Based in New Jersey, Hilltop Behavioral Health treats eating disorders, anxiety, trauma and depression for individuals and groups.
The three therapists on the team serve approximately 70-80 patients, and they have seen their practice grow even during the COVID-19 outbreak.
|
Company snapshot |
Paubox customer since February 2017 |
|
Industry |
Mental health |
|
Use case |
Alert patients to temporary switch to telehealth-only services |
|
Goals |
|
|
Used solution |
|
|
Favorite features |
|
In order to maintain a continuity of care for its patients, Hilltop Behavioral Health needed to let patients know that the company temporarily switched exclusively to telehealth sessions during this pandemic.
The team has moved quickly while attempting to make the transition to online therapy as seamless as possible.
“We’re letting people know things are staying normal,” Brian Pollack, Hilltop's owner and clinical director, said. “We are making sure nothing is being compromised. Their session time is still their time. They have a place where they can go.”
Brian wants to make sure patients understand that “it’s going to be a bumpy ride,” but the Hilltop team will be there for support and guidance along the way.
Brian and his team uses Paubox Email Suite Plus for all email communication with patients.
Brian explained, “If somebody cancels on me today, I’m waiting 4-5 days, [then] sending an encrypted email to them saying, ‘I’m worried. Are you okay? We’ve been focusing on X, Y, or Z; confidently you can tell me if you’re okay via email.'”
The most important thing for Brian is to make sure patients “understand that we’re still here, and we’re offering that confidentiality through encryption that we’re trusting is going to be there, which is what Paubox is offering us.”
Brian went on to say that one of the main reasons he uses Paubox is because patients receive his emails directly in their inboxes; they are not required to log into a portal or go through any additional steps to read his email.
What Brian likes about Paubox is “the seamlessness. That I don’t have to worry. It takes a huge worry off of my back as I’m trying to contact people as soon as I can, and as fast as I can, and respond to them as soon as as fast.”
Brian did the math on how much time is saved by patients not having to use an email portal: “[Using Paubox] takes out 5 minutes for the 70 people – Think about that: 70 x 5 is 350 minutes just to get into an encryption box. That’s half a day!”
Instead of dealing with one-time use passcodes and email portals, Hilltop Behavioral Health and its patients can use that time saved to focus on their mental health.
In the past 12 months alone, Paubox has encrypted over 12,000 emails sent by 4 Hilltop Behavioral Health staff members. Since Paubox encrypts all emails by default, no one had to spend any time wondering about whether or not to encrypt an email; it was done automatically. And all the email recipients had to do was click "open" to read an email - no password or portal required.
In addition, Paubox blocked 51 emails containing viruses, and 4 phishing attempts, any one of which could have led to a security breach and a hefty HIPAA fine.