Hallmark Dental

We sat down with David Donelson, the CEO of Hallmark Dental, to learn how they use Paubox for secure email communication. 

The challenge

Donelson has been focused on growing sustainably. As a dentist by trade, Donelson knew he'd have to learn a lot about business to make his practice successful. 

Donelson bought the dentistry practice in 2020 and was prepared to make changes to ensure the practice would thrive. He remodeled, focused on creating core values, and learned what tools, software, and updates would be needed. 

Before Donelson took over, the Hallmark Dental team was only semi-digital, using mostly paper charts and forms. But as Donelson took over the practice and began seeing success, he knew it was time to embrace digitalization. 

He wanted to ensure patients could easily communicate with Hallmark Dental for questions, appointment scheduling, and more. Digital communication also allows for more audit trails, which can be helpful for clearly documenting medical records, receiving referrals, or providing referrals to other doctors and dentists.  

While becoming more digital would be easier for patients and practitioners overall, it created new challenges for ensuring HIPAA compliance. 

Data security was also front of Donelson's mind, especially with the increasing number of attacks against healthcare organizations.

While there are several encrypted email options, Donelson's IT team recommended and set up Paubox for Hallmark Dental.

The solution

Paubox stood out as the simplest, most cost-effective, and most secure solution for Donelson's team, and they ultimately decided to implement Paubox Email Suit.

Now, every email that leaves the practice is encrypted. Donelson says he hardly notices it, likely because–unlike most other secure email platforms–Paubox does not require any portals or passwords. Recipients open the encrypted email as they would any other. The encryption process happens behind the scenes, allowing patients and doctors to focus entirely on communication and care. 

As someone who likes to do things himself, Donelson only wanted to pay for a product that would genuinely provide value to the company. Once he learned about the ease of using Paubox, he knew it was the right decision. 

Generally, the team uses it to email patients, collaborate with referring dentists and doctors, and, at times, communicate with insurance companies. 

When Donalson started using Paubox, he found the experience smooth and appreciated the line at the bottom of every email, reminding recipients and senders that the email is encrypted. 

The result

The team has been using Paubox since 2023 and couldn't be happier.  "It seems to be seamlessly integrated so I actually don't even think about it," Donelson said. Knowing that every email is encrypted provides Donelson with "peace of mind" and comfort that emails are protected and data is secure. 

Now, Hallmark Dental is thriving. "We've had 33% year-over-year growth…In the other office, we've probably doubled it in regards to revenue." 

With growth and strong security, Donelson is focusing on other areas of the business, like upgrading computers and, most importantly, ensuring the practices always follow the core values of Hallmark Dental. The team focuses on giving quality care and education to dental patients. Their flagship office in Brentwood, Tennessee, has over 400 5-star reviews. 

Donelson is excited to hear about plans for Paubox's encrypted file transfers, allowing users to send files larger than Gmail permits.

For big and small practices, Paubox will ensure email communication is secure and easy.