Telehealthdocs Medical Group

Telehealthdocs is based in Bakersfield, California, but the company utilizes doctors nationwide–or even from other countries–to allow patients access to top specialists. The company's work is vital, as the majority of their patients come from rural or underserved backgrounds, with many having previously limited access to even primary care doctors. 

The team also serves individuals in Bakersfield who may otherwise struggle to receive care, such as those underinsured or experiencing homelessness.  

With so many barriers to healthcare access, Deason knew it was imperative that their technology was simple to use but still effective. Above all, Deason said, "We have to make sure that we are protecting PHI." 

As a smaller organization, Telehealthdocs initially tested other email encryption services, but they were often confusing and outdated, requiring passwords or extra steps. "We had to reach out to either the clinic or the patients to walk them through…it was just a little bit of a mess. We had to put procedures in place because we do deal with so many different rural clinics," Deason explained. Many of their patients and partners didn't even know what encryption was, let alone how to use it in an email setting. Just securing emails took Deason, on average, an hour a day. "It was definitely challenging."

Telehealthdocs also used fax machines for secure communication, but that could present its own issues–from broken machines to user errors. 

Deason balanced multiple constraints, from budget to usability and compliance, but she knew there had to be a better way.  

The solution

While Deason considered multiple solutions, executive director Quon Louey met the Paubox team at a conference. Deason loved how easy it was to learn about the software and company, "There’s a lot less red tape involved in it, and it’s a little bit more personable…It kind of fell in line with how we run our business, and the customer service is there, the higher quality is there." 

Deason has always been open to trying new technology, "I’m always trying to keep my fingers on the pulse of the cutting-edge technologies that are coming out. Anything that is new that can integrate in, but my focus is always on simplicity. I don’t want to have to reinvent the wheel. I don’t want to have to retrain all my employees and all my doctors." 

"The fact that [Paubox] said it was easy to implement, that piqued my interest." Soon, Deason was ready to try it. As she worked her way through the setup process, she found it overall straightforward and easy. At one point, she reached out to customer service and was pleased with how quickly the Paubox team got her set up. Now, she just had to try it out and introduce the new software to the rest of the team.  

The result

Using Paubox was so simple that the healthcare workers she worked with almost didn't believe it worked. "They thought, ‘It can’t be as easy as their making it out to be,’ but it was," she said. They were used to going to great lengths to encrypt before, but now the whole process is convenient and simple. "That’s the gold standard for me," she said. 

"The only con I could think of is that it was too easy, and I had to prove to my staff that it was working," Deason added. 

For the Telehealthdocs team, it's made a huge difference, especially when they communicate with rural clinics. "Before, we were constantly fighting with the fax machine or having to go through steps to encrypt," Deason said. 

Now, communication is easier than ever. The team was also able to integrate it into Google Suite flawlessly with the help of Paubox's support team, "It really just worked seamlessly. It wasn’t anything that we had to put a lot of thought or energy or effort into." 

"I appreciate not having to use any more brain power to make sure that we’re being HIPAA compliant. That’s definitely a relief not to have to worry about," Deason said. 

As Telehealthdoc grows, Deason is considering adding other Paubox products to make their cybersecurity environment as safe as possible. "If you can get something that is at a reasonable cost and it’s going to do what you need, it just makes sense," said Deason.