Case Study: Providence achieves secure, automated e-consent for decentralized COVID-19 trials with Paubox Email API

Paubox Email API enables Providence to send transactional emails at scale

Providence, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S. with more than 50 hospitals, worked with the Institute for Systems Biology to run COVID-19 clinical trials but needed a way to enroll patients remotely and send e-consent forms without in‑person contact. To securely transmit PHI by email at scale and remain HIPAA compliant, Providence selected Paubox and used the Paubox Email API.

Paubox Email API delivered seamless, TLS 1.3–encrypted emails directly into patients’ inboxes (HITRUST CSF® certified) with no portals or extra steps, enabling automated transactional messages like e‑consents and enrollment confirmations. The easy API integration and “set‑and‑forget” automation helped decentralize recruitment, reduce staff exposure, and support large-scale research efforts that led to high‑profile publications (Nature Biotechnology, Immunity, Cell), international collaboration, and significant media attention—outcomes Providence attributes in part to Paubox.

Providence