110-01 Mail at Student Health and Counseling Services

SHCS Mail Procedure at SHWC 

1. Business Services staff sorts mail received at SHWC based on the floor where mail recipients are located. All sealed envelopes addressed generically to Student Health and Counseling Services without a specific recipient’s name will be opened to determine appropriate routing. Mail is then delivered by the daytime custodian to the following mail stops on the first, second and third floors of the SHCS building.
1. First floor mail is delivered to Urgent Care reception area.
2. Second floor mail is delivered to the Primary Care Clinics 1 and 2 reception areas.
3. Third floor mail is delivered to Administration reception area.
2. Registration and/or administrative support staff at the mail stops sort mail by department and mail recipient. 
1. Designated department personnel place incoming mail addressed to individual staff in their specific mail slot during regular mail distribution times to assure appropriate routing of medically significant correspondence
2. If the employee does not have a specific mail slot, their mail is placed in their supervisor’s mail slot for delivery by the supervisor. 
3. Outgoing mail is placed into the appropriate on-campus or off-campus envelopes and placed at one of the mail stops.  It is then collected from all three floors and sorted per On-Campus or Off-Campus destination. 

SHCS Mail Procedure at North Hall

1. Designated department personnel sort and place mail in the individual recipients mail slots in the Break room. If the employee does not have a specific mail slot, their mail is placed in their supervisor’s mail slot for delivery by the supervisor.  All sealed envelopes addressed generically to Student Health and Counseling Services without a specific recipient’s name will be opened to determine appropriate routing.   
2. Outgoing mail is collected and sorted per On-Campus or Off-Campus destination using the appropriate bins in the reception area.

Mail during Provider Vacation/Extended Absence

1. Mail received during a medical/mental health care provider's vacation or extended absence, is forwarded to the Medical or Counseling Services (CS) Director, or their designee as appropriate.
1. Mail is automatically forwarded to the Medical or CS Director as appropriate.
2. Mail received by the Director, or their designee, is to be opened during the provider's absence to guarantee a timely response to healthcare correspondence.
3. Mail not requiring immediate action or correspondence is dated and initialed and returned to the original provider’s mail slot.
4. Mail addressed to a medical/mental healthcare provider no longer employed at SHCS is forwarded to the Medical or CS Director as appropriate.

Medical/Mental Health Requests for Information

1. When medical/mental health care providers receive protected health information in the mail specifically intended for entry into the patient's electronic health record (EHR), they initial the report and forward to Registration staff for scanning into the EHR.
2. All medical/mental health information received in the mail that is not directed to a particular provider, is forwarded to Registration staff for scanning into the EHR.

Outgoing Certified Mail 

The Custodian of Records or Health Information staff are responsible for the processing, documenting, and monitoring of certified mail. 

1. Complete health records requested in paper format through the Health Information Department are mailed either USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt or FedEx.  The Custodian of Records or Health Information staff completes the proper certified mailing procedures, and logs the information into the Disclosure Log.
1. If certified mail is returned as undeliverable, it is routed to the Health Information Department for follow-up. 
2. When the USPS Return Receipt form or FedEx notification is received it is scanned into the EHR by Health Information staff.
2. Sensitive correspondence relating to patient care notifications or compliance issues requested by a provider or administrator to be sent “Certified” requires verification of receipt of contents and must be mailed either via USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt or FedEx.
1. The document is prepared by the provider, signed and forwarded to the Custodian of Records or Health Information staff for proper certified mailing procedures, documentation and monitoring.
1. Custodian of Records or Health Information staff completes proper certified mailing procedures, and mails document within 24 hours.  A one-month reminder is set in the EHR for certified mail follow-up.
2. If USPS Return Receipt or FedEx notification is received, it is scanned into the EHR by Health Information staff. 
3. If a USPS Return Receipt or FedEx notification has not been received within the one-month waiting period or if the entire letter is returned undeliverable, it is routed to the Health Information Department for follow-up.  Individual circumstances and needs of each undeliverable correspondence are evaluated and next steps are determined by Risk Manager or designee.
3. Sensitive correspondence relating to Human Resources or other confidential matters, or items that require a return receipt, are mailed either via USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt or FedEx. 
1. The sender provides the item in a sealed envelope to the Health Information staff. 
2. Health Information staff will process the item following proper certified mailing procedures.