LuxSci

LuxSci vs. Paubox: How to Choose the Right HIPAA-Compliant Email Provider

LuxSci vs. Paubox

Choosing the right HIPAA-compliant email vendor is crucial for protecting patient data and ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations, including verifying HIPAA compliance and security features, evaluating ease of use and integration capabilities, assessing deliverability and performance, and understanding pricing and scalability. You should also evaluate a vendor’s customer support and company reputation.

 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) details strict guidelines for securing sensitive patient data, including Protected Health Information (PHI). As a result, healthcare providers, payers, and suppliers must use a HIPAA-compliant email provider to abide by regulations designed to safeguard PHI.

 

With this in mind, this post evaluates two of today’s most popular HIPAA-compliant email providers on the market: LuxSci and Paubox. We’ll compare the two HIPAA-compliant offerings on several criteria, helping you to decide which email provider best fits the needs of your organization.

LuxSci vs. Paubox: Evaluation Criteria

We will evaluate LuxSci vs. Paubox on the following criteria:

 

  • Data security and Compliance: how well each email provider safeguards PHI as per HIPAA’s requirements 
  • Performance and Scalability: the platform’s ability to conduct bulk email marketing campaigns, and scale them as a company’s engagement efforts grow.
  • Infrastructure: if it provides the necessary technical infrastructure, processes and controls to both protect sensitive patient data and support high-volume email marketing campaigns.
  • Marketing Capabilities: if the platform provides tools for optimizing and refining your communication strategies.
  • Ease of Use: how steep the learning curve is for each platform.
  • Other HIPAA-Compliant Products: if the email provider offers complementary features that will aid your patient engagement efforts. 

Now that we’ve explained the parameters by which we’ll be comparing the HIPAA compliant email providers, let’s see how LuxSci and Paubox stack up against each other. 

LuxSci vs. Paubox: How They Compare

Data Security and Compliance

Both LuxSci and Paubox perform admirably here, with both being fully HIPAA-compliant email providers, offering automated encryption that allows you to include PHI in email communications straight away. Both providers secure email data both in transit and at rest.

 

Additionally, both are HITRUST certified, which further demonstrates a strong commitment to data privacy and security.

 

When compared to Paubox, LuxSci has the edge here because it has more comprehensive encryption options. This includes highly flexible encryption: automatically setting the ideal level of security and encryption needs based on the email content, recipient and business process.

 

Performance and Scalability

While both email providers deliver proven solutions and enable healthcare companies to scale their email marketing campaigns accordingly, LuxSci is the better option for high-volume email marketing campaigns, including bulk sending of hundreds of thousands to millions of emails per month. This is due to the fact that LuxSci specializes in assisting large healthcare organizations with executing high volume email marketing campaigns, including companies like Athenahealth, 1800 Contacts, Eurofins, and Rotech medical equipment. Consequently, LuxSci offers enterprise-grade scalability and has developed robust solutions capable of the high throughput required for enterprise-level patient and customer engagement efforts.

  

Infrastructure

Additionally, when it comes to other aspects related to infrastructure, LuxSci demonstrates an advantage. Firstly, they offer secure email hosting, while Paubox does not. Additionally, though Paubox can provide some dedicated infrastructure, e.g., single-tenancy, options, as well as high availability and disaster recovery, their capabilities are not as comprehensive as LuxSci.

 

Marketing capabilities

Both email delivery platforms possess useful marketing tools, enabling more effective HIPAA-compliant email marketing. This includes automation for streamlining email marketing campaigns and, customization options, so your messages are both more compelling and align with your company’s branding.

 

LuxSci, however, offers more comprehensive reporting capabilities than Paubox, including real-time monitoring, detailed performance metrics (e.g., deliverability, open and click-through rates, bounced emails, spam complaints, and recipient domain reporting), as well as granular segmentation options.

 

Ease of use

Paubox has the edge here, being the easier of the two HIPAA-compliant email providers to deploy and for staff to get to ramp up on. Suited for more complex and sophisticated environments, LuxSci offsets this with exemplary customer support honed from decades of facilitating organizations’ HIPAA-compliant email marketing campaigns – especially for this on a large scale.

 

Other HIPAA-compliant Products

Lastly, when it comes to complementary features, both LuxSci and Paubox offer secure texting functionality, allowing healthcare companies to cater to their patients and customers who prefer to communicate via SMS. And while both email providers feature secure forms for HIPAA-compliant data collection, LuxSci’s forms are more advanced, capable of handling more complex workflows, including multi-step data collection, and providing better customization options.

 

Additionally, LuxSci offers secure file sharing, encrypting files at rest and in transit, allowing for even more granular access controls, and ensuring only those within your company who must handle PHI have the appropriate access permissions. This is yet another safeguard against the exposure of PHI, whether accidentally, through identity theft (e.g., session-hijacking by a cybercriminal), or even corporate espionage. 

Get Your Copy of LuxSci’s Vendor Comparison Guide

While this post focuses on comparing  LuxSci and Paubox, we have created a complete Vendor Comparison Guide, which compares 12 email providers and is packed full of essential information on HIPAA-compliant communication and how to choose the best healthcare email solution for your organization.

 

You can grab your copy here, and don’t hesitate to contact us to explore your options for HIPAA-compliant email further.

 

Get in touch

Find The Best Solution For Your Organization

Talk To An Expert & Get A Quote




A member of our staff will reach out to you

Get Your Free E-Book!

LuxSci High Email Deliverability Best Practices Paper

What you’ll learn:

Enter your email to download now!

We respect your privacy. No spam, ever.

Related Posts

healthcare marketing

How Automated Workflows Boost Engagement for Healthcare Marketing Campaigns

Due to the fact that it’s simple, instantaneous, cost-effective, and nearly universally adopted, email is an essential part of all healthcare marketing engagement strategies. However, consistent, personalized email engagement – particularly at scale – can be challenging. 

 

Fortunately, Automated Workflows offer a solution, allowing healthcare companies to deliver the right messages to the appropriate individuals at the right time, based on their individual engagement with emails.. 

