What is PHI (Protected Health Information)?

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What Is PHI, And Why Is It Important For Your Healthcare Business?

Health information is perhaps the most valuable kind of data in the world. It can reveal so much about an individual and is often the target of hackers and cybercriminals. Hence, it is no wonder that various rules and regulations protect healthcare data.

Today, we will explain what Protected Health Information or PHI is. You will learn everything about PHI, its examples, the laws that protect PHI, and more as you read on.

What is PHI or Protected Health Information?

PHI or Protected Health Information is any healthcare data or information that can reveal a patient’s identity. It is sometimes referred to as personal health information or patient health information, and it can include information such as:

• Demographic Information
• Medical History
• Laboratory/Test Results
• Mental Health Conditions
• Insurance Information

But that’s not all. Even the conversations between healthcare professionals about the treatment are protected as PHI. And yes, PHI Patient Health Information also includes any data processed for medical billing and health insurance.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) defined PHI. HIPAA oversees the use, access, and disclosure of PHI in the United States. It is similar to data protection laws we have here in the UK, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

In general, you could say that the purpose of these laws is to protect the public’s privacy. However, this protection only applies to a niche when it comes to HIPAA. Because while GDPR deals with public data in general, PHI Protected Health Information focuses explicitly on healthcare data.

ePHI

During its inception, PHI health data was limited to hard copies because there were no digital alternatives available. But eventually, digitisation hit the healthcare industry just like every other industry. It became necessary to protect PHI in digital form.

As you can guess, ePHI is short for Electronic Protected Health Information. Any PHI data you create, maintain, or process electronically can be termed ePHI. Remember the PHI data you keep and access securely on your desktop, mobile, website, or other electronic devices?

Yes, all of that is also protected as ePHI, and it would be advisable for you to keep them safe and secure. Like the regular PHI, ePHI also receives all the data protection from HIPAA. Any breach could lead to a lot of legal problems and hefty fines.

What Are Some Examples of Protected Health Information?

Unlike you may think, not all information identifiers are classified as PHI. HIPAA provides a list of 18 identifiers that become PHI only when paired with health information. It is also possible some of these identifiers can be used to identify an individual even when they are not paired with health information.

Here are some examples of PHI health data.

• Name
• Address
• Dates such as birthday, admission date, etc. (excluding years)
• Phone number
• Email address
• Social Security number
• Certificate or licence number
• Full-face photographs
• Fax number
• Account number
• Medical record number
• Vehicle identifies such a licence plate number
• Medical record number
• Health plan beneficiary number
• Device identifiers
• Website URL
• IP address
• Biometric IDs such as fingerprints
• Any unique identifying number/code

What Are The Uses of PHI Health Data, And Who Uses It?

Have you ever wondered what happens when a new baby is born in a hospital? The PHI health data is also created almost simultaneously with the newborn baby. A health record is made for the baby where they record everything from its weight to temperature. 

So, now you have a comprehensive record of that baby’s health data from the moment the baby was born. PHI enables the tracking of an individual’s health data throughout their life. As a result, healthcare professionals can easily understand and assess a person’s health conditions.

Clinical And Research Scientists

Studying health and healthcare trends is much easier with the help of PHI health data. Hence, clinical and research scientists benefit tremendously from PHI data. However, even researchers can’t access PHI data unless they are anonymised.

What does that mean? The PHI data is stripped of any identifying features, and they are pooled together in a massive database. Such databases are perfect for population health management efforts and creating value-based care programs.

Hacker And Cybercriminals

Another group of people interested in PHI are hackers and cybercriminals. One of the main reasons why PHI was created was this group of people. Many people and even some healthcare organisations don’t understand the actual value of PHI Patient Health Information. 

Hackers and cybercriminals may sell PHI data for a high price. And suppose your organisation is responsible for the leak of PHI data to these groups. In that case, the authorities may subject you to legal actions. Additionally, cybercriminals may also use PHI data that they hacked to get ransom from healthcare providers and other organisations.

Marketers

Marketers can also use PHI data for marketing products and services relevant to the patient. But, it only applies to cases where the patient expressly allows an organisation to use their PHI data. The HIPAA regulations strictly limit how an organisation can share PHI or use it for marketing purposes. 

