Without instant address verification the registration clerk will typically forgo any in-depth verification of the address. There are usually several addresses related to a typical healthcare encounter, such as the those of the patient, guarantor, insurers, and next of kin. Most clerks will attempt to at least get the insurer's address correct. Addresses entered into the system incorrectly usually remain that way. Unless there is some specific reason to check the address, the magnitude of verifying each and every address is outweighed by the urgency to keep things moving.
Bad addresses begin to show their ugly side long after the registration event is over.
The clerk who entered the bad address is the last to ever see or learn its impact. The first sign of trouble usually begins in the mailroom when a mailed document is returned because it is not deliverable by the post office. Sometimes it will be a returned EOB, or a bill, or, worse yet, important test results. It surely will come back later than sooner so the elapsed time the document is in limbo is usually weeks and months. In most large health organizations a mailed document with a bad address will likely never really be dealt with in any systematic fashion.