 

In this post, we’ll explore the concept of Automated Workflows, the considerable benefits they offer healthcare companies, and the variety of ways they can be used to increase engagement and result in greater satisfaction and better healthcare outcomes for your patients and customers.

What Are Automated Workflows?

An Automated Workflow is a sequence of actions, known as’ Steps’ in LuxSci Secure Marketing, that a Contact (i.e., a patient or customer) moves through over time, based on a series of pre-defined rules or triggers. 

 

Each Step is programmed to automatically perform a specific function, such as sending an email or updating a Contact, when certain conditions are in place. These conditions could include: 

  • A Contact opening a message.
  • A Contact clicking through on a link.
  • A specified amount of time having elapsed.. 
  • A data update via an API call

By evaluating conditions to initiate the appropriate Step, Automated Workflows facilitate more timely, consistent, and personalized communication with Contacts (patients and customers ). As a result, healthcare companies can effectively harness Automated Workflows to develop dynamic, personalized email engagement journeys that adapt according to your patients and customers’ needs and prior interactions.

What Are the Benefits of Automated Workflows?

Let’s look at the various advantages that Luxsci Automated Workflows offer. 

Reduced Administrative Workload

Arguably, the most significant benefit of Automated Workflows is the extent to which they lower the administrative burden of email engagement campaigns for healthcare organizations. 

 

First and foremost, Automated Workflows eliminate the need for an employee to manually send your Contacts messages. As well as the manual effort, it removes a great deal of thought from the process – as someone isn’t required to remember to send an email. 

 

By the same token, this reduces the scope for human error, preventing the possibility of an employee neglecting to send an important message, sending it to the wrong person, or worse, accidentally exposing patient data, i.e., electronic protected health information (ePHI). 

 

The effort that Automated Workflows reduce is typically repetitive work that staff are glad to be free of, giving them additional time to focus on tasks that provide greater value and better contribute to better patient care and/or the customer experience. 

Enhanced Scalability

The time saved by employing Automated Workflows increases with the size of your Contact List and the scale of your engagement campaigns. In fact, enterprise-scale campaigns, with volumes of hundreds of thousands to millions of emails, are only feasible through the use of automation. 

 

Similarly, Automated Workflows enable healthcare organizations to run differing, personalized email campaigns aimed at unique patient or customer segments.  As well as automatically sending each message at the appropriate time, they provide tracking capabilities to determine the outcome of each message. 

Increased Consistency in Communication

Because Automated Workflows remediate the risk of emails going unsent, they facilitate more timely and consistent communications with patients and customers. This makes healthcare providers, payers, and suppliers appear more reliable and consistent, building trust and greater levels of satisfaction from Contacts. More importantly, recipients are better able to track what’s happening with their healthcare and assume a more proactive role overall healthcare journey..

 

Finally, creating an Automated Workflow requires healthcare organizations to carefully consider how they communicate with different Contact segments. Namely, the likely journey, or communication path, different types of Contacts take, i.e., information they need to know at a particular stage in their healthcare journey, the optimal order in which information needs to be presented, etc. This allows healthcare companies to become more in-tune with their patients’ and customers’ needs, enabling them to craft more valuable email communications that boost engagement. 

Personalized Healthcare Engagement 

Perhaps the most significant benefit of Automated Workflows is that they enable adaptive, personalized engagement for healthcare marketing and communications campiagns. Instead of manually tracking where each Contact is in a given engagement sequence, or worse, merely having to guess, you know precisely where they are. Consequently, you’re acutely aware of their needs and the exact nature of the emails you need to send them next. 

 

This, in turn, enables more effective Contact nurturing, i.e, strengthening your organization’s connection with each individual. When at its most effective, this may allow you to anticipate your Contacts’ needs, enabling you to send them communications, such screening or testing recommendations, educational materials, or product and service suggestions, that support their healthcare journey and enhance their quality of care.

Automated Workflow Use Cases

Automated Workflows are a powerful tool for increasing healthcare marketing and communications engagement because they can be applied to a wide range of use cases. Let’s take a look at some of the most common and impactful ways email automation can be used by healthcare companies. 

  • New Product Announcements: keeping patients and customers in the loop on your company’s latest offerings, as well as improvements to existing products and services that are likely to be of interest, based on their data and past actions.
  • Personalized recommendations: suggesting products or services based on the recipient’s past purchases or engagement history.
  • Re-Engagement Campaigns: Automated Workflows can also be used to reconnect with Contacts with whom engagement has waned or was never completely established, sending them personalized messages to encourage specific actions or reignite interest.
  • New Member Onboarding: welcoming new patients or customers  with a structured series of emails that introduces your services, provides technical assistance (where applicable), details subsequent steps, and explains how to get the most value from your products or services. 
  • Appointment Reminers and Follow-Ups: sending reminders, care instructions, medication adherence advice, or details on how to book subsequent appointments, for instance, after a patient visit. 
  • Patient Education Campaigns: taking patients through a structured curriculum on managing their medical condition or required  lifestyle changes to improve their health..
  • Preventative Care Communications: proactively sending reminders for screenings, check-ups, vaccinations, etc., based on PHI such as a patient’s age, gender, health condition or lifestyle risk factors.
  • Milestone Communications: sending personalized messages to acknowledge birthdays, enrollment anniversaries, and other pertinent dates. These can also be combined with preventative care communications, to send recommendations or other advice, based on the contact’s age, for instance.  
  • Feedback Collection: acquiring patient and customer feedback by sending follow-up surveys a set amount of time after a visit, procedure, purchase, etc. 

How Automated Workflows Work in LuxSci Secure Marketing

To round off this post, let’s take a deeper look at how Automated Workflows work within LuxSci’s Secure Marketing solution. LuxSci’s Automated Workflows enhance your organization’s HIPAA compliant healthcare marketing and email campaigns by giving you complete control of:

 

  • When each email is sent
  • Which Contacts receive particular communications according to their behavior, needs, and other PHI-based attributes
  • Which engagement path or branch a Contact takes based on their email actions

Here’s a look at LuxSci’s Automated Workflows key capabilities in greater detail. 

Smart Event-Based Branching and Conditions

You can branch Workflows to trigger targeted messaging based on a Contact’s attributes or certain engagement events, resulting in more relevant and effective healthcare journeys  with more desirable outcomes.