What is a Covered Entity?

HIPAA classifies a covered entity as any organisation or individual that handles PHI health data regularly. All covered entities must ensure they follow HIPAA’s privacy and security rules. Several organisations deal with PHI regularly. However, you can classify covered entities under HIPAA into three categories, and they are:

• Healthcare Providers
• Health Plans
• Healthcare Clearinghouses

Healthcare Provider

Healthcare providers are perhaps the source of all PHI health data. And yes, healthcare providers are precisely the people and organisations you are thinking of right now. But, to make it clear, let us list out the healthcare providers for you.

• Hospitals
• Doctors
• Clinics
• Psychologists
• Dentists
• Chiropractors
• Nursing Homes
• Pharmacies

Are you or your organisation on the list above? If yes, you are a covered entity under HIPAA. However, we are just getting started, and there are still two more categories of covered entities for us to cover.

Health Plans

The next category of covered entities is health plans. It includes government programs that pay for health care, such as Medicare and Medicaid. In addition to that, military and veterans’ health care programs are also considered health plans. 

Health Insurance Providers

Health insurance providers are also subject to HIPAA regulations because they often deal with sensitive Protected Health Information. Even the monthly billing statements they send out must be HIPAA compliant.

HMOs or Health Maintenance Organisations

A Health Maintenance Organisation or HMO is similar to a healthcare insurance provider. However, unlike regular insurance providers, it limits the coverage to care from doctors in a contractual relationship with the HMO.

Company/Organisation Health Plans

You should also note that employers and schools that deal with PHI Patient Health Information are also classified as health plans. In the above case, the employer or school uses PHI to enrol new members. The data they collect must be secured as per HIPAA standards.

Healthcare Clearinghouses

Healthcare clearinghouses include organisations which process nonstandard health information to a standard one or vice versa. It usually uses standard electronic format or data content. In other words, a healthcare clearinghouse takes PHI from an entity, standardises it, and then provides the output to another entity or organisation. Even this standardisation process requires the entity to be HIPAA compliant.

What is a Business Associate?

Covered entities are not the only individuals or organisations that use PHI Patient Health Information. Think about it, who prints and delivers documents like patient statements for healthcare organisations? The chances are that healthcare organisations use a Managed Print Service like PostGrid for printing and sending PHI documents.

However, having access to PHI does not make direct mail services like PostGrid a covered entity. By definition, a business associate is an entity that can access, use, or disclose PHI on behalf of a covered entity. You could also say that they are subcontractors or vendors of a covered entity with access to PHI data.

What Does a Business Associate Do With PHI Health Data?

Covered entities use business associates to perform a function or activity that involves using PHI health data. Let’s retake the example of PostGrid. Covered entities like hospitals do not have a specialised printing system.

However, they can use a HIPAA compliant direct mail provider like PostGrid for printing and mailing PHI documents like patient billing statements. Similarly, healthcare insurance providers can use PostGrid for sending their monthly billing statements.

But remember, PostGrid is just one example of a business associate. Healthcare organisations can use vendors for streamlining all kinds of operations like: 

• Data storage or document storage services
• Data transmission services
• Communication services
• Portals/interfaces for sharing patient details via ePHI

Listed above are just some of the ways business associates deal with PHI health data. A healthcare organisation can use numerous types of vendors to streamline its business operations.

Subcontractors

Sometimes the vendor or business associate may delegate its covered function to someone else. These entities to which the vendor delegates its responsibilities are considered subcontractors.

Do HIPAA Regulations Apply To Business Associates?

Yes, every business associate that deals with PHI Patient Health Information need to comply with HIPAA regulations. It is not uncommon for HIPAA compliant service providers to still avoid the use of PHI data because they are concerned about data security.

Let’s say that a covered entity sends its PHI to a vendor, and the vendor stores the data in its servers. As soon as the vendor receives the PHI data, they automatically come under the definition of a business associate. It also means that the vendor is now subject to HIPAA security rules.

PostGrid is a perfect example of a HIPAA compliant business associate. It offers a fully automated direct mail solution that helps covered entities like hospitals and health insurance providers. PostGrid even provides specialised direct mail services for the healthcare and insurance industries.

