12 Key Questions to Ask Before Sending HIPAA-Compliant Marketing Emails

HIPAA Compliant Email, HIPAA Email Marketing
LuxSci
October 30, 2024

So – you’ve just been told that your email marketing program is putting your company at risk of violating HIPAA.

Ok. What now?

If you want to continue your email-based patient engagement efforts – without the risk of the financial, operational, and reputational risk that accompanies the exposure of sensitive patient data, you must implement HIPAA compliant email marketing practices.

This is comprised of two components: becoming HIPAA-compliant, setting up the required systems and procedures to ensure your PHI (PHI) and EPHI (EPHI) are protected, and your marketing objectives, who you want to reach and what to communicate.

However, you don’t have to let your marketing objectives suffer for the sake of security.

Implementing a HIPAA-compliant marketing program can actually help you achieve better marketing results.

Asking yourself these 12 questions ensures your email marketing campaigns align with your business goals and are HIPAA-compliant.

———

HIPAA-Compliant Marketing Emails

1. Do you have security controls to protect access to your email marketing system?

2. Do you have a documented procedure to guide you HIPAA-compliant email marketing?

3. Can you send encrypted emails?

4. Do you have a complete understanding of your organization’s PHI and ePHI?

5. Do you have a required training process for anyone sending HIPAA-compliant marketing emails?

6. Do you have effective protection against malware?

7. Do you have valid Business Associate Agreements (BAA) in place?

8. Why am I sending this email?

9. Is my email’s subject line standing out?

10. What is the recipient’s brand and product awareness level?

11. Have I tested my message for readability?

12. Have I sent my message to a test email account?

HIPAA-Compliant Marketing Emails

If your organization requires HIPAA-compliant email, start by using these questions to inspect your email marketing for compliance. Note that while we can’t provide legal advice, the below questions will help you identify some of the most common points of vulnerability and non-compliance.

1. Do you have security controls to protect access to your email marketing system?

Email security is an essential component of being HIPAA-compliant. As a starting point, check your internal security processes for access restrictions. This includes:

A robust password policy, i.e., changed frequently (e.g., 30 days), has to contain a mixture of characters, etc.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA), i.e., users verifying their identity in multiple ways, e.g., username/password and sent number codes (text, email, key fob, etc.), biometrics, etc.
Role-based access controls, i.e., granting access to individuals based on the responsibilities of their job role.
Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), i.e., “never trust, always verify” – where users are required to reconfirm their identity on a case-by-case basis, as opposed to once when logging on, which mitigates session hijacking and similar threats.

2. Do you have a documented procedure to guide you HIPAA-compliant email marketing?

“Winging it” simply doesn’t cut it when it comes to HIPAA-compliant email marketing; you must develop a comprehensive documented process detailing how you intend to safeguard PHI throughout your email marketing campaigns.

This should include:

Specifying the HIPAA-compliant email delivery service you’ll use to execute your marketing campaigns

The processes and controls you’ll use to encrypt data for ePHI at rest and in transit

The access and authentication controls you have in place

How you’ll implement data minimization: only using the minimum necessary PHI in communications – and not including sensitive PHI unless it’s essential.
How you’ll securely dispose of data: Implement a process for securely deleting emails containing ePHI once they’re no longer needed, to comply with retention policies.
Staff training: educating employees involved in email marketing on how to securely handle PHI and other HIPAA requirements.
Incident response plan, i.e., an additional documented plan for how you’ll respond to data breaches and other cyber attacks; this also includes notifying any affected parties as mandated by HIPAA.

If you’re starting from scratch, the information contained in the answers to the questions in this article provides a useful starting point for creating your first procedure.

3. Can you send encrypted emails?

If you are sending highly sensitive data or PHI in your emails, be aware that HIPAA requires the data to be encrypted a rest, i.e., the storage medium where it resides, and in transit, when being sent to recipients.

To the surprise of many healthcare organizations, most major email marketing providers, such as Mailchimp and Constant Contact are unable to provide encryption for data in transit and only protect data in their systems. To avoid falling foul of HIPAA regulations, ensure that the email delivery platform you use to transmit messages containing PHI offers end-to-end encryption.

4. Do you have a complete understanding of your organization’s PHI and ePHI?

Much of the time, when we, as well as healthcare providers, talk about PHI, we’re actually referring to electronic protected health information (EPHI). While PHI is a catch-all term to account for all sensitive health information, in truth, in the digital age, the vast majority is stored electronically in data centers – and the patient data handled is EPHI.

You can discover “PHI” and “ePHI” within the context of your organization’s context by identifying and categorizing the PHI and ePHI typically handled in your business. It’s an absolutely crucial tenet of data protection that you simply can’t protect what you’re not aware of.

Comprehensive PHI categorization will help your staff navigate HIPAA-compliant email requirements.

5. Do you have a required training process in place for anyone sending HIPAA-compliant marketing emails?

Your HIPAA compliance program, as with your company’s overall cybersecurity posture, is only as strong as your weakest link. In light of this, it’s essential to educate the staff within your company who are involved in your healthcare engagement campaigns on the secure use of ePHI and HIPAA-compliant marketing practices.

Additionally, this needs to be reflected in your onboarding process, so new hires are made familiar with HIPAA regulations, should their role require it.