  • User actions:
    • Mailing list sign-ups
    • Form completion
    • Downloading a resource.
  • Time-based triggers:
    • A set period after a visit or procedure 
    • A defined period of inactivity or lack of contact
    • Milestones, e.g., birthdays, anniversaries. 
  • Behavioral triggers:
    • Email opens
    • Clicking on links
    • Visiting particular pages on a site or 
    • A lack of engagement with previous emails.
  • Transactional triggers:
    • Purchasing a product or service
    • Signing up for an event
    • Order confirmations or shipping updates after a purchase.
  • API-triggered events
    • Lab results or similar correspondence becoming available
    • Changes to data in EHR systems, CDP platforms, or CRM systems.. 

Automated Segment Management 

Automated Workflows can be used to dynamically add Contacts to segments based on demographics, past behavior, purchase history, and similar events. This enables more precise targeting and email personalization as they progress through specific Steps in each Workflow. 

Navigation Across Steps

Automated Workflows are also capable of navigating Contacts across different Steps or completely different Workflows depending on engagement outcomes and updates to a Contact’s PHI. Better still, if a Step has already been visited, LuxSci Secure Marketing automatically prevents repetition and infinite loops.

Automate Your Healthcare Marketing and Engagement Efforts

LuxSci Secure Marketing is a HIPAA compliant healthcare marketing solution especially designed for the stringent security and regulatory requirements of the healthcare industry. Our solution enables healthcare organizations to confidently communicate with patients and customers at scale without risking compliance violations, driving increased engagement and boosting the ROI of their marketing campaigns in the process. 

 

The latest version of LuxSci’s Secure Marketing solution with Automated Workflow functionality streamlines your company’s outreach efforts, saving considerable time, reducing human effort, and facilitating intelligent Contact management. 

What’s more, LuxSci’s reporting capabilities empower you to carefully track the results of your healthcare engagement campaigns, gaining insights at every step, including:

  • Which Contacts received particular messages
  • Who engaged with email communication, and how
  • Precise points where drop-offs in engagement occur
  • The engagement achieved with each Step in the Workflow

To learn more about LuxSci’s Secure Marketing solution and how Automated Workflows boost engagement for your healthcare marketing and communications campaigns, contact us today.

 

Healthcare marketing plan

How To Create a Healthcare Marketing Plan?

A healthcare marketing plan establishes strategic promotional activities, target audience identification, budget allocation, and compliance protocols to attract new patients while adhering to HIPAA privacy regulations and state advertising laws. Medical practices develop these documents to guide their promotional efforts across digital platforms, traditional media, and community outreach programs, ensuring all patient acquisition activities comply with healthcare privacy requirements and professional advertising standards.

Medical practices compete intensely for patient attention in saturated healthcare markets. Developing promotional strategies without proper planning leads to wasted resources, compliance violations, and missed opportunities to connect with patients who need specific medical services.

Target Audience in Healthcare Marketing Plan Development

Patient demographic research identifies age groups, geographic locations, insurance coverage types, and medical conditions that align with practice specialties and service offerings. Healthcare organizations analyze existing patient data to understand referral patterns, appointment scheduling preferences, and communication channel effectiveness for different population segments.

Competitor analysis reveals promotional strategies used by similar practices, pricing structures for comparable services, and market gaps that create opportunities for differentiation. This research helps practices position their services uniquely while avoiding oversaturated promotional approaches that fail to generate meaningful patient engagement.

Budget Allocation

Financial planning allocates resources across promotional channels based on expected return on investment, patient acquisition costs, and practice revenue goals. Digital advertising usually receives 40-60% of promotional budgets due to measurable results and targeted audience capabilities, while traditional media and community events receive smaller allocations.

Compliance costs including legal reviews, authorization management, and privacy training must be factored into promotional budgets to ensure all activities meet regulatory requirements. Practices that underestimate compliance expenses often discover their promotional activities violate privacy laws or professional advertising standards.

Digital Strategy to Drive Modern Patient Acquisition

Website optimization, search engine marketing, and social media presence are the core of contemporary promotional efforts outlined in every healthcare marketing plan. Practices invest in professional website design, patient portal integration, and mobile-responsive layouts to capture patients researching medical services online.

Content creation including blog posts, educational videos, and patient resources helps establish expertise while providing valuable information to potential patients. However, all content must avoid using patient information without authorization and cannot make unsubstantiated medical claims that violate advertising regulations.

Compliance Integration Protects Promotional Activities

HIPAA authorization procedures, business associate agreements with promotional vendors, and state advertising law compliance must be woven throughout every aspect of promotional planning. Healthcare marketing plan development includes legal review processes, privacy impact assessments, and staff training protocols to prevent violations.

Documentation requirements for promotional activities include consent forms, vendor contracts, and approval workflows that demonstrate compliance with healthcare privacy laws. Practices without proper documentation face significant penalties when regulatory investigations uncover promotional activities that violate patient privacy protections.

Community Outreach Builds Local Patient Relationships

Health fairs, educational seminars, and community partnerships create opportunities for practices to connect with potential patients through face-to-face interactions. These activities require planning to ensure patient privacy protection while maximizing promotional impact through relationship building and trust development.

Referral programs with other healthcare providers, local businesses, and community organizations can generate new patient leads when structured appropriately. Any financial incentives for referrals must comply with healthcare fraud and abuse laws to avoid legal complications.

Performance Measurement Guides Strategy Optimization

Patient acquisition metrics, appointment conversion rates, and promotional channel effectiveness data help practices evaluate their promotional success and adjust strategies accordingly. Healthcare marketing plan implementation includes tracking systems for website traffic, phone inquiries, and new patient appointments generated by different promotional activities.

Return on investment calculations compare promotional spending with revenue generated from new patients to determine which activities provide the best financial results. Practices use this data to reallocate budgets toward high-performing promotional channels while eliminating ineffective strategies.