HIPAA Privacy Rule And PHI Health Data

We can not talk about PHI Patient Health Information without discussing HIPAA because both go hand-in-hand with each other. HIPAA privacy rule clearly defines or specifies how healthcare providers access, use, and process PHI data, including hospitals and clinics.

Another way of looking at HIPAA is that it provides federal protection to PHI data. Apart from this protection to the PHI data, it also gives the patient a specific set of rights regarding their PHI data. For instance, the patient can allow some marketers to use the PHI to suggest relevant health products and services.

When Can Organisations Sell PHI Health Data?

The strict nature of the HIPAA privacy rule might give you the impression that selling PHI health data is impossible. However, that is not the case. Even though HIPAA strongly regulates the use of PHI data, it does not isolate it completely. Following are the circumstances where your organisation is allowed to sell PHI data.

• In the case of a public health emergency such as an epidemic
• For medical research purposes (but only for reimbursing the cost)
• For the treatment and payment as allowed by HIPAA
• In the case of a merger or acquisition of a HIPAA-covered entity

In addition to this, HIPAA also gives individuals the right to amend their personal PHI maintained by a covered entity. For making such a change to their PHI health data, the patient or individual must give a written request.

HIPAA Audits

Partners of healthcare providers and insurers that use, access, or process PHI data are required to sign a 

HIPAA business associate agreement. Upon signing this agreement, the service provider becomes legally bound to handle PHI Patient Health Information as HIPAA rules.

You were already aware or at least guessed about the agreement part. But, what you might not know is that both covered entities and business associates are subject to HIPAA audits. The audits are conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

HIPAA violations are a serious matter, and they are dealt with the same seriousness. A PHI health data leak can lead to hefty fines, especially if you are a repeat offender. It can ruin your business reputation. We don’t have to tell you how crucial importance is in the healthcare industry.

HIPAA Privacy Rule And Access To Patient’s PHI

As we mentioned before, HIPAA regulations were originally for paper records. Initially, covered entities could take up to 30 days to respond to a PHI data access request from a patient. However, since the passage of the HITECH Act, the old paper records got replaced with EHRs.

Today, HIPAA deals primarily with electronically stored patient data or ePHI. However, HIPAA regulations apply to regular PHI on paper and ePHI equally. But, with healthcare organisations that use health IT technology, the patient may be able to access their PHI health data faster.

It is also worth remembering that the disposal method of electronic and paper PHI is also different. With the paper form, you can shred it or make it unreadable in any other way. Whereas ePHI needs to be purged from the system and made sure no trace of it is left.

HIPAA Compliance and Security

We know that the covered entities have to safeguard themselves against threats to the PHI data. These safeguards can protect your healthcare or insurance organisation against credible threats to the PHI health data.

As per HIPAA guidelines, three safeguards can protect the PHI data of a covered entity, and they are:

Technical Safeguards: Firewalls, encryption, etc.

Physical Safeguards: Lockers for physical records and electronic devices containing PHI.

Administrative Safeguards: People-based approaches to security, policies limiting PHI access, safety training, etc.

HIPAA vs GDPR

As we briefly mentioned before, HIPAA and GDPR are both privacy laws that protect the personal data of individuals. However, they are not the same, and it doesn’t take a close examination to see that they are different either.

Perhaps, the main difference between the two is that the GDPR applies to all personal data of individuals within its scope. The scope is much more narrow when it comes to HIPAA, and it only applies to PHI Patient Health Information. Below we discuss the significant differences between HIPAA and GDPR. 

Protected data

The protected data under HIPAA is the PHI. Or in other words, any healthcare data such as their health status, care, or payment collected by a covered entity. At the same time, GDPR applies to any data that can reveal an individual’s identity.

Scope

HIPAA compliance only applies to covered entities and their business associates. In contrast, the compliance standards of GDPR apply to all entities within its scope.

Consent

HIPAA allows the use and disclosure of some PHI health data for treatment purposes without the individual’s consent. When it comes to GDPR, you need the individual’s explicit consent for processing personal health data. However, there are certain exceptions in GDPR where you can process the data without permission.

Right To Delete Data

HIPAA does not allow individuals to delete their PHI Patient Health Information. However, individuals can amend PHI data with a written request. In GDPR, individuals have the right to delete their data upon request.

