Improve the Patient Experience with Personalized Patient Engagement

HIPAA Email Marketing, Patient Engagement, Popular Posts
LuxSci
November 7, 2023

Patient expectations of healthcare providers have dramatically changed in the last decade. The introduction of technology and the widespread adoption of digital communications in other industries have increased the pressure on healthcare providers to provide a comparable experience.

The 2023 Healthcare Consumer Perspectives on Digital Engagement and AI report conducted by Dynata Research found that more patients are adopting digital tools to manage their health and want their providers to provide a consistent experience across all channels. To improve the patient experience, a personalized patient engagement strategy is necessary.

Personalized Patient Engagement Improves the Patient Experience

Healthcare organizations manage so much data that can be used to improve the patient experience. As audience segmentation and personalization techniques have become more common in other industries like e-commerce and personal care, consumers are starting to expect the same experiences from their healthcare providers.

For example, media streaming services make personalized recommendations for new shows based on what you have previously watched. People like these features because it helps them discover new content they may not know about. Likewise, patients are beginning to expect a similar personalized patient engagement experience from their healthcare provider. Suppose a patient wants to control their diabetes diagnosis and communicates with their provider about this at an appointment. Afterward, when they log into the patient portal or receive follow-up information, they expect to receive relevant information that aligns with that provider’s conversation.

Proactive, personalized patient engagement can also drive patients to make the right choices in managing their health. By sending patients the correct information at the right time in the context of their individual health journey, it is easier for them to manage their own health.

Shifting Preferences for Digital Tools Enable Personalized Patient Engagement

As more people are open to incorporating digital tools into their healthcare journeys, it has revealed new patient engagement opportunities. Several reasons led healthcare organizations to embrace digital tools. The coronavirus pandemic kicked off a necessary wave of digital transformation because of the rapid transmission of the disease through close contact. The desire to use these tools has remained strong even after institutions largely reopened in 2021. Patients have also shown no desire to go back to the way things used to be. Digital channels and tools like patient portals, email, medical devices, and mobile applications all make it easier for patients to manage their health on the go.

As patient preferences have shifted to embrace digital channels and technologies, organizations that can implement digital-first personalized patient engagement strategies intelligently are more likely to have satisfied and healthier patients. However, healthcare organizations must strive to provide a consistent experience across both in-person and digital avenues. According to the survey, the number one reason consumers would consider changing their healthcare provider is “complex or confusing experiences.” Poorly implemented and executed patient engagement can negatively impact the patient experience and retention, so it’s essential to be thoughtful in your approach.

How to Personalize the Patient Experience

Traditionally, HIPAA compliance requirements have made it difficult for healthcare providers to utilize protected health information (PHI) in personalized patient engagement efforts. Using PHI in communications is vital to craft messaging relevant to the patient’s health journey. However, when transmitting and storing PHI, HIPAA regulations must be followed to protect patient privacy.

The first step to executing personalized patient engagement involves selecting the right tools. Many traditional digital engagement tools are not designed to meet these stringent encryption and security requirements. By selecting tools that meet HIPAA’s technical requirements (like LuxSci’s Secure Marketing and Secure High Volume Email) and properly training employees, healthcare teams can employ the same segmentation and personalization techniques to reach patients with relevant and consistent communications.

Conclusion

Personalizing patient engagement is one way to improve patient marketing and retention