Implementation Timeline

Monthly promotional calendars coordinate campaign launches, content publication schedules, and community event participation to maximize promotional impact while avoiding resource conflicts. Healthcare marketing plan execution requires detailed project management to ensure all activities launch on schedule and within budget constraints. Seasonal considerations including flu shot campaigns, wellness check promotions, and holiday health messaging opportunities require advance planning to capitalize on increased patient interest during specific time periods. Practices that plan these campaigns well in advance may achieve better results than those that react to opportunities without preparation.

HIPAA Marketing Rule

What Does the HIPAA Marketing Rule Require?

The HIPAA marketing rule prohibits healthcare organizations from using protected health information for promotional communications without written patient authorization, defining promotional activities as communications that encourage patients to purchase products or services with financial benefit to the sender. Organizations can send treatment-related communications, appointment reminders, and health plan benefit descriptions without authorization, but any communication promoting third-party products, paid services, or revenue-generating activities requires explicit patient consent through properly executed authorization forms.

Healthcare providers regularly find themselves struggling with acceptable patient education and prohibited promotional activities. A simple newsletter about diabetes management becomes problematic when it includes advertisements for glucose monitors or pharmaceutical products that generate revenue for the practice.

The HIPAA Marketing Rule Authorization Framework

Patient authorization documents must contain sixteen specific elements including detailed descriptions of information to be disclosed, identification of recipients, expiration dates, and explanations of revocation rights. These forms cannot be combined with other consent documents and must use plain language that patients can easily understand. Healthcare organizations face penalties when authorization forms lack required elements or contain overly broad permission language.

Patients retain the right to revoke authorization at any time, forcing organizations to immediately cease all promotional activities involving that individual’s information. Organizations cannot condition treatment, payment, enrollment, or benefits eligibility on patients providing authorization for promotional purposes, creating clear separation between healthcare services and commercial activities.

Treatment Communications Bypass Marketing Restrictions

Healthcare organizations can discuss treatment alternatives, medication options, and care coordination services without obtaining separate authorization because these communications serve legitimate healthcare purposes rather than commercial interests. Appointment scheduling, test result notifications, and prescription refill reminders fall under treatment or healthcare operations exemptions from marketing regulations.

Face-to-face communications between providers and patients about treatment options is unrestricted, even when providers receive financial benefits from recommended treatments or services. Written materials distributed during these encounters may trigger authorization requirements if they promote specific products or services beyond the immediate treatment relationship.

Financial Incentive Distinctions Shape HIPAA Marketing Rule Compliance

Communications become subject to the HIPAA marketing rule when healthcare organizations receive financial remuneration from third parties for promoting their products or services. Pharmaceutical company payments for promoting medications, medical device manufacturer incentives, or referral fees from specialty services transform otherwise acceptable communications into restricted promotional activities.

Organizations must examine their financial relationships carefully to determine when communications cross from permissible healthcare operations into restricted promotional territory. Even nominal payments or gifts from third parties can trigger marketing authorization requirements for communications that mention or promote those parties’ products or services.

Business Associate Relationships Complicate Marketing Activities

Vendors creating promotional materials, managing patient outreach campaigns, or analyzing treatment data for commercial purposes need business associate agreements before accessing PHI. These relationships are difficult if the promotional vendors also provide healthcare services or when healthcare organizations share revenue from marketing activities with their business partners.

Organizations must negotiate appropriate contractual protections and ensure vendors understand their obligations under the HIPAA marketing rule before beginning any collaborative promotional activities. Liability for vendor violations remains with the covered entity, making careful partner selection and monitoring essential for maintaining compliance.

Digital Platforms & Modern Marketing Compliance Challenges

Social media advertising, email campaigns, and online retargeting involve sharing patient information with technology platforms that lack appropriate privacy protections. Healthcare organizations cannot upload patient contact lists, demographic details, or treatment information to advertising platforms without proper authorization and business associate agreements covering those platforms.

Website analytics, social media pixels, and advertising tracking technologies may inadvertently capture and transmit PHI to third-party platforms without appropriate protections. Organizations need controls to prevent accidental information sharing while still enabling effective digital marketing activities within compliance boundaries.

Enforcement Penalties Reflect Serious Violation Consequences

Recent Office for Civil Rights enforcement actions have resulted in multi-million dollar settlements for organizations that used patient information in marketing materials without authorization or shared PHI with advertising vendors without appropriate agreements. These cases highlight increasing federal scrutiny of healthcare promotional activities and willingness to impose substantial financial penalties.

Violations may stem from seemingly innocent activities like patient newsletters, social media posts, or website testimonials that inadvertently disclosed PHI without proper authorization. Organizations discover that good intentions cannot shield them from penalties when their marketing activities violate patient privacy protections under the HIPAA marketing rule.

Compliance Programs Minimize Violation Risks

Healthcare organizations benefit from establishing clear review processes for all promotional materials and patient communications before distribution. Designated privacy personnel can evaluate whether proposed communications require authorization, involve business associate relationships, or create other compliance risks under marketing regulations.

Staff training helps employees recognize the difference between permissible healthcare communications and restricted marketing activities. Education updates keep pace with new promotional channels, emerging technology platforms, and evolving interpretations of the rule’s requirements within changing healthcare and advertising landscapes.

explanation of benefits

Why Healthcare Insurers Should Send Explanation of Benefits Statements Via Email

Explanation of Benefits statements or EOBs are mission-critical communications for health insurers because they ensure transparency, help detect billing errors or fraud, and most importantly, keep patients informed about their benefits and related payments.

 

However, the most conventional method of sending out EoBs, traditional mail, has several drawbacks that can prevent important information about healthcare coverage from reaching the intended recipient. This can leave policyholders in the dark about their healthcare coverage, which can lead to confusion and dissatisfaction with their insurance provider when they receive an unexpected medical bill. This can also drive up inbound calls into your claims department or contact center.

 

Because Explanation of Benefits statements contain the protected health information (PHI) of policyholders, insurers are bound by HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations to ensure their secure delivery. Consequently, the risks inherent to sending paper EoB statements in the mail not only have security implications but also potential consequences for non-compliance.

 

With all this in mind, this post discusses why healthcare insurers should send EoBs to their policyholders via secure email instead of traditional mail. We detail the various benefits of making the switch to electronic EoBs, which include enhanced security, better adherence to compliance regulations, and the opportunity to save millions of dollars per month.

