Clients Prefer Email. Here’s How We Communicate More Securely.

Email continues to be one of the most common ways clients communicate with Caring Therapists and honestly, it makes sense.

People are busy. They may not have time to call our office during the workday, wait on hold, or log into another system just to ask a question or send a document. Email allows clients to communicate when it is convenient for them and gives them a written record they can refer to later.

As a mental health practice, however, we have to balance that convenience with our responsibility to protect sensitive information.

That is one of the reasons we chose Paubox. It allows our team to continue using Gmail through Google Workspace while adding automatic email encryption behind the scenes. Our staff members can communicate through the email system they already know, and our clients do not have to navigate unnecessary extra steps in most situations.

Meeting Clients Where They Already Communicate

Over the years, we have seen a major shift in how people prefer to communicate with healthcare providers. Many clients would rather send an email than make a phone call, especially when they are at work, caring for children, coordinating appointments, or trying to gather information from several providers.

Email is useful for everyday practice communication, including appointment questions, paperwork, referrals, insurance information, care coordination, and requests for records. It also makes it easier for clients to forward information or return to instructions later.

We do not want protecting information to mean making communication unnecessarily frustrating. At the same time, convenience cannot come at the expense of privacy.

Paubox has helped us support both priorities.

Security That Does Not Disrupt the Workday

Caring Therapists has more than 100 team members working across multiple locations in Florida. When we introduce a new system, we have to think about whether it will realistically work for clinicians, psychologists, administrative staff, billing employees, and the people receiving our messages.

One of the things our team appreciates most about Paubox is how little their normal email routine has changed.

Our staff members still compose and send messages through Gmail. They do not have to open a separate application or remember to add a special word to the subject line whenever an email may contain protected health information. Paubox handles the encryption automatically.

For most recipients, messages arrive directly in their inbox without requiring them to create an account, remember another password, or visit a separate portal. If the recipient’s email system cannot support the necessary encryption, Paubox uses a secure alternative to protect the message.

That simplicity matters. A security system is much more effective when people can use it consistently without having to stop and rethink their workflow every time they send an email.

Making Records Requests Easier for Our Psychologists

Records requests are a regular part of providing psychological and mental health services.

Our psychologists may receive requests from clients, parents or guardians, attorneys, schools, physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals. Depending on the situation, the requested information may include psychological evaluations, testing reports, treatment records, diagnostic information, or other highly sensitive documents.

Before releasing records, our team still has to follow the appropriate process. That includes verifying the identity and authority of the person making the request, confirming that a valid authorization or other legal basis for disclosure is in place, reviewing exactly what information may be released, and following applicable privacy laws and practice policies.

Paubox does not replace any of those responsibilities. What it does is make the secure delivery portion of the process easier.

Once a request has been reviewed and approved, our psychologists and staff can send the appropriate records through Gmail using the workflow they already understand. They do not have to move the documents into an unfamiliar email platform or walk the recipient through a complicated registration process in most cases.

That has been especially helpful when coordinating with professionals who need records promptly to support a client’s care, education, evaluation, or legal matter.

Fewer Extra Steps Means Less Room for Human Error

When a practice has a large team, even a process that requires one or two extra steps can create inconsistency.

We did not want to depend on every team member remembering to manually encrypt a message, add a particular phrase to the subject line, or decide on their own whether an email contained protected health information. Even well-trained employees can make mistakes when they are moving quickly through a busy day.

Automatic encryption helps reduce that burden. It creates a more consistent process across the organization instead of placing the entire responsibility on the individual sender at the exact moment an email is sent.

Of course, secure email is only one part of HIPAA compliance. Our staff members must still verify email addresses, confirm recipients, use approved systems, avoid sending more information than necessary, recognize phishing attempts, and immediately report possible privacy or security incidents.

Technology supports good processes, but it does not replace training, judgment, policies, or oversight.

Our Experience With Paubox So Far

One of my biggest concerns when we added another security tool was whether it would make communication harder for our team or our clients.

So far, Paubox has been easy for our team to use because there really has not been a new email system to learn. Our staff members continue working within Google Workspace, and Paubox operates in the background.

That has made implementation much easier across a company of our size. We did not have to ask more than 100 people to abandon Gmail or completely change the way they communicate every day.

We also appreciate that it helps make secure communication feel more normal. Clients and professional partners can receive messages in a familiar way, while we add another layer of protection around sensitive information.

A Practical Option for Private Practices Using Google Workspace

If your private practice already uses Google Workspace, Paubox may be a practical way to add automatic email encryption without replacing the system your team already knows.

You can begin with a free 14-day trial through my Paubox landing page. After the trial, use my discount code AMANDA to receive $250 off your first year of Paubox Email Suite Standard.

For practices with one to five users, Paubox Email Suite Standard is normally $384 per year. With the code, the first-year cost is $134.

The discount applies one time to your first bill and does not renew annually.

Start your free 14-day Paubox trial

Clients want communication to be easy. Practice owners need communication to be secure. For Caring Therapists, Paubox has helped us move closer to accomplishing both without making our team’s workday more complicated.

This post is part of Caring Therapists’ paid partnership with Paubox. HIPAA requirements vary depending on an organization’s services and circumstances. This article is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice.