Though a good percentage of interaction with customers takes place online, direct mail remains a critical communication and marketing tool for healthcare insurance providers. From a notice about policy changes that goes out to every customer, to individualized insurance plan details sent each year after enrollment, direct mail is a valuable piece of the communication puzzle.

But, for healthcare insurance companies especially, the stakes of getting a direct mail campaign just right are high. Mistakes aren’t just bad for the brand—they can be HIPAA violations with very real consequences.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few best practices insurance companies can look for in a vendor they trust to ensure their direct mail gets where it’s going securely and on time.

Find a Commercial Print Vendor with Airtight Policies for Handling Customer Information

From something as simple as customers’ home addresses to more sensitive personal health information, the top concern on a healthcare insurance company’s mind must be keeping customer information secure. What capabilities do you look for in a vendor that can be trusted with critical data?

Security Certifications

Look for a commercial print vendor with the certifications that indicate their commitment to protecting the data and sensitive information our clients trust us with. This includes HIPAA compliance (HIPAA Compliance, SOC 2 Compliance, HITRUST CSF Certification).

• HIPAA Compliance: Any company that deals with protected health information (PHI) must follow all the required physical, network, and process security measures to keep that information safe.
• SOC 2 Compliance: SOC 2 defines criteria for managing customer data to ensure that service providers are securely managing data to protect the interests of their organizations.
• HITRUST CSF Certification: HITRUST CSF Certified status demonstrates that the organization’s recurring mail platform and client vault network folders have met key regulations and industry-defined requirements and is appropriately managing risk.
• BAA Agreement: Look for an organization that adheres to the strictest HIPAA standards, ensures that the handling of protected health information (PHI) is secure and will sign a Business Associates Agreement (BAA).

Data Management Practices

How does your potential vendor handle the data they receive from clients for print orders? Look for someone who encrypts data for every variable print order and transmits only via secure FTP, VPN or other secure data transfer method.

Then, ask what they do with client data during and after an engagement. You want a vendor who pledges not to disclose that data for any reason, and to delete it—and, in case of confidential waste material, shred it—when the engagement ends (unless saving it is required for compliance purposes).

Personnel Training

The next question to ask your commercial print vendor candidates is how the team members working with client data are trained and vetted. You don’t want just anybody handling PHI, so look for a vendor with comprehensive, ongoing training programs around privacy policies and procedures.

Quality Control

Strict quality control is about ensuring both that printed products live up to your brand’s high standards and that every piece of mail is correctly customized and delivered. Look for a vendor that performs thorough quality checks to ensure all items are correctly printed, assembled, and mailed. And ask about their mail match capabilities, while you’re at it, to ensure every letter goes in the right mailbox.

OneTouchPoint: A Trusted Partner for Confidential Communications

OneTouchPoint works with a wide range of healthcare and financial organizations and is dedicated to keeping confidential data private.

We are part of an exclusive group of organizations worldwide certified as HITRUST, we conduct annual testing for compliance with the SOC2 Type 2 framework, and we’re fully HIPAA compliant from end to end. (Learn more about our commitment to confidentiality.)

And not only that, but we’re committed to ensuring that each piece we produce for every direct mail campaign is of the highest quality, helping you put your best brand foot forward with every delivery.

Learn more about how OneTouchPoint partners with healthcare insurance companies to enable secure direct mail campaigns and more. Then, when you’re ready, contact us and one of our experts will be happy to talk through how we can support your organization’s direct mail needs and overall marketing and communication strategy.