 

Protecting Patient Privacy

The primary reason that insurance companies should shift to email EoBs as opposed to traditional mail is that it’s far more secure. Sending an EoB via email drastically decreases the risk of protected health information (PHI) getting into the wrong hands. When sent in paper form by mail, an EoB could be:

 

  • Lost, stolen or damaged in transit
  • Delivered to the wrong address
  • Not properly deposited in a letter or mailbox, then stolen
  • Intercepted within the intended address by another individual who lives at or has access to the residence. 

As detailed later in this post, email also allows for various controls and processes, which mitigate the risks of unsuccessful message delivery.

 

Most importantly, secure email provides data encryption, which safeguards the sensitive patient data within EoBs during transmission and when stored by rendering it unreadable to malicious actors who might intercept it. Physical mail, in contrast, offers no such protection, as someone who intercepts a paper EoB form can simply open it and freely read its contents.

 

Finally, secure email delivery platforms feature identity verification and access controls that enable healthcare insurers to restrict access to PHI to authorized personnel, limiting its exposure. They also provide auditing capabilities to track access to patient data, and quickly identify the source of security breaches.

HIPAA Compliance Benefits

Because sending an Explanation of Benefits statement via email is more secure, and better protects any patient data contained within them, this also reduces the risk of HIPAA compliance violations.

 

First and foremost, HIPAA regulations mandate that communications containing PHI, such as EoBs, must securely reach the intended recipient. By eliminating the risk of physical interception or non-delivery, and the compliance violations from a resulting security breach, insurers can better adhere to HIPAA regulations using email for sending EOBs. On a similar note, the security features built into a HIPAA compliant email platform, such as encryption, access controls, and audit logs, help insurers to satisfy the requirements of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules in their compliance efforts.

 

Another considerable benefit of using secure email to send policyholders their EoBs, or, in fact, any communication containing PHI, is that it’s far easier to implement breach notification protocols. Email delivery platforms provide real-time tracking, so companies can pinpoint email message failures quickly and act accordingly. Similarly, intrusion detection systems and other cybersecurity measures that support email systems can enable faster detection and containment of data breaches.

 

In stark contrast, physical mail is far more difficult to track – and even those limited capabilities are reserved for more expensive delivery options. Consequently, security breaches via mail could go unnoticed for days or even weeks. If you’re unaware of a data breach, or have not yet contained or mitigated it, you’re then unable to inform all affected parties, resulting in further HIPAA violations.

Increased Deliverability Rates

By greatly mitigating the security risks presented by physical mail, i.e., the various ways an EoB could fall into the wrong hands, sending an EoB by email increases your ability to get more EOBs into the hands of policyholders, more quickly. At the same time, policyholders can make faster decisions regarding their healthcare.

The ability to track secure email gives you greater control over EOB deliverability, as it allows organizations to determine the cause of delivery failure and can also make subsequent attempts. Additionally, the process of determining the reason for the message delivery failures can also reveal security issues; the same process, however, is very difficult to achieve with traditional mail.

 

Here’s how the typical protocol for resending a secured email goes beyond what you can do with managing traditional mail delivery:

 

  • Determine the cause of non-delivery: verify that the intended recipient information is correct and check for issues like a full email inbox or security misconfigurations. 
  • Don’t automatically resend: to avoid exposing PHI to the wrong person, confirm the intended recipient’s email address through an alternative verified channel, e.g., phone call, secure SMS, etc. 
  • Log the incident: document the delivery failure, steps taken to determine its cause, attempts, etc.
  • Reattempt message delivery: if the investigation deems it safe, attempt message redelivery with the corrected information. 

In the event that subsequent delivery attempts fail, it’s best practice to contact the individual to arrange the most convenient and secure alternative to deliver their EoBs. 

Cost Savings 

Simply put, sending Explanation of Benefits statements via email instead of traditional mail saves health insurers money – potentially lots of it. Processing EOBs from start to finish can cost health insurers one to two dollars or more per EOB. That’s a lot. The biggest opportunity for cost reduction is tied to the money saved on printing and mailing paper EoB statements. Additionally, the cost of administering the delivery of EoB forms, ensuring their delivery, etc., is lowered when it’s done electronically. Not to mention, resending EoBs in the event of their non-delivery is much easier and cheaper via email.

 

In a broader sense, increasing the deliverability and the success rate of sending EoBs helps a larger number of policyholders better understand the details of their insurance coverage, i.e., how it works, which services and procedures it covers, etc. As a result of their policyholders being more informed, insurers won’t spend as much time explaining policy details and cost breakdowns to their members, allowing them to divert the otherwise required resources to other areas of the business.  

Reduced Carbon Footprint

Finally, it’s difficult to highlight the benefits of sending EoBs to policyholders by email without recognizing the positive environmental impact, too. Email EoBs cut down on paper, for both the forms themselves and the envelopes they’re mailed in. Then there’s the matter of the electricity and ink involved in printing them, the emissions produced in their delivery, etc. Opting to send EoBs via email reduces all these factors, which enables healthcare organizations to lower their carbon footprint and, where applicable, meet their sustainability obligations or goals. 

Deliver EoBs More Securely, Reliably, and at Lower Cost with LuxSci

LuxSci’s Secure High Volume Email Solution enables healthcare insurance companies to instantly send Explanation of Benefits statements to policyholders at a massive scale, extending into hundreds of thousands or millions per month.

 

Our HIPAA compliant email delivery platform features:

 

  • Dedicated IPs that isolate critical transactional messages, such as EoBs, from other email traffic, allowing LuxSci customers to reach deliverability rates of 98% or more. 
  • Real-time tracking for determining the delivery status of EoBs, as well as troubleshooting unsuccessful delivery attempts.
  • Flexible encryption through LuxSci’s proprietary SecureLine Technology, which automatically adjusts encryption settings according to the recipient to better ensure the protection of sensitive data.

Contact us today to learn more about how your organization can begin the transition to electronic EoBs.

You Might Also Like

HIPAA Email Policy

What Are HIPAA Email Requirements?