Why Is It Important To Use HIPAA And GDPR Compliant Tools For Your Business?

As you can see, HIPAA and GDPR are two significant privacy laws every healthcare and insurance provider must follow. Healthcare is already a global industry. It is high time to set up your healthcare business for a worldwide audience.

To ensure streamlined communication with your patients inside and outside the UK, you need advanced solutions like PostGrid. Solutions like PostGrid come equipped with HIPAA and GDPR compliances. It enables you to communicate with your national and international audience seamlessly.

PostGrid fully automated direct mail system ensures the security of your PHI Protected Health Information at all times. It is compliant with HIPAA and GDPR, and you need not waste money on two different solutions. And as a result, your direct mail communication becomes a whole lot easier.

Conclusion

Healthcare organisations and insurance providers deal with a significant amount of PHI health data. Yet many of them are not fully aware of how crucial these data are or the stringent regulations surrounding them. Misusing PHI data could have serious consequences, including hefty fines.

Hence, healthcare organisations and insurance providers must use HIPAA and GDPR compliant solutions like PostGrid. Using tools like PostGrid enables you to ensure that your patient’s sensitive information remains secure at all times.

By doing so, you are also able to ensure that your business remains compliant with the complex rules and regulations. More importantly, it protects your organisation’s reputation, which is the crux of everything in the healthcare industry.

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The post What is PHI (Protected Health Information)? appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/what-is-phi-protected-health-information/

Patient Statement Services in UK

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How Can Hospitals Benefit From Outsourcing Patient Statement Printing

Do you print and mail patient statements in-house? It is not a new concept because hospitals have been doing that for several decades. Perhaps, they had a mailroom where employees would print these statements, stuff them into envelopes, and label each one of them.

Though it was a reasonable way of sending statements to patients at that time, things have become more complex today. Now, having a mailroom and recruiting several employees for just one specific job may seem senseless. So, what is the ideal solution for you at the moment?

Thankfully, you can outsource these time-intensive tasks to patient statement printing companies like PostGrid. It can help you escape the manual effort and hefty investment while reaping the benefits of automation.

Keep reading ahead to know the function of patient statements and why you must outsource medical statement printing.

Let’s begin!

What Are Patient Statements?

A patient statement refers to the summary of the services availed by a patient and their outstanding dues. It consists of all the patient details such as their name, doctor’s name, treatment details, etc.

Usually, a statement acts like a bill sent to patients for reference—enabling them to make the payment on time. You can either send e-statements or printed statements, depending on your policies, requirements, and budget.

However, offline patient statement printing helps you grab your patients’ attention and persuade them to pay their dues. On the contrary, they might ignore your online correspondence and delay the payment for as long as possible.

Things to Take Care of While Printing and Mailing Patient Statements

The healthcare industry is highly regulated, and you need to protect your patient data. Thus, patient statement mailing is complicated compared to sending marketing mail items.

Also, medical services are costly, and you cannot afford not to get paid by your patients for a long time. Therefore, you must adopt a proactive approach and send out patient statements promptly. Here are some more things you should keep in mind regarding patient statement printing:

Send Concise Statements

Try sending statements that are easy to understand and clear. Use an easy-flowing layout that segments all the information and offers a consolidated view.

Your patients must have all the details at their fingertips, and you must do your best to offer them this level of convenience. If you miss including some information, it can create confusion and affect your revenue cycle considerably.

Efficient patient statement printing helps you explain the changes in the bill to your patients and reduce the number of queries.

Use Customisation

Along with facilitating payments, your statements should also leave a positive impression on patients. So, ditch plain, lousy statements with customised ones that can help you increase brand recognition.

Customisation ensures that your patients remember you and recommend you to their family and friends. Automated patient statement printing and mailing services like PostGrid can help you add your brand logo and send out visually appealing, full-colour statements.

Include Return Envelopes

The best way to motivate your patients to make instant payments is by sending business reply envelopes with your invoices or statements. These prepaid envelopes allow patients to insert a cheque inside and mail it back. These envelopes already carry the return address and other details. 

Offering multiple payment options is the essence of systematic patient statement printing. You should make the process convenient for your patients and motivate them to respond.

Also, try adding short pURLs and QR codes to allow patients to complete the payment online.

