PostGrid can help you print and mail safely and legally:

Medical statements
Test reports
Invoices
Discharge summaries
Medical receipts
Patient letters
Breach of security notifications
EOB (Explanation of Benefits)
EOC (Explanation of Coverage)

There are many benefits of sending mail through PostGrid. You can be relieved of the stress related to dealing with PHI. With PostGrid, you can make sure that all your data is handled well and all the HIPAA provisions are followed strictly, leaving no room for legal hassles.

Moreover, PostGrid offers cost-effective and all-in-one rates and speedy turnaround solutions for delivering your medical documents swiftly. Other than that, it also helps you with your direct mail planning, designing, printing, and tracking activities.

Some more tips for sending HIPAA compliant direct mail are:

Obtain the explicit consent of patients prior to sending them any direct mail item.
Send all correspondence via certified mail so that you can receive the recipient’s signature and proof of delivery. These things can safeguard you from any possible legal issues.
Clearly state your company’s identity on all your mail items.
Explain the purpose of your mail and how it is relevant to the recipient.

Wrapping Up

HIPAA is meant to safeguard the interests of the general public as data breaches are happening more regularly now. It states that all medical information must be used only for relevant purposes. Hence, healthcare institutions and providers are prohibited from sharing data with outside parties for any purpose, let alone selling it.

Following the rules laid down by HIPAA enables entities to avoid legal issues and fines. It also helps them target an audience relevantly and focus only on prospective customers.

Streamline your direct mail activities while conducting campaigns legally. No more manual effort or mental stress. Get Started with PostGrid’s direct mail API and automate everything.