HIPAA email requirements include implementing administrative, physical, and security protections for electronic protected health information transmitted through email communications. Healthcare organizations must establish policies, provide staff training, implement encryption measures, maintain audit trails, and execute business associate agreements when using email systems that handle PHI to ensure compliance with Privacy and Security Rule obligations. Email communication has become indispensable for healthcare operations, yet many organizations lack comprehensive understanding of specific HIPAA obligations that apply to electronic messaging. Clear knowledge of these requirements helps healthcare providers maintain compliance while utilizing email efficiency for patient care and administrative functions.

Administrative Protection Requirements

Written policies must govern how healthcare organizations use email for PHI communications, including procedures for patient authorization, encryption standards, and incident response protocols. These policies should address all aspects of email usage from initial setup through message retention and disposal. Privacy officer designation ensures that healthcare organizations have qualified personnel responsible for developing email policies, training staff, and monitoring compliance with HIPAA email requirements. This individual must have authority to implement changes and investigate potential violations. Workforce training programs must educate healthcare personnel about proper email usage, patient privacy rights, and security procedures for PHI protection. Training should be provided to all staff who use email systems and updated regularly to address new threats and regulatory guidance.

Physical Protection Standards

Workstation security controls prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing email systems containing PHI through unattended computers or mobile devices. Healthcare organizations must implement automatic screen locks, secure login procedures, and physical access restrictions for devices used to access patient information. Device controls help healthcare organizations manage smartphones, tablets, and laptops used for email communications containing PHI. These controls should include encryption requirements, remote wipe capabilities, and restrictions on personal use of organizational devices. Facility access restrictions protect email servers and network infrastructure from unauthorized physical access. Healthcare organizations must secure server rooms, network equipment, and backup systems that store or transmit PHI through appropriate access controls and environmental protections.

Information Access Management Controls

User authentication systems verify the identity of individuals accessing email systems before granting access to PHI. Healthcare organizations must implement strong password requirements, account lockout procedures, and regular access reviews to ensure that only authorized personnel can access patient information. Role-based access controls limit email functionality based on job responsibilities and PHI access needs. Administrative staff might have different email permissions than clinical personnel, ensuring that users only access information necessary for their specific duties within the healthcare organization. Account management procedures ensure that email access aligns with current employment status and job responsibilities. Healthcare organizations must promptly remove access when employees leave and update permissions when staff change roles to prevent unauthorized PHI access.

Audit Control and Accountability Measures

Activity logging systems must capture detailed records of email access, transmission, and modification activities involving PHI. These logs should include user identification, timestamps, and actions taken to support compliance monitoring and potential breach investigations. Regular log reviews help healthcare organizations identify unusual access patterns, potential security threats, and policy violations related to email usage. These reviews should be conducted by qualified personnel who can recognize indicators of inappropriate PHI access or disclosure. Accountability documentation helps healthcare organizations track individual responsibility for email activities involving PHI. Clear assignment of user accounts and regular certification of access needs ensure that email usage can be traced to specific individuals when necessary.

Information Integrity Protections

Data validation procedures help ensure that PHI transmitted through email remains accurate and complete during transmission. Healthcare organizations should implement controls that detect unauthorized modifications to email content or attachments containing patient information. Backup and recovery systems protect email data from loss due to system failures, security incidents, or natural disasters. These systems must maintain the same security protections as primary email systems while ensuring that PHI can be restored when needed for patient care or compliance purposes. Version control measures help healthcare organizations track changes to email policies, system configurations, and security settings that affect PHI protection. These controls support audit requirements and help ensure that security measures remain current and effective.

Transmission Security Standards

Encryption implementation protects PHI during email transmission between healthcare organizations and external recipients. Healthcare organizations must evaluate their email systems to determine appropriate encryption methods based on risk assessments and HIPAA email requirements. Network security controls protect email infrastructure from unauthorized access and cyber threats. These controls include firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and secure network configurations that prevent attackers from intercepting or modifying email communications containing PHI. Message routing procedures ensure that emails containing PHI follow secure transmission paths and reach intended recipients without unauthorized disclosure. Healthcare organizations should implement controls that prevent accidental misdirection of patient information to wrong email addresses.

Business Associate Management Obligations

Vendor evaluation processes help healthcare organizations select email service providers that can meet HIPAA email requirements and provide appropriate security protections for PHI. These evaluations should include security assessments, compliance audits, and reviews of vendor policies and procedures. Contract requirements ensure that business associates providing email services agree to protect PHI and comply with HIPAA obligations. Business associate agreements must specify security requirements, breach notification procedures, and audit rights that healthcare organizations need to maintain compliance. Monitoring procedures help healthcare organizations verify that business associates continue meeting HIPAA email requirements and maintaining appropriate PHI protections.

LuxSci Secure Patient Engagement

How to Improve Patient Engagement with Secure Communications

As people demand more personalized experiences from their healthcare companies and providers, patient engagement is increasingly emerging as a top priority. With increasing demands for digital-first interactions and more connected healthcare journeys from their patients and customers, healthcare organizations must evolve their communication strategies to meet these new expectations. In fact, more than ever, today’s healthcare patients and customer expect the same efficient and personalized experiences that they have with other businesses, including retail and financial services.

In this article, we explore two key strategies for improving patient and customer engagement: employing a multi-channel approach and personalization. We’ll show you how each concept improves your communication strategy, while ensuring HIPAA compliance at the same time.

The Growing Importance of Patient Engagement

Today’s healthcare industry is undergoing significant changes – some might even call it outright disruption. With new and varied services like Telehealth, Remote Care, In-Home Care, Connected Care, Value-Based Care, and more, clear and targeted communication has never been more vital for effectively improving patient engagement and driving greater levels of participation in an individual’s healthcare journey.

Another key thing to bear in mind is that today’s patients and customers already have increasing expectations for convenient, personalized, and secure interactions with their healthcare providers. According to a report from McKinsey & Company, over 70% of patients prioritize the ability to communicate with their healthcare providers, payers and suppliers through their preferred channels. However, these preferences vary significantly across age groups, highlighting the importance of a multi-channel communication strategy; let’s explore those preferences now.