Ensure Data Security

The entire responsibility of protecting your patients’ data is on you if you conduct patient statement printing and mailing in-house. However, running a healthcare centre and juggling mailing activities on the side can pose some challenges.

At some point, your employees might make a mistake. Though it does not sound like a big deal, you can face some serious consequences if there is a data breach. Thus, you must employ all the necessary data protection and security measures to ensure smooth statement mailing.

By outsourcing the activities to patient statement services like PostGrid, you can rest assured that your patients receive error-free statements.

Advantages of Outsourcing Patient Statement Printing

There are many benefits of outsourcing your statement printing tasks instead of struggling to do it efficiently in-house:

Increase Patient Satisfaction

If you send statements that need several edits, it can tarnish your brand image and frustrate your patients. On the other hand, sending accurate, clear, and informative statements helps improve your patients’ billing experience.

But, it is hard to do so when you handle everything yourselves. Plus, there is not enough time to achieve such perfection. Thus, outsourcing patient statement printing is your best bet if you want to keep your patients happy.

Cut Overhead Expenses

Sending statements to patients is not a one-time job that you can get over effortlessly. It is an ongoing chore that needs you to spend on printing equipment, paper, ink, and other perishables.

Also, imagine if your staff sends out some statements to incorrect mailing addresses. It can lead to mail returns, misplacements, and delays. Again, your team would have to reship these statements—wasting more money. Thus, you need patient statement printing and mailing services to ensure that you spend the least while also getting the work done.

Speed Up Payments

Some of your patients might need a little push from your side now and then to pay their outstanding bills. Take care that you send your statements on time to encourage speedier payments.

For instance, you can plan to complete your patient statement printing tasks by the middle of the month. This way, your patients will get their bills by the end of the month or the start of the upcoming month—when most people receive their bills. Thus, there are higher chances of your mail getting noticed when you send it at the right time. 

But, having such an efficient patient statement mailing system needs a lot of effort and investment on your side. The good news is that you can outsource this job and create an efficient payment channel for your patients.

PostGrid’s direct mail services also offer triggered mailing, which means you can preset the dates when you want to mail your statements. Hence, you don’t need to instruct your staff to clear their schedule and spend their precious time worrying about logistics.

Get Repeat Patients

Many patients switch their healthcare providers if they don’t find their payment methods convenient. Using outsourced patient statement services, you can guarantee that there are no such problems between you and your patients.

Focus On Core Operations

Most physicians have a lot to deal with, resulting in burn-outs. They might have a small team to help them out, but things might get messed up when their staff is also working at capacity.

Outsourcing patient statement printing helps you concentrate on your core duties, which are:

• Enhancing your patients’ healthcare experience
• Boosting their healthcare quality
• Pursuing different ways to grow your business

Why Should You Choose PostGrid’s Patient Statement Printing and Mailing Services?

Below, we have enlisted all the prime reasons you must outsource your patient statement printing to PostGrid:

• API integration: You can integrate our API into your existing CRM and start mailing statements directly through your system.
• Design: PostGrid helps you draft your patient statements in just a few minutes. It also offers numerous customisation options and transpromotional printing that allows you to brand your statements.
• Print and mail fulfilment: Our solutions provide statement printing and mailing to assist you from start to finish.
• Tracking: Using PostGrid’s patient statement printing automation, you can track your sent statements in real-time. It enables you to follow up on time and stay updated.
• Security: PostGrid helps your organisation’s compliance teams follow several data privacy laws like GDPR and UK – DPA (Data Protection Act). It is also ISO 14001, 27001, 2701, and 9001 certified. Thus, our patient statement services strive to maintain the highest levels of confidentiality and security.
• Address verification: To help you send statements to correct delivery addresses, PostGrid also provides address verification capabilities. All addresses are standardised and cross-checked against the Royal Mail Postal Address File (PAF) to ensure statement delivery.

To Conclude

Outsourcing patient statement printing is the need of the hour as hospitals need to focus more on patient retention. They also have the responsibility to offer the best quality healthcare to every patient.

Using automated statement print and mail solutions like PostGrid, healthcare institutions can save money, time, and effort. Also, they can improve brand reputation and increase visibility.