6. Do you have effective protection against malware?

In the unlikely event you need any further encouragement to revisit your company’s anti-malware (viruses, ransomware, Trojans, etc.) measures, there are always HIPAA compliance requirements!

To better protect your sensitive customer data against a slew of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, start with these three key considerations:

Do you have anti-malware protection running on all of your organization’s devices? Additionally, does this extend to your employee’s personal devices on which they handle PHI?
How frequently do you update your anti-malware solution?
Does your email marketing provider have sufficient protection malware mitigation measures in place, as per HIPAA requirements?

7. Do you have valid Business Associate Agreements (BAA) in place?

It’s normal to outsource activities like email marketing to a third party, but for the service they provide to be HIPAA-compliant, you must have a business associate agreement (BAA) in place.

A BAA documents how two organizations will share PHI and under what circumstances. A BAA also details the legal responsibilities of each party in the event of a serious issue. With a BAA being a core component of HIPAA compliance, failure to have one in place with your email service provider is an immediate HIPAA violation – and one that can result in serious consequences for a healthcare company.

Getting Better Results from HIPAA-Compliant Email Marketing

Now that you’ve confirmed your systems are HIPAA-compliant, let’s move on to making sure your email marketing strategy aligns with your overall business objectives.

In pursuit of this, the following questions serve as a handy “monthly review” for refining the effectiveness of your email-based patient outreach efforts .

8. Why am I sending this email?

First and foremost, for the best results, each email you send should have a single, clearly defined purpose.

I know what you’re thinking – “my customers and patients are smart, they can handle multiple points in a single message.” And while that’s true, at whatever point your email reaches a recipient, they’re already juggling several different priorities at once. While they’re capable of juggling multiple points in a message – they’re unlikely to want to; when it comes to email marketing, a single goal is the best way to go.

Similarly, it’s important to remember that your email is one of dozens – or hundreds – received by your patient that day. So, if your message is long and overly complicated, the reader will likely skip over or delete it.

9. Is my email’s subject line standing out?

Following on the above point, is your email subject line impactful enough to stand out amidst the pile of messages that will land in the patient’s inbox that day? The email subject line is the most important part of your email because it’s responsible for persuading the reader to open your message.

Despite this, many marketers still use terrible, ineffective subject lines and wonder why their emails are failing to produce results!

For the best results, write up three to ten subject lines for your next email, step away for 5-10 minutes, and then choose the headline you determine as best.

Consider these examples to check your understanding:

Ineffective Email Subject Lines

Blank (no subject): writing nothing in the subject line
Clinic Newsletter (tell them more, e.g., the subject or theme for the month)
Overusing exclamation marks!!!

Effective Email Subject Lines (examples based on a dental practice)

BRAND-NEW Dental Product Released Today
How to Cut Down on Your Health Insurance Paperwork
[Case Study] How We Helped 3 Ex-Smokers Get White Teeth

10. What is the recipient’s brand and product awareness level?

Whether promoting medical devices, new digital solutions technology, or any healthcare product or service, understanding the prospect’s awareness level is essential.

If your email is designed to introduce a brand-new product, stick to high-level features and benefits while avoiding technical jargon and granular product details. Conversely, if you’re writing an email to experienced, highly knowledgeable readers, going into greater depth makes sense.

Advanced list management and segmentation tools, as offered by Luxsci Secure Marketing, are key for ensuring the communications you send match the reader’s awareness level.

11. Have I tested my message for readability?

Do you know one of the reasons that Hemingway was popular? He was skilled at writing short phrases and phrases. Consequently, his writing was easy to understand and appealed to a wide variety of people. When in doubt, keep your writing short and free of jargon, abbreviations and “insider” terms.

When you’re deeply involved in the details of your business, it’s so easy to overlook just how much specialized jargon and language you frequently use. However, if you want your communications to engage with patients and customers, they need to be as accessible as possible.

Fortunately, there are simple solutions to this, with tools like the Text Readability Calculator that are designed to quickly enhance the readability of your emails.

12. Have I sent my message to a test email account?

Finally, if you’ve followed all of the above advice, you’re almost ready to hit SEND…there’s just one more thing you need to check.

Determine how your email will look to recipients, including its clarity, and readability by simply sending a test email to one of your own email accounts once it is received.

In particular, pay attention to how the subject line looks and test all the links in the email to ensure they take the reader through to the intended destination, such as a product or service page. A broken link will only frustrate the recipient – who was interested enough to click through, no less – and lower your conversion rate.

Better still, send the test email to a colleague somebody and ask for their opinion about the quality of the message and whether it creates the desired impression.

Demystifying HIPAA-Compliant Email Marketing

As the most experienced HIPAA-compliant email provider, LuxSci specializes in providing secure and HIPAA-compliant solutions for companies aiming to send hundreds of thousands – or millions – of emails. Our hypersegmentation tools allow you to precisely target an unlimited number of patient sub-populations to maximize the efficacy of your messaging.

Are you interested in discovering how LuxSci’s secure email marketing platform will streamline your healthcare engagement efforts?

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Rethinking HIPAA Compliant Email – Not Just a Checkbox

January 20, 2026
Pete Wermter

The compliance-only mentality is outdated.

Let’s be honest—when most healthcare organizations think about HIPAA compliant email, it’s usually in the context of avoiding fines or satisfying checklists. And while yes, compliance is critical, viewing it only through the lens of risk management is a missed opportunity.