Patient Engagement Preferences by Age Group

The chart below, compiled from recent research findings, highlights the varying communication channel preferences by age group, helping healthcare companies craft their engagement strategies accordingly:

Channel
  Gen Z (18-25)
  Millennials (26-40)
  Baby Boomers (57-75)
Phone 10% 35% 55%
Email 20% 35% 45%
Text 40% 45% 15%
Patient Portals 30% 45% 25%
Face-to-Face 15% 25% 60%

 

By understanding these differences, healthcare organizations can implement and continually refine multi-channel marketing strategies that cater to the unique preferences of each demographic group. Key takeaways include:

  • Baby Boomers (57 – 75 years old) still prefer phone calls (55%) and face-to-face interactions (60%), though there is preference in email (45%) for certain types of communication, such as appointment reminders and post-care instructions.
  • Millennials (26 – 40 years old) tend to favor asynchronous methods that fit into their busy schedules, i.e., phone, text, and email. This age group is tech-savvy, with half also using patient portals for managing their healthcare options.
  • As digital natives, Gen Z patients lean heavily toward digital channels, with text messaging (40%) and patient portals (30%) as top choices. They, more than any other group, expect fast, responsive communication, which makes secure, real-time digital options essential.

Catering to patients’ communication channel preferences ensures they feel better heard and, as a result, more valued. This will result in them becoming more involved in their healthcare journey, leading to higher rates of satisfaction, being more receptive to new services or products, and, most importantly, better health outcomes.

Multi-Channel Communication: Meeting Patients Where They Are

Healthcare providers, payers and suppliers need a multi-channel strategy, that incorporates email, text, patient portals, and phone calls to match the different communication preferences of their diverse patient and customer bases.

A single-channel, or siloed, approach is far less effective, as each demographic interacts with healthcare providers in unique ways. In light of this, offering communication options across multiple channels makes it easier to reach patients – and for them to participate in their healthcare journeys on their preferred terms.

Benefits of multi-channel communication include:

  • Increased Engagement: Patients and customer are more likely to respond and engage through their preferred communication method, whether that’s by text, email, portal or over the phone.
  • Improved Satisfaction: receiving timely, personalized updates makes patients feel more connected and satisfied with care.
  • Better Adherence to Care Plans: patients who receive reminders or follow-ups through their preferred channels are more likely to adhere to care plans, attend appointments, and follow medical advice.
  • Upselling and Cross-Selling Opportunities: when healthcare providers and suppliers connect with patients and customers over the channel of their choice they are more likely to reach their target audience and attract qualified prospects for new services and products, as well as upgrades to existing ones.

Take Personalization Further by Using PHI in Communications

After unprecedented numbers of people were forced to adapt to digital solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, personalization is no longer optional or “a nice to have” – but an expectation among patients and customers. The healthcare industry is no exception to this with personalized communications greatly enhancing efficiency and driving favorable outcomes.

Securely harnessing protected health information (PHI) is critical to effective personalization across a broad range of use cases, including care management, marketing and preventative care. It’s important to appreciate, however, that personalization in healthcare engagement goes beyond merely addressing patients by their names; it includes tailoring messages, reminders, renewals, recommendations, and offers based on their medical history, treatment plans, personal characteristics (age, gender, etc.), and ongoing health needs.

Examples of PHI-driven personalization include:

  • Appointment Reminders: personalized reminders based on the patient’s treatment plan can reduce no-show rates.
  • Post-Procedure Follow-Ups: securely sending follow-up instructions and health updates specific to the patient’s condition leads to better adherence and recovery rates.
  • Targeted Preventative Care Campaigns: using patient data to create campaigns around vaccinations, screenings, annual tests, or chronic disease management helps address individual health needs.
  • Marketing campaigns: delivering targeted campaigns to highly segmented groups of patients and customers, e.g., offers for the latest in-home blood pressure monitor for patients suffering from hypertension.

However, using PHI in communications requires strict adherence to HIPAA regulations and a broad set of data security safeguards and best practices. LuxSci’s Secure Healthcare Communications Suite enables healthcare organizations to safely use PHI in digital communications, ensuring compliance for email, text, marketing and data collection forms, while providing all the required functionality for personalizing your communications to create the desired impact. 

Why Secure Healthcare Communication is Crucial

Data breaches in the healthcare industry are consistently on the rise, and, unfortunately, they show no signs of abating. In fact, between 2009 and 2023, healthcare data breaches resulted in the exposure of more than a half billion patient records.  Healthcare companies are prime targets for cyberattacks, because of the sensitivity of the data they possess and the critical importance of their services.

Consequently, the fines for healthcare companies that fail to sufficiently protect PHI and fall victim to data breaches can extend into the millions.  The reputation damage, however, can be far more costly, with it often being beyond repair.

LuxSci is the most experienced provider of HIPAA-compliant email and secure healthcare communication solutions, working with organizations of all sizes: from local and regional practices to large healthcare systems, providers and suppliers, including Athenahealth, Delta Dental, 1800 Contacts, and Rotech Healthcare.

Our comprehensive HIPAA-compliant communications platform includes:

  • HIPAA-Compliant Email: send millions of secure emails every month with our Secure High Volume Email solution, or make your Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 email HIPAA-compliant with our Secure Gateway Product
  • Secure Text Messaging: reach patients quickly and securely with appointment reminders, health updates, and other communications via text. Connect them directly into their patient portals via their desktop or mobile device —with no application installation required.
  • Secure Marketing: proactively connect with your customers with HIPAA-compliant email marketing campaigns for increased engagement, lead generation and sales.
  • Secure Forms: safely collect, store, access and analyze PHI data from patients to optimize workflows and generate insights that allow you to refine your long-term strategies.

If you’d like to learn more about how to take your patient and customer engagement to the next level, all while remaining compliant with HIPAA regulations, contact us today!

email deliverability

LuxSci Achieves Best-in-Class Performance for Email Security

We’re pleased to share our latest designations and recognition for being “best-in-class” when it comes to email security, including from SecurityScorecard, SSL Labs and the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.

