Outsourcing helps companies put products on their shelves, expand into new territories, improve customer service, and focus on core competencies. Few companies know this as well as Data Media Associates, Inc., one of the nation’s premier print and mail outsourcing vendors for medical billing offices and commercial entities. Based in Alpharetta, Georgia, Data Media is making an enormous impact by taking on the consuming and critical task of printing, folding, inserting and mailing statements, invoices, collection letters and other important customer documents. 

Data Media was founded in 1975 as a business forms distributorship, which capitalized on a niche in the medical marketplace, producing claim forms in the millions and selling them by the thousands. Data Media later expanded by adding a printing and mailing division and began providing this new service to medical billing offices and commercial entities. In 1996 the HIPAA laws came into effect which was a result of the American Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. HIPAA is a set of rules to be followed by, among others, doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to ensure that all medical records, medical billing, and patient accounts meet certain documentation standards with regard to handling and privacy. This new act directly impacted Data Media, as it meant that if two different patient statements or claims were mistakenly mailed in one envelope, the company could be committing a violation. Simply put, accuracy wasn’t just a goal, it was a requirement.

Upholding a trusted reputation

With a reputation as “the most trusted name in print and mail solutions,” President Bob Murphy explained, “We can’t afford to make mistakes with the sensitive documents we process everyday. We have to maintain our customer’s trust.” In response to this, Data Media added another dimension to the company by automating the document handling and mailing processes for its customers. Given the legal stringency of the medical industry, the company’s unique challenge was to find a vendor who could provide the dependability they needed to handle an enormous volume of client documents with superior accuracy.

Bob Murphy, President
Data Media Associates

Mr. Murphy thoroughly investigated several automated mail processing companies and was impressed by the quality and durability of Bell and Howell's products and knowledgeable staff. He acknowledged, “Everything in life comes down to relationships. Our decision was based not only on the longevity of the products and the strength of the equipment, but on the fact that we liked the people at Bell and Howell.”

Initially, Data Media was skeptical of investing in equipment to regulate such a critical portion of their business, but the expertise of Bell and Howell technical personnel demonstrated how recent innovations in mail processing could benefit Data Media by significantly increasing their output capacity, resulting in greater cost efficiencies and superior accuracy. Bell and Howell recommended the Enduro inserter system, which came fully equipped with cameras that scan bar codes and other document information through a series of processes, ensuring that each mailpiece is accurately tracked before it is finally ready for mailing. This was exactly the advice and essential quality assurance controls that Data Media required.

Since the first year of the printing and mailing operation, Data Media has increased its annual volume by 35 times, and has only had to increase the number of inserters used by 3 times. This is a direct result of the speed, ease of operation and integrity of the Bell and Howell Enduro inserters that Data Media uses. Data Media’s operation is extremely efficient. Mr. Murphy credits this not only to their standardization of operational procedures and software development team, but to their long-term partnership with Bell and Howell. “It is the efficiencies of the Enduro machines and the superior proprietary software that allows Data Media to operate with a minimum number of employees and maximum efficiency. The Enduro machines are indeed the workhorse of the industry.”

As Data Media began learning the automated mailing business, Mr. Murphy explained, “Bell and Howell really helped us understand the capabilities of their equipment and how we can effectively apply that to our business.  We continue to receive exceptional training, outstanding back-up service, hardware maintenance and catastrophic support. They offer both state-of-the-art technology and a personal approach to customer service that is absolutely unsurpassed.

“Print and mail outsourcing is our business and specializing in it allows us to enjoy the economies of scale. All this equals less time and money that our clients spend when they outsource to us. Bell and Howell is the perfect partner for Data Media because they provide the expertise and their products give us the dependability and integrity we need to set us apart from our competitors.