Automating Mailroom Processes in Healthcare

Data Extraction and Classification

Solution

The project had an implementation deadline of one week to achieve the following:

• process 10-30K envelopes per month
• index up to 17 fields per envelope
• process smudged USPS return stickers

Our partner’s client, a leading healthcare provider, faced challenges in processing envelopes returned by the US postal service, leading to labor-intensive indexing processes and high processing costs.

The client's mailroom receives a significant volume of envelopes every month, with varying numbers due to high seasonality. These envelopes contain critical information for updating customer databases, but the manual indexing process was time-consuming and expensive. Each envelope contains up to 17 fields of information that needed to be accurately recorded for customer database updates. Furthermore, the quality of the existing OCR (Optical Character Recognition) was compromised due to smudged USPS return stickers, leading to errors and additional manual corrections.

To address the client's challenges, we proposed an automated solution that would drastically reduce processing time, improve accuracy, and decrease operational costs. Within a span of just one week, we implemented a comprehensive system to automate the processing of returned envelopes. The system was designed to handle the high seasonality and day-forward nature of the incoming envelopes. It incorporated advanced OCR technology capable of accurately extracting data from smudged USPS return stickers. The system was also configured and trained to index up to 17 fields from each envelope.

Impact

The implementation of the automated system yielded substantial benefits for our client:

Cost Reduction: The validation cost per envelope was significantly reduced. The combination of automated data extraction, pre-population of fields, and a streamlined validation interface led to operational efficiency and lowered labor costs.

Accuracy Improvement: The advanced OCR technology enhanced accuracy which resulted in minimizing errors caused by smudged stickers and manual data entry.

Time Savings: The rapid throughput validation interface saved valuable time, allowing personnel to process a higher volume of envelopes in less time.

Scalability: The system's flexibility allowed the client to handle varying envelope volumes during high seasonality without compromising accuracy or efficiency.