As you may know, our commitment to email security is unwavering, playing a central role in everything we do. Most of all, this commitment focuses on our customers – and ensuring PHI data is secure at all times. We do this via product innovation, best practices and staying ahead of the latest threats.

With that in mind, now’s a great time to highlight our company’s core values – which are anchored in security – to give you an idea of what it’s like to work with us. Together, they make up what we call the The LuxSci Way with a focus on the following:

  • Secure – We protect the security and privacy of our customers’ data and their systems by taking a security-first approach.
  • Responsible – We are focused on cybersecurity and ensure our software and systems are continually updated for the latest threats.
  • Smart – We proactively apply our knowledge and deep expertise in cybersecurity to provide efficient, responsive customer support.
  • Trust – We sustain partnerships with our customers, and we are committed to their long-term protection and success.

Read more to see the results!

98/100 on SecurityScorecard

LuxSci recently scored 98/100 and received an A rating on SecurityScorecard, a leading cybersecurity ratings firm. SecurityScorecard has ranked more than 21,000 unique vendors in the healthcare space with an average score of 88 and a B rating, placing LuxSci at the top end of the rankings in our industry.

SecurityScorecard ratings offer easy-to-read A-F ratings across a range of risk factors, including network, endpoint and application security, DNS health, and IP reputation. In total, SecurityScorecard has rated more than 11 million organizations worldwide and supports thousands of organizations with its rating technology for self-monitoring, third-party risk management, board reporting, and cyber insurance underwriting.

A+ on SSL Labs TLS Support Check

In related news, LuxSci achieved an overall A+ rating for its latest Qualys SSL Labs TLS support check. SSL Labs performs a deep analysis of the configuration of any SSL web server on the public Internet to better understand how SSL is deployed, scoring vendors across key areas, including certificate, protocol support, key exchange and cipher strength.

SSL Labs is a non-commercial research effort, welcoming participation from any individual and organization interested in SSL.

LuxSci A+ Security

LuxSci Receives Cybersecurity Excellence Award for Healthcare

Finally, LuxSci recently received a 2024 Cybersecurity Excellence Award for healthcare products. The annual awards recognize excellence, leadership, and innovation in cybersecurity across a range of categories and industries. LuxSci was recognized for its Secure Marketing product for HIPPA-compliant marketing, which features industry-leading email security.

Part of the LuxSci Secure Healthcare Engagement Suite of software, LuxSci Secure Marketing empowers healthcare providers, payers and suppliers to use protected health information (PHI) to create secure and personalized email campaigns that increase patient engagement and improve outcomes. The highly flexible LuxSci Secure Marketing solution can securely send millions of emails per month, featuring list management, automation, easy-to-use templates, detailed reporting & analytics, and API connectivity to easily integrate with data and applications.

If you’d like to learn more about LuxSci email security, and our HIPAA-compliant healthcare communications solutions for email, marketing, forms and text, reach out to us today and schedule a call with an expert.

HIPAA Compliant

Can a Website Be HIPAA Compliant?

A website can be HIPAA compliant when it incorporates security measures, privacy protections, and data handling practices that meet HIPAA regulatory requirements. Healthcare organizations must implement encryption, access controls, audit logging, and secure data storage for websites that collect, store, or transmit protected health information. A well configured HIPAA compliant website helps healthcare providers maintain patient privacy while offering online services.

HIPAA Website Requirements

Websites handling protected health information must meet the standards established in the HIPAA Security Rule. These requirements include encryption for data transmission using protocols like TLS 1.2 or higher. Access controls limit website data viewing to authorized personnel with appropriate login credentials. Audit logging tracks all user activities and data access attempts across the website. Session timeouts automatically log out inactive users to prevent unauthorized access. Regular security testing identifies and addresses potential vulnerabilities. These measures work together to protect patient information from unauthorized access or disclosure.

Website Hosting and Infrastructure

HIPAA compliant hosting provides the foundation for a secure healthcare website. When selecting a hosting provider, healthcare organizations look for companies willing to sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). This legal document establishes the hosting provider’s responsibilities for protecting health information. The physical location of servers matters, with many HIPAA compliant services using data centers with restricted access, environmental controls, and monitoring systems. Network protection typically includes firewalls, intrusion detection, and regular security updates. Organizations often choose dedicated hosting environments rather than shared servers to maintain data separation.

Patient Data Collection and Forms

Most healthcare websites collect information through online forms. HIPAA compliant websites include appropriate authorization language on these forms before gathering protected health information. Well-designed websites explain how patient data will be used in clear, accessible language. Form data requires protection both during transmission and after submission. Many websites use secure database connections and encryption for stored information. Healthcare organizations determine what information they actually need to collect, following the minimum necessary standard from HIPAA regulations. User-friendly form design can improve completion rates while maintaining compliance.

Secure Patient Portals and Interaction

Patient portals on HIPAA compliant websites allow secure access to medical records, appointment scheduling, and provider communications. These portals employ authentication measures like password requirements and account recovery processes. Many implement automatic timeout features that log out inactive users after a set period. Secure messaging features enable patient-provider communication without using standard email. The best patient portals maintain detailed logs of all system access and actions. Healthcare organizations integrate these portals with their electronic health record systems for data consistency and accuracy.

Mobile Responsiveness and App Integration

Modern HIPAA compliant websites function across various devices while maintaining security protections. Mobile responsive design allows patients to access information securely from smartphones and tablets. When healthcare organizations develop companion mobile apps, these applications need the same HIPAA compliance measures as their websites. Integration between websites and mobile applications requires secure API connections and consistent authentication methods. Many healthcare providers test their digital platforms across multiple devices to ensure both functionality and security. The mobile experience influences patient satisfaction with digital healthcare services.

Compliance Maintenance

Healthcare websites require regular updates and monitoring to maintain HIPAA compliance over time. Technology changes quickly, and security measures that worked previously may become outdated. Website administrators perform regular security scans and vulnerability testing. Organizations document these maintenance activities as evidence of compliance efforts. Staff training helps ensure everyone handling website data understands privacy requirements. As regulations evolve, websites need corresponding updates to privacy notices and security features. Many healthcare organizations work with compliance consultants who specialize in digital healthcare requirements.