CrowdHealth is a fully remote innovative platform designed to help individuals fund their healthcare outside traditional insurance. They work with providers and patients nationwide, using their in-depth understanding of the healthcare system to ensure users get the best care at the best price possible.
CrowdHealth services individuals from birth until age 65, helping them navigate the complex world of health care. To the founders, insurance isn't always the best option, so CrowdHealth offers an alternative where users pay a monthly fee and then gain access to crowdfunding opportunities while also helping to crowdfund other members' medical events. They also help negotiate the cost of medical expenses.
According to Tony Jeter, the Head of Operations and the Head of Product, CrowdHealth aims to "provide a different funding mechanism than traditional health insurance."
Since the company isn't a health insurance provider, they aren't mandated to be HIPAA compliant. However, they still aim to use the best and most secure tools. It's all part of their focus to create "the best member experience that we can while providing a good tech stack, processes, and systems that will allow us to continue to disrupt the healthcare sector," said Jeter.
|
Company snapshot |
|
|
Industry |
Health insurance |
|
Use case |
Send protected healthcare information (PHI) reliably and securely. |
|
Goals |
|
|
Used solution |
|
|
Favorite features |
|
With plans as big as CrowdHealth's, they needed a reliable and simple system for users and health advocates alike. Jeter explained they use Zendesk, a customer service ticket system, where a CrowdHealth member places a request, and an advocate responds as soon as possible. "We're very efficient in the asynchronous world, but what that means is we're doing a lot of emailing back and forth, and a lot of our members like to send [information] in via email," he said.
CrowdHealth handles an abundance of personal health information, so their biggest challenge was making sure it was secure for their members while still being easy to access for their staff. As customer tickets arrived in Zendesk, CrowdHealth was unable to efficiently respond without manually removing PHI or moving the conversation out of Zendesk to their HIPAA compliant email. This process fragmented their customer communication and made referencing past interactions a time-consuming chore. While managing inbound email securely with Zendesk was possible, replying to members was challenging.
Jeter explained, "We needed a solution that allowed us to do inbound and outbound email, although we're not considered a HIPAA covered entity…we strive to be HIPAA compliant just because it's smart business and it [helps] protect everyone."
Not only that, but the team at CrowdHealth wanted a system that allowed for documents to be seamlessly shared among health advocates to ensure continuity of health care, especially in events that span the better part of a year, like pregnancy or major surgeries.
They wanted to find an option that would work for all of their needs, but it wasn't easy. Jeter said, "We didn't find it in the marketplace." That is, until, CrowdHealth found Paubox.
CrowdHealth uses Paubox Email API, but to integrate with Zendesk, through recommendations and research, the CrowdHealth team realized that Paubox Email Suite was the answer to their problem. Paubox's HIPAA compliant email allows CrowdHealth to seamlessly engage with members through their Zendesk ticketing system, allowing for continuity in service. Jeter said, "It's a pretty novel solution."
He said, in particular, having a good record ensures they can sort through any complaints or disputes to bring about resolution. Jeter said it's made CrowdHealth feel secure even when they aren't dealing with sensitive health information, "It's not just about HIPAA, but in reality anybody that needs or feels like they need to have some security."
A big component outside of security? Ease of use.
Jeter said they'd tried encryption with Microsoft Office 360, but it wasn't a great fit for them.
Paubox Email Suite works so well that their team members don't even have to think about it, saving CrowdHealth time and money on training. Jeter explained, "If you have to introduce any tech that requires [employees] to go through a series of [steps] for each and every email…that is friction internally." Instead, the CrowdHealth team "now know they can send attachments if they need to," something they couldn't securely do before.
Jeter said, "To me, a system supported by a tech solution that is completely functioning in the background is the best kind."
The CrowdHealth team deals with a large volume of tickets, with Jeter estimating he looks through between two and three thousand tickets a day. He explained it's a "high-engagement, high-touch" environment, and quickly scanning through information in one integrated system through Paubox has been a game changer.
Before, team members would have had to go between platforms, with clients messaging them through Zendesk tickets, and CrowdHealth responding through email to send attachments or private information. Now, it's all connected and protected, with CrowdHealth safekeeping information through Paubox.
Jeter said it's made a tremendous difference in time saved, especially as CrowdHealth grows faster and faster. While their old process worked with a smaller volume of customers, it wouldn't have been sustainable as CrowdHealth continued to grow. Jeter estimates without Paubox, he would have had to hire an assistant to help him manage.
With Paubox’s patented email encryption technology all emails are encrypted regardless of the recipients level of encryption, keeping all private data safe and protected. Paubox is also easy to use and customizable, allowing companies like CrowdHealth to focus more on the people they are serving.
CrowdHealth wants to "change the way people consume healthcare" and provide individuals with the "knowledge and tools" to get the best possible outcomes. And Paubox plans to be there every step of the way.