With faster payments and fewer outstanding bills, hospitals can expand their marketing budget and acquire more patients. Hence, outsourcing patient statement printing is beneficial to you in every way, and PostGrid can further help double these advantages.

Request a demo now to see how our API and dashboard for patient statement printing can help you send accurate statements and accelerate payments!

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The post Patient Statement Services in UK appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/patient-statement-automated-printing-mailing/

International Address Validation

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How To Ensure The Accuracy Of Your Business's International Address Validation?

Are you stopping yourself from sending international mailers for your business? Is the non-deliverability of your mailers the reason you still avoid international mailers? If yes, then we have got the answer to your little problem, and you are going to love it!

Use international address validation to your advantage and ensure the deliverability of your marketing mailer. It is an effective way for businesses to save a significant sum of money on international return mail. But most companies do not know how to execute address validation for their international customers.

Here, we explain international address validation and how you can ensure its accuracy. In addition to that, we will explain how using the right tools can help you streamline your address validation and enhance your marketing campaigns.

What is International Address Validation?

International Address Validation compares a foreign or non-UK address against an authoritative address database of a specific country. Usually, the address database used for this comparison is from the official postal service provider of a country.

Imagine, you want to check the deliverability of a US address. In that case, the best option is to compare it against the USPS address database. The official postal service providers of a country, such as USPS and Canada Post, have the most extensive address database you can find.

Suppose the international address validation system finds a match for your address in the database. In that case, it means that your address is accurate and deliverable. And if no match is located in the official address database, it implies that the address is not deliverable by the postal service provider.

International Address Validation Components

Most business organisations are already familiar with the address validation process for domestic mailers. However, international address verification is not the same as domestic address verification. There are some noticeable differences in the global and domestic address validation processes.

Difference In Terminologies

To start with the basics, look at the difference in the language we use for addresses across the world. For example, what we call postcodes in the UK are called ZIP codes in the US. Similarly, while the country is divided into states in the US, it is divided into provinces in Canada.

You see where we are going with this, don’t you? Even the terms we use for direct mail are different. So then, how can the international address validation be the same as domestic address verification? And this is just one of the distinguishing factors between international and domestic addresses.

Language Issues

Another thing about international mailers that you may or may not have noticed is the use of Latin characters. Several countries use Latin characters or even roman numbers in their addresses. However, that is not the case for most businesses.

Although it may not seem like much, these language issues can cause unnecessary problems for your international address verification. Advanced address verification tools like PostGrid can help you navigate these difficult situations.

An advanced address verification solution lets you specify the output characters, and you can get the output data in the desired format. So, it shouldn’t be hard to understand how vital a good address verification solution can be for streamlining your business communication.

Specify The Destination Country

The ability to input the destination country for your business mailers is an underrated feature in international address validation. You can not validate international addresses, especially in bulk, if you can’t specify the destination country of your mailers.

Usually, you can specify the country for your international mailers either by the country’s full name or an ISO classification. When it comes to ISO classification, three formats are widely accepted.

• ISO-2: It involves using two-letter abbreviations in your business mailers. For example, the acronym of the United Kingdom in the UK.

• ISO-3: As you can guess, it involves using a three-letter abbreviation. For example, the United States of America becomes the USA with an abbreviation.

• ISO-N: Unlike the other two ISO classifications, ISO-N does not deal with abbreviations. Instead, it refers to the numeric code assigned to a specific country.

When choosing an international address verification tool, make sure that one of these ISO options is included with the address. Because if you don’t, the system may fail to validate your mailer even if the address is present in the database.

Accuracy Issues In International Address Verification

The purpose of international address verification is essential to ensure the accurate addresses for your direct mail communications. However, your business can use it in any number of ways. For instance, you can use address verification to check for deliverability. In contrast, someone else may use it to check whether the street address is valid.

It is also worth noting that Royal Mail already has a very complex postal system. It deals with postal mail delivery in multiple nations and still delivers all your postal mailers efficiently. Any address verification system that can easily navigate through the Royal Mail postal system can do the same for other postal services worldwide.

International Address Validation for US Addresses

The US also has a complex postal system that has over 150 million delivery points across the nation. It is one of the few countries globally that have delivery point data available. When dealing with such precise data, you need an international address verification solution that is truly robust.