In reality, HIPAA compliant email, when implemented properly, is one of the most powerful tools for patient and customer engagement. Why? Because it unlocks the ability to leverage protected health information (PHI) safely, enabling personalized, timely, and high-impact email communication that drives better engagement, satisfaction, and outcomes.

What Makes Email Truly HIPAA Compliant?

As a reminder, HIPAA compliant email requires that protected health information (PHI) is safeguarded both in transit and at rest. That means your email provider must:

Use encryption at all times

Be access-controlled

Include audit logs

Be stored and transmitted in a secure manner

Provide a Business Associate Agreement

Regular email services just don’t cut it. In fact, most consumer or marketing email platforms like Sendgrid or Constant Contact, while great at sending email, are not HIPAA compliant or have limitations when it comes to using PHI in your messages. Even when bolted-on encryption solutions are used, they often lack the flexibility, scalability, and automation needed for safe and effective healthcare email engagement.

LuxSci goes beyond the basics with policy-based encryption, secure TLS, PKI encryption and escrow/secure portal options. LuxSci’s SecureLine™ encryption technology dynamically selects the appropriate encryption method based on recipient capabilities and messaging context and can be configured to enforce secure delivery automatically according to organizational policies. LuxSci also provides the ability to enforce advanced multi-factor authentication. Every message is tracked with full audit trails—no guesswork, no loose ends.

The Real Opportunity – Secure, Personalized Email with PHI

Using PHI to Drive Personalized Messaging
Imagine sending a personalized reminder to a diabetic patient about an upcoming check-up. Or reaching out to new mothers with postnatal care resources tailored to their needs. Or sending automated email workflows to all your members to accelerate and increase new plan enrollments. Or email customer and prospects about a new product upgrade or new service offering. The list goes on. That’s the power of PHI-personalized email—when done securely.

Targeted Segmentation with Sensitive Data
With HIPAA compliant email solutions like LuxSci, you can segment your audience based on real health data with high levels of precision, such as chronic conditions, appointment history, insurance status, health risks, and more, without compromising patient trust or security.

Breaking the One-Size-Fits-All Approach in Healthcare Email
Generic email blasts are over. Modern patients expect personalization. With LuxSci, you can deliver highly targeted, highly secure emails with encrypted content, while staying HIPAA compliant.

Real Business Results from Secure Email

Here’s how secure, personalized email can drive improved results across a range of healthcare communications, including:

Increased Patient Appointments and Follow-ups – Sending encrypted, personalized appointment reminders and follow-up notices can reduce no-shows and boost overall appointment volume.
Boosting Preventative Care with Outreach Campaigns – Preventative campaigns (think flu shots or cancer screenings) sent securely to the right segments can lead to higher response rates, better health outcomes, and a lower cost of care.
Improving Health Plan Enrollments – Targeted email outreach during open enrollment, tailored by eligibility or plan type, and powered by automated workflows leads to higher enrollments and lower call center costs.
Driving Awareness and Sales of New Services or Products – Have a product upgrade offer, new wellness program or telehealth service? Send secure, PHI-informed HIPAA compliant email to the right audience for increased sales and faster adoption.
Optimize Explanation of Benefits Notices – Replace snail mail with email that’s fast, reliable and trackable, ensuring customers are informed and compliance is met.

The Healthcare Marketer’s Secret Weapon: Using PHI Responsibly

In a world moving away from third-party cookies, first-party data is more valuable than ever, and PHI is the most powerful form of it in healthcare. With secure HIPAA compliant email, PHI doesn’t have to be locked away. Marketers can safely use it to understand patient needs and send relevant, timely messages. PHI-driven segmentation lets you build hyper-targeted campaigns that speak to relevant conditions, unique needs and timely topics, increasing open rates, clicks throughs, and campaign conversions.

Meeting the Personalization Demands of Today’s Patients and Customers

HIPAA-compliant email is no longer just about checking a box. It’s about unlocking the full potential of your patient and customer data to drive better engagement, healthier outcomes, and measurable business results.

In closing, below are some final thoughts on how secure, HIPAA compliant email delivers long-term value for your organization and better connections with your patients and customers, including:

- Future-Proofing Healthcare Engagement – Patients expect Amazon-level personalization. HIPAA-compliant tools let you meet those expectations securely.

- Adapting to Data Privacy Regulations Beyond HIPAA – From GDPR to state-level privacy laws, secure communication is no longer optional, it’s foundational.

- Building Trust Through Secure Communication – Each secure, personalized message sent is a trust-building moment with your patients and customers.

Why LuxSci? The Infrastructure Behind the Performance

With LuxSci’s secure email infrastructure and email marketing solutions, healthcare organizations can confidently personalize communication, reach patients more effectively, and fuel growth with PHI-safe segmentation, messaging, and email automation.

LuxSci takes data security and email performance to the next level by offering dedicated cloud infrastructure for each customer, which means your email campaigns aren’t slowed down by other vendors on shared cloud services and your attack footprint is much smaller. In short, you get higher delivery rates and throughput with proven HIPAA compliance and data security.

The future of healthcare engagement is personal, secure, and performance-driven—and it starts with HIPAA compliant email done right.

Reach out today with any questions or to learn more about LuxSci.

FAQs

1. Is HIPAA-compliant email necessary for marketing communications?
Yes—if your emails include or are based on PHI (like appointment reminders, condition-based messaging, or insurance info), you need HIPAA-compliant email and recipient consent to avoid legal risk and preserve patient trust.

2. Can PHI be used in marketing emails under HIPAA?
Yes, with proper consent and secure, HIPAA compliant infrastructure like LuxSci’s, PHI can be safely used in emails for personalized, segmented campaigns.

3. How does LuxSci ensure high email deliverability for healthcare messages?
LuxSci uses dedicated cloud servers for each customer, active email reputation monitoring, and best-practice configurations to ensure high deliverability rates for sensitive emails.

4. Is LuxSci only for marketing teams?
No—LuxSci supports marketing, clinical, operations, and IT teams by enabling secure, compliant email communication across the entire organization.

5. What types of PHI can I use to segment campaigns using LuxSci?
You can segment based on chronic conditions, visit history, insurance status, provider details, age, gender, location, and more—all while staying fully compliant.

Most Popular LuxSci Blog Posts of 2025

December 30, 2025
Pete Wermter

As we close out 2025, healthcare communicators, IT and compliance leaders, and digital marketers face an ever-changing landscape of security threats, regulatory updates, and technology innovations. At LuxSci, we’re committed to helping you with continuous updates and guidance on the future of secure healthcare communications.

In case you missed it, or need a refresh, below are some of our most popular blog posts from 2025. Enjoy!

1. Improve Email Engagement and Marketing Results with Automated Workflows

Automated workflows are transforming how healthcare organizations engage patients and customers — enabling dynamic, event-driven campaigns that easily scale your outreach and keep you HIPAA compliant. In this post, we introduce LuxSci’s Automated Workflows capability for our Secure Marketing healthcare solution. Learn how sequence-based journeys can personalize outreach and optimize engagement with behavior-based triggers that improve campaign performance — without sacrificing data security.

Read the full post: LuxSci Enhances Secure Marketing with Automated Workflows

2. Healthcare Email Threat Readiness Strategies

Email remains a frontline channel for healthcare communications, and a prime target for cyber threats and criminals. This deep-dive into email threat readiness strategies covers essential practices like continuous monitoring, business continuity planning, and workforce training to mitigate email-borne security risks. Whether you’re responsible for clinical systems, marketing, or enterprise IT, this post provides a strategic playbook to strengthen your defenses, while maximizing your results.

Read the full post: Healthcare Email Threat Readiness Strategies

3. HIPAA Compliant Email — 20 Tips in 20 Minutes

For practical guidance you can apply right now, this on-demand webinar distills 20 key tips for HIPAA-compliant email across technical, legal, and operational domains. Whether you’re refining your infrastructure, improving deliverability, or modernizing your data security posture in 2026, this resource is a time-efficient way to elevate your compliance and security.

Read the post and watch the webinar on demand: HIPAA Compliant Email: 20 Tips in 20 Minutes

4. Is SendGrid HIPAA-Compliant? What You Should Know

Choosing the right email provider matters, especially when Protected Health Information (PHI) is at stake. In this post, we examine SendGrid’s capabilities in the context of HIPAA compliance, outline what it takes to send PHI securely, and offer guidance on evaluating third-party services for secure healthcare email and communication needs.

Read the full post: Is SendGrid HIPAA-Compliant?

5. LuxSci Shines in G2 Winter 2026 Reports

Customer feedback matters to LuxSci. In this post, we share the most recent news about LuxSci’s performance in the G2 Winter 2026 Reports, where we earned 20 badges across categories like Email Security, Encryption, Gateway, and HIPAA-Compliant Messaging. These reviews reflect not just product excellence, but trust from real users, which we work hard to build every day!

Read the full post: LuxSci Shines in G2 Winter 2026 Reports

Looking Ahead to 2026

We look forward to providing more information and insights on secure healthcare communications in the coming year, including the latest on HIPAA compliant email, PHI security, healthcare marketing, threat readiness, and personalized engagement. In the meantime, if you’re not already, follow us on LinkedIn below, and we’ll see you here in 2026!

Follow LuxSci on LinkedIn

LuxSci Welcomes Angel Mazariegos as Head of Finance

December 9, 2025
Pete Wermter

LuxSci, a leader in secure healthcare communications and HIPAA compliant email, is pleased to announce the appointment of Angel Marie Mazariegos as the company’s new Head of Finance. With over 25 years of experience in financial management, accounting, and human resources, Angel will play a central role in advancing LuxSci’s operational excellence and supporting the company’s rapid growth in 2026 and beyond.

Angel brings a wealth of expertise to LuxSci, having held senior leadership positions at organizations focused on financial services, language and access services for healthcare, and human resources. In these roles, Angel has led multi-department Finance and HR teams, spearheading critical initiatives, including ERP implementations, streamlined employee onboarding, and financial process optimization.

In her role at LuxSci, Angel will oversee all aspects of the company’s finance operations, including budgeting, forecasting and reporting. Additionally, Angel will manage the company’s HR function, ensuring that LuxSci continues to foster a strong, people-driven culture based on its Secure, Trust, Responsible and Smart company values.

“Angel’s blend of financial and HR leadership makes her an invaluable addition to the LuxSci executive team and a real asset for our people,” said Mark Leonard, CEO of LuxSci. “We look forward to working with Angel to build the high-performing teams that will be critical to our future growth and serving the evolving needs of our customers.”

Angel holds dual MBA degrees in Accounting and Human Resource Management from Cappella University, as well as dual BS degrees in Business Administration (Accounting and CIS Business Systems) from California State University, Los Angeles.

“I am honored to join the LuxSci team at such an exciting time for the company,” said Mazariegos. “I look forward to working with the team and helping build on LuxSci’s reputation for excellence and reliability in secure healthcare communications.”

LuxSci Shines in G2 Winter 2026 Reports, Underscoring Commitment to Product Leadership and Trusted Relationships

December 4, 2025
Pete Wermter

We’re pleased to announce that LuxSci has been recognized for excellence and leadership for HIPAA compliant email and messaging in the just-released G2 Winter 2026 Reports!

Based on verified customer reviews, LuxSci earned 20 G2 badges as part of the most recent G2 reports, including top honors such as Grid Leader, Highest User Adoption, Best Support, and Best Estimated ROI.

This recognition further validates what we’ve always believed: our customers don’t just choose a great product — they choose a great partner. At LuxSci, we build long-term, trusted relationships with our customers, anchored in product reliability, industry-leading email deliverability and performance, and the best customer support in the business.

Why G2 Matters

G2 is a globally trusted peer‑review platform that aggregates verified user feedback and real‑world usage data to rank software and service providers. G2’s seasonal reports like the Winter 2026 editions shine a spotlight on latest tools and vendors that deliver consistent value and satisfaction to real customers.

Earning 20 badges this quarter signals a strong vote of confidence from our customers and community, helping affirm that LuxSci is a leading, highly adopted secure email solutions provider.

What We Earned in Winter 2026

Among the 20 badges awarded to LuxSci across Email Security, Email Encryption, Email Gateway and HIPAA Compliant Messaging are:

Grid Leader
Highest User
Best Support
Best Estimated ROI

This broad range of accolades spanning leadership, adoption, support and return on investment underscores the reliability of our solutions and the trust our customers place in us.

Awards Reflect Our Commitment to Customer Success

Reliable. Winning Grid Leader and Highest User Adoption demonstrates that thousands of users are depending on LuxSci, securely delivering emails to today’s most popular platforms, including Gmail, Apple Mail, Yahoo Mail and AOL, to name a few.

Proven. With Best Estimated ROI, customers are saying that LuxSci delivers tangible results, whether in secure email delivery, regulatory compliance, or operational efficiency.

Long‑Term Trust. Best Support is perhaps the most telling because for us, success isn’t just about features, it’s about being there for our customers every step of the way.

Thank you to all of our customers. We remain committed to your success — today and in the future.

Want to learn more about LuxSci? Reach out and connect with us today!

On-Demand Webinar: HIPAA Compliant Email Marketing – 20 Tips in 20 Minutes

June 24, 2025
Pete Wermter

Healthcare marketers and compliance professionals—this one’s for you.

LuxSci’s latest on-demand webinar, HIPAA Compliant Email Marketing: 20 Tips in 20 Minutes, delivers practical, fast-paced guidance to help you run secure, compliant, and results-driven healthcare email marketing campaigns.

Watch the Webinar

What You’ll Learn

The session is packed with actionable insights to help you safely navigate the world of HIPAA compliant email marketing, including:

How to leverage PHI safely and effectively for email personalization
Best practices for email messaging and content
Tips for segmenting and targeting audiences to boost engagement
How to stay HIPAA compliant
Automation and list-building strategies for smarter workflows
How to avoid common compliance pitfalls and reduce risk
Technical tips for email encryption, access protocols, and email retention and storage

Whether you’re leading digital strategy, building campaigns, or ensuring HIPAA compliance for your healthcare marketing efforts, this webinar provides timely and useful information on secure healthcare communications and what you need to know to keep you business safe and your patient data secure.

At LuxSci, we empower healthcare providers, payers, and suppliers to personalize their healthcare engagement efforts and better connect with patients and customers—securely, compliantly, and effectively.

Watch the Webinar

What Is HIPAA Email Software?

June 18, 2025
Erik Kangas

HIPAA email software is communication technology designed to protect protected health information during electronic transmission while enabling healthcare organizations to communicate securely with patients, providers, and business partners. This software includes encryption capabilities, access controls, audit logging, and other security features required for HIPAA compliance when sending emails containing sensitive medical information. Healthcare providers, payers, and suppliers use HIPAA email software to maintain regulatory compliance while conducting routine business communications, patient outreach, and care coordination activities. Understanding what HIPAA email software offers helps organizations select appropriate solutions for their communication needs while avoiding costly privacy violations.

Security Features Required in HIPAA Email Software

HIPAA email software must include encryption capabilities that protect messages and attachments during transmission and storage. End-to-end encryption ensures that only authorized recipients can access message content, while encryption at rest protects stored emails from unauthorized access. Authentication mechanisms verify user identities before granting access to email systems, preventing unauthorized individuals from sending or receiving sensitive communications. Access controls allow administrators to define who can send emails to specific recipients and which types of information can be included in different message categories. Role-based permissions ensure that staff members can only access email functions appropriate to their job responsibilities. Automatic session timeouts prevent unauthorized access when users leave workstations unattended, while password complexity requirements help protect user accounts from compromise.

Audit and Logging Capabilities

Comprehensive audit logging tracks all email activities within HIPAA email software, creating detailed records of who sent messages, when they were transmitted, and who accessed them. These logs include information about message recipients, attachment details, and any forwarding or reply activities. Audit trails help organizations demonstrate compliance during regulatory reviews and investigate potential security incidents or privacy violations. Log retention policies ensure that audit information remains available for required periods, while secure storage prevents unauthorized modification or deletion of audit records. Automated reporting features can alert administrators to unusual email patterns or potential security concerns. Regular review of audit logs helps identify training needs and process improvements for email security practices.

HIPAA Email Software Integration with Healthcare Systems

HIPAA email software integrates with electronic health record systems, practice management platforms, and other healthcare applications to streamline communication workflows. These integrations allow users to send secure emails directly from patient records or billing systems without switching between multiple applications. Automated triggers can generate secure email notifications for appointment reminders, lab results, or billing communications. Application programming interfaces enable custom integrations with specialized healthcare software used by different types of organizations. Single sign-on capabilities allow users to access email functions using their existing healthcare system credentials. Integration features help reduce workflow disruptions while maintaining security standards across all communication channels.

Patient Portal and External Communication Features

Many HIPAA email software solutions include patient portal functionality that allows secure two-way communication between healthcare organizations and their patients. Patients can log into secure portals to read messages, respond to communications, and download documents without requiring special software installations. Portal notifications alert patients when new messages arrive while maintaining privacy protections. External communication features enable secure messaging with business partners, referring physicians, and other healthcare organizations that may use different email systems. Secure message delivery ensures that communications reach intended recipients even when they use non-HIPAA compliant email systems. Delivery confirmation and read receipts provide verification that important messages were received and accessed by recipients.

Compliance Management and Administrative Controls

HIPAA email software provides administrative tools for managing user accounts, setting security policies, and monitoring compliance across the organization. Centralized administration allows IT teams to configure security settings, manage user permissions, and enforce organizational email policies from a single interface. Policy templates help organizations implement standard security configurations that meet HIPAA requirements. User training modules within the software help staff understand proper email security practices and organizational policies for handling protected health information. Compliance dashboards provide real-time visibility into email security metrics and potential policy violations. Automated policy enforcement prevents users from sending emails that violate organizational security standards or regulatory requirements.

Implementation and Deployment Considerations

Healthcare organizations implementing HIPAA email software need to consider data migration from existing email systems, staff training requirements, and integration with current technology infrastructure. Planning phases should include security risk assessments, workflow analysis, and stakeholder input to ensure the selected solution meets organizational needs. Pilot deployments allow organizations to test functionality and identify potential issues before full implementation. Change management processes help staff adapt to new email security procedures and software interfaces. Technical support during implementation ensures that integration challenges are resolved quickly and that security configurations meet organizational requirements. Post-deployment monitoring verifies that the HIPAA email software performs as expected and continues meeting compliance obligations over time

How Does HIPAA Compliance and Email Communications Work?

October 1, 2025
Erik Kangas

HIPAA compliance and email communications require healthcare organizations to implement administrative, physical, and operational safeguards that protect patient information during electronic transmission and storage. Federal regulations mandate encryption protocols, access controls, audit logging, and business associate agreements for all email systems handling protected health information. Healthcare providers must balance security requirements with operational efficiency, ensuring that email communications enhance patient care without creating compliance vulnerabilities or exposing organizations to regulatory penalties.

Safeguards for Email Security

Policy development establishes the framework for how healthcare organizations handle patient information through email channels. Written policies must specify who can send patient data via email, what types of information are appropriate for electronic transmission, and what approval processes govern sensitive communications. Documentation requirements ensure that policies reflect current regulatory standards and organizational practices.

Training programs prepare healthcare staff to use email systems securely while maintaining patient privacy throughout all communications. Education should cover encryption activation procedures, recipient verification methods, and content appropriateness criteria that prevent inadvertent disclosures. New employee training timelines ensure staff understand email security requirements before accessing patient information systems.

Access management procedures control which staff members can use email systems to communicate about patients and what information they can access. Permission structures should align with job functions, ensuring that billing staff, clinical providers, and administrative personnel each have appropriate access levels. Regular access reviews identify outdated permissions that should be revoked when staff change roles or leave organizations.

Security incident procedures outline how organizations respond when email security breaches occur or when staff discover potential vulnerabilities. Response protocols should include immediate containment steps, breach scope assessment methods, and notification procedures for affected patients and regulatory authorities. Documented incident handling demonstrates organizational preparedness during compliance audits.

Encryption Standards That Meet Regulatory Requirements

Transport-level encryption protects email messages during transmission between servers, creating secure channels that prevent interception while communications travel across public networks. TLS 1.2 or higher protocols establish encrypted connections that meet current security standards for protecting healthcare data. Server certificates verify the identity of receiving systems before allowing message transmission to prevent misdirected communications.

Message-level encryption converts email content into unreadable code before transmission, ensuring that only intended recipients with proper decryption keys can access patient information. AES 256-bit encryption provides strong protection that satisfies regulatory expectations for securing electronic protected health information. Automatic encryption removes reliance on manual activation that busy healthcare staff might forget during patient care activities.

Storage encryption protects archived email communications containing patient information while messages reside on servers or backup systems. Encryption at rest prevents unauthorized access if physical storage devices are stolen or improperly disposed. Key management protocols ensure that encryption keys receive the same protection as the data they secure.

Digital signatures add authentication layers that verify message origin and detect any unauthorized modifications during transmission. Certificate-based systems confirm sender identity before allowing message delivery, reducing risks that fraudulent communications might compromise patient information. HIPAA compliance and email communications depend on multiple encryption layers working together to protect data throughout its lifecycle.

Access Controls and Authentication Mechanisms

Multi-factor authentication strengthens account security by requiring users to provide multiple forms of identification before accessing email systems containing patient data. Passwords combined with mobile verification codes, biometric scans, or hardware tokens create barriers that prevent unauthorized access even when credentials are compromised. Authentication strength should match the sensitivity of patient information accessible through email systems.

User provisioning processes establish email accounts for new staff members while defining their access permissions based on job functions and patient care relationships. Automated provisioning systems integrated with human resources databases ensure that access aligns with employment status and role requirements. Termination procedures immediately revoke access when employment ends to prevent former staff from accessing patient communications.

Session controls automatically log users out after inactivity periods, preventing unauthorized access from unattended workstations in busy healthcare environments. Timeout durations should balance security needs with operational efficiency, allowing sufficient time for thoughtful message composition without creating excessive vulnerability windows. Concurrent session monitoring detects unusual login patterns that might indicate account compromise.

Audit capabilities track all email system activities including message transmission, viewing, forwarding, and deletion actions performed by users. Comprehensive logs capture timestamps, user identities, and specific actions taken with patient information. Log retention periods should meet regulatory requirements while supporting security investigations and compliance demonstrations.

BAA Requirements

Contractual obligations between healthcare organizations and email service providers establish responsibilities for protecting patient information during transmission and storage. Written agreements must address encryption standards, security incident notification timelines, and data handling procedures when business relationships terminate. Liability provisions allocate financial responsibilities when breaches result from provider negligence or system failures.

Vendor security assessments verify that email providers maintain appropriate safeguards before organizations entrust them with patient communications. Evaluation procedures should examine provider certifications, data center security, and incident response capabilities. Due diligence documentation demonstrates that organizations selected vendors carefully rather than accepting inadequate security measures.

Performance monitoring ensures that providers maintain contracted security standards throughout business relationships. Regular audit report reviews, security assessment updates, and compliance certification renewals verify ongoing provider commitment to protecting healthcare information. Performance issues should trigger immediate corrective action discussions to prevent security degradation.

Subcontractor management addresses situations where email providers use third-party services for hosting, backup, or support functions. Agreements should require providers to obtain equivalent security commitments from subcontractors who might access patient information. Healthcare organizations need visibility into the complete chain of entities handling their patient communications.

Documentation and Compliance Evidence

Security configuration documentation records the specific settings that organizations implement to protect email communications containing patient information. Configuration records should detail encryption algorithms, authentication requirements, access control structures, and audit logging parameters. Documentation updates track changes over time, creating histories that support compliance demonstrations.

Training records demonstrate that organizations educate staff about secure email practices and HIPAA compliance and email communications requirements. Documentation should include training dates, participant names, content covered, and assessment results verifying comprehension. Record retention periods should extend beyond individual employment to support long-term compliance evidence.

Risk assessment documentation identifies vulnerabilities in email systems and describes mitigation measures implemented to reduce security threats. Assessment reports should evaluate encryption strength, access control effectiveness, and potential failure points that could compromise patient information. Annual assessment updates track how organizations adapt security measures as threats evolve.

Incident reports document security breaches involving email communications and describe organizational responses to contain damage and prevent recurrence. Detailed breach records should include discovery methods, scope determinations, notification procedures, and corrective actions implemented. Incident documentation provides evidence of appropriate breach handling during regulatory investigations.

Operational Considerations and Best Practices

Content appropriateness guidelines help staff determine which patient information is suitable for email transmission versus what requires more secure communication methods. Routine appointment confirmations and general health education may be appropriate for encrypted email while complex diagnoses warrant telephone or in-person discussions. Emergency communications should never rely solely on email that patients might not check promptly.

Recipient verification procedures ensure staff confirm email addresses before transmitting patient information to prevent misdirected communications. Double-check processes, automated address validation, and recent communication history reviews reduce human errors that could expose patient data. Organizations should implement technological controls that flag external recipients when sending patient information.

Mobile device management addresses security challenges when staff access email from smartphones and tablets outside secure healthcare facilities. Device encryption, remote wipe capabilities, and containerization technologies separate work communications from personal data on employee devices. Bring-your-own-device policies must ensure that personal devices meet organizational security standards before allowing patient information access.

Retention management balances regulatory requirements to preserve email communications with operational needs to manage storage capacity efficiently. Automated retention policies should archive messages for required periods while deleting expired communications to minimize data exposure risks. Legal hold procedures must override automated deletion when litigation or investigations require communication preservation.

Understanding HIPAA compliance and email communications enables healthcare organizations to leverage digital communication benefits while protecting patient privacy and avoiding regulatory penalties that could result from security failures or policy violations.

LuxSci vs. Zix Webroot: Choosing the Right HIPAA Compliant Email Provider

March 6, 2025
Pete Wermter

There are many crucial factors to consider when developing and executing successful healthcare communication campaigns. First and foremost, you must ensure the protected health information (PHI) under your organization’s care is handled securely, as mandated by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, which begins with selecting the right HIPAA compliant email provider for your company’s needs.

With the right email services provider (ESP) in place, healthcare providers, payers, and suppliers can confidently use PHI in their patient and customer engagement campaigns – safe in the knowledge they’re aligned with HIPAA’s tight regulatory guidelines.

To help you choose the best HIPAA compliant email provider for your healthcare organization’s email outreach objectives, this post compares two of the most well-known HIPAA compliant services on the market: LuxSci and Zix Webroot (from here, simply referred to as Zix).

Comparing each email provider’s performance on several criteria, we’ll help you decide which solution best fits the needs of your healthcare organization and will help you better engage with your patients and customers.

LuxSci vs. Zix: Evaluation Criteria

In our evaluation of LuxSci vs. Zix, we’ll be using the following criteria:

Data Security and Compliance: undoubtedly the most important factor when it comes to ensuring HIPAA-compliant email communication within healthcare organizations, this reflects the extent to which each platform secures sensitive patient data as per HIPAA’s regulations.
Performance and Scalability: the email platform’s ability to facilitate high-volume email communication campaigns, which also, subsequently, encompasses the platform’s throughput and how well they’re able to scale in line with an organization’s needs.
Infrastructure: if the email service provider has the necessary security infrastructure in place to both adequately safeguard PHI and support bulk email marketing campaigns.
Marketing Capabilities: if the platform provides features that allow you to personalize and refine your patient engagement strategies.
Ease of Use: how easy each email service is to use; a deceptively important factor in light of the urgent need for employee cyber threat awareness training.
Other HIPAA-Compliant Products: if the platform offers complementary features that aid healthcare organizations with their broader patient engagement, and growth, objectives.

Now that we’ve covered the criteria by which we’ll be assessing each email platform, let’s compare LuxSci vs Zix to determine which is the best fit for your company’s needs.

LuxSci vs. Zix: How Do They Compare?

Data Security and Compliance

LuxSci prides itself on being a fully HIPAA-compliant email service provider, offering end-to-end, flexible, and automated encryption, giving it an advantage in the protection of patient data in the event of its exfiltration by cyber criminals. Additionally, LuxSci is HITRUST-certified, illustrating its additional commitment to data privacy legislation and the securing of PHI.

Zix is also fully HIPAA-compliant and, consequently, enables the use of PHI to personalize your email communications. That said, Zix doesn’t offer as many encryption options as LuxSci. Most notably, Zix doesn’t enforce Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption or enable automated encryption. The absence of these features means that a healthcare organization’s security teams must perform more manual oversight when it comes to encryption of PHI, increasing the chance of human error.

Performance and Scalability

While Zix supports large email campaigns and provides detailed reporting functionality, LuxSci is the more prudent choice for high-volume email marketing campaigns.

LuxSci maintains the necessary infrastructure to ensure the reliable delivery of hundreds of thousands to millions of emails per month (i.e., throughput – 1000s of emails per hour), all while adhering to HIPAA’s strict guidelines on preserving patient privacy.

Infrastructure

In the same way that LuxSci have advantages over Zix on data security capabilities, it performs well in this category too, which makes sense, as the two factors are interwoven.

While offering a range of customary multi-tenancy infrastructure setups, Zix doesn’t accommodate dedicated, or single-tenancy, infrastructure options – for companies who can’t afford to depend on the security postures of the companies with whom they share servers. Zix, in line with its ability to facilitate large patient or customer engagement campaigns, provides enterprise-scale scalability.

Zix also provides high availability and robust disaster recovery capabilities, so healthcare organizations can retain their operational capabilities in the event of a cyber attack. Or, alternatively, an unforeseen physical disaster that compromises a company’s infrastructure (power outages, fires, storms, intentional damage, etc.).

That said, LuxSci possesses all these features in addition to more comprehensive single-tenancy options, scalability, and secure email hosting.

Marketing Capabilities

As with our comparisons of LuxSci against email platforms like Paubox and Virtru, it’s somewhat futile to compare each platform’s marketing capabilities – as neither LuxSci or Zix are marketing platforms, in the vein of Adobe Campaign or Oracle Eloqua, for example.

That said. LuxSci provides a HIPAA compliant marketing solution, offering automation, for streamlining email marketing campaigns, and, personalization options, for more engaging email communication campaigns.

Ease of Use

Both LuxSci and Zix perform admirably in this category, but the edge goes to Zix, as LuxSci implementations often involve the complexities that come with large-scale, high volume use cases.

LuxSci, however, is known for offering best-in-class customer support backed by HIPAA security experts, honed as a result of over 25 years of facilitating and supporting email communication strategies for healthcare organizations of all sizes.

Other HIPAA-compliant Products

With secure texting functionality, secure forms for HIPAA compliant data collection, and secure file sharing, LuxSci ranks well in this category. Zix, in contrast, provides only secure file sharing – though, because of Zix Webroot’s capabilities, offers superior secure file sharing to LuxSci.

Get Your Copy of LuxSci’s Vendor Comparison Guide

To discover how LuxSci and Zix stack up against the other leading email providers on the market when it comes to HIPAA compliance, take a look at our Vendor Comparison Guide. Evaluating 12 email delivery platforms, the guide offers comprehensive insights on what to consider when selecting a HIPAA compliant provider, and how to choose the best solution for you.