PostGrid is one of the few address validation tools that efficiently navigate you through USPS’s postal system. Furthermore, PostGrid comes with CASS certification, implying that you can get reliable address data directly from the USPS.

Due to the highly complicated nature of address data maintained by the USPS, it is essential to use a tool with the same level of accuracy.

International Address Validation For Canadian Addresses

Canada is yet another country that offers accurate delivery point data, just like in the case of the US. Make sure the international address validation tool you choose is SERP certified. The SERP or Software Evaluation and Recognition Program is the Canadian equivalent of the CASS certification discussed above.

Varying Level of Address Data Accuracy

One of the significant challenges involved in international address validation is the varying level of address data accuracy. Different countries have different degrees of address data accuracy. Only 12 countries, including the US and Canada, offer delivery point address data.

Sixty-eight countries have addressed data accurately down to the property level and 37 of them down to street level. And finally, 126 countries have addressed data down to a community or neighbourhood level. PostGrid ensures accurate address verification for over 240 countries.

It includes international address verification of addresses down to the delivery point level. As a result, you can ensure the accuracy of international addresses regardless of where it is located.

Format For Foreign Addresses

If you have ever tried Googling “foreign address format”, you would know there is no universal foreign address format. And it is not so hard to understand why if you think about it for a second. Most countries in the world don’t even use English as a communication medium.

If so, how can we expect to have a universal address format for the mailer? The fact is that every country defines its address format. What does this mean? There are more than 240 possible address formats, and you need to search for one based on your mailer’s destination.

Will Getting A Sample Address Help?

Getting a sample address for the country you want to send the mailer to can help you. But, the address format available online is not always reliable. Your business would still need an advanced international address validation tool by the end of the day.

Why? Because a proper address format as defined by the country’s postal authority outlines finer details. The appropriate address format includes abbreviations, casing, apartment numbers, and more information. It is practically impossible to manage all this and get it right for your bulk mail campaigns.

Get an all-in-one guide for your bulk mail campaign here. Using an advanced international address validation tool lets you bypass all this trouble. The system takes care of your address format and ensures everything is in order.

Why Should You Use PostGrid’s International Address Validation Tool?

Ensuring the validity of your international addresses is not a walk in the park unless you have a tool like PostGrid. As discussed, the address format varies for different countries, and you can manually track all of them.

PostGrid offers an international address validation web service that lets you validate addresses from more than 240 countries. The address validation process of PostGrid also includes the standardisation of your postal addresses.

CASS And SERP Certifications

PostGrid comes with CASS and SERP certification, which lets you validate addresses in the US and Canada. Both countries offer address data accurate up to the delivery point. Only a tool like PostGrid can ensure the accuracy of your addresses on such a level.

Geocoding Capability

PostGrid’s international address verification tool comes equipped with several advanced tools. But the one feature that offers significant potential is geocoding. It lets you find the physical location of customers based on their address.

You can use geocoding to map out prospective customers and target specific neighbourhoods. It is ideal for you to identify patterns in geographical areas or localities.

Such a feature can benefit an international address validation tool and help you market your business more effectively.

Conclusion

Without the right set of tools, international address validation can bring many unnecessary problems for your business. Most business organisations often fail to consider all the components involved in their international address validation.

Even a slight mistake in your international postal mail communication can significantly lose money for your business. It is also worth remembering that the cost of sending international mailers is high. So, even a minor mistake in your bulk mail campaigns can have devastating results.

PostGrid’s international address validation tool enables you to bypass the challenges of sending international mail. With access to more than 240 address databases, PostGrid lets you verify all your addresses.

Writer’s Note: PostGrid’s address verification tools come with CASS and SERP certifications. Despite having delivery point data, it allows you to verify international addresses for two significant countries.

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The post International Address Validation appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/international-address-verification/

Programmatic Direct Mail

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How To Speed Your Direct Mail Communications With Programmatic Mail And Its Benefits

Sending and receiving postcards on holidays is one of the exciting things we do. But sending postal mailers, including postcards, is not much fun when you send it in bulk. In fact, businesses often have a hard time sending many postal mailers to their target audience.

However, the recipients of such mailers and postcards enjoy it so much that it has a higher response rate than most digital marketing strategies. So, the only question here is how businesses can send direct mail, including postcards, without the headache of manual processing.

And, we believe the ideal answer to this question is programmatic mail. Here, we will make a case for advanced direct mail automation software for optimising offline communication for business organisations. Read on to find out what is programmed mailing and how it can benefit your business.

What is Programmatic Direct Mail?

Programmatic direct mail lets you use an advanced direct mail system to print and deliver a piece of printed direct mail automatically. It usually involves using variable images and text content to provide customers with relevant marketing messages.

Advanced programmatic mail allows you to send customised mailers based on a schedule you choose automatically. Similarly, you can also use a direct mail system to set up triggers based on particular actions.

For example, you can automatically send thank you cards to your customers every time they purchase from your business. In other words, once you set up a direct mail automation system sending direct mail becomes as easy as sending emails for your business.

How Does Programmatic Mail Work For Your Business?

The working of programmatic mail is much more straightforward than you might think. Using an example, it is easier to understand the working of automated mail. So let’s say that you own a retail and eCommerce store.

Let us also assume that you want to send a thank you card whenever a new customer registers on your eCommerce website. Here, you can set the triggering action as a website or membership registration. So, every time a new customer signs up as a member on your eCommerce website, the direct mail system sends them a thank you postcard.

Another thing you need to know about programmatic mail is that you can connect it with your CRM for easy customisation. The system uses a thank you postcard template that you set up and personalise with CRM data. Hence there is no scope for error, and the thank you postcards get delivered uninterrupted.

Why Should You Use Programmatic Mail For Your Business?

There are several ways a business organisation can use an automated direct mail system. The applicational use of programmatic mail includes everything from cultivating brand loyalty among customers to marketing your products and services.

Let us go back to the scenario where you have an eCommerce website. One of the most nerve-racking experiences an eCommerce business can have is shoppers abandoning their cart before checking out. Sending an email as an abandoned cart reminder is one option, but they often don’t even get opened.

On the other hand, sending an abandoned cart reminder via postal mail is more likely to catch the customer’s attention. Because, unlike emails which you can leave unread forever, direct mail is almost always opened by the recipients.

Benefits Of Programmatic Mail

Employing a programmatic direct mail tool or software gives you various advantages. Using these advantages efficiently will help you get ahead of your competitors. Here are some of the significant benefits of automated direct mail for your business.

Ensure The Fastest Direct Mail Delivery

Programmatic mail is the best way for your business to quickly speed up its direct mail process. Using a direct mail automation tool like PostGrid lets you eliminate all slow manual processes. As a result, you can ensure that the mailer reaches the recipient in the shortest time possible. Learn our guide on how you can speed up the direct mail operations of your business.

Get Higher ROI For Your Direct Mail Campaigns

The minimum return rates of your mailer and the resources you save through an optimal direct mail process help you achieve maximum ROI.

Grow Your Relationships With Existing Customers

As we discussed, direct mailers, especially thank you postcards, birthday cards, etc., create an emotional impact on the recipients. Hence, you can use programmatic mail to nurture existing relationships and convert them into loyal customers and brand advocates.

Pitch Relevant and Personalised Marketing Message

With a direct mail system such as PostGrid, you can connect it with your CRM. It allows you to access crucial data, such as the product the customer is likely interested in and use it in your marketing mailers.

Execute Data-Driven Direct Mail Campaigns

Advanced programmatic direct mail tools like PostGrid let you build and test data models. As a result, your business can identify the customer’s online behaviour and use them as programmatic triggers. For example, one such trigger could be when the customer dwells time on specific pages or the frequency of visits.

Conclusion

Employing programmatic direct mail can be a gamechanger for your business. It can optimise direct mail operations and ensure timely offline communication with your target audience. However, you need a fully automated direct mail solution to get the full potential of using software for your direct mail.

For example, advanced direct mail solutions like PostGrid enable you to print personalised direct mail for your business. PostGrid even gives you access to its very own template gallery and design tools that let you design and print your mailers.

With such an advanced programmatic mail tool, you can conveniently send your marketing materials. Furthermore, you can also use PostGrid’s address verification tool to maximise the reach and deliverability of your direct mail campaigns.

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The post Programmatic Direct Mail appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/programmatic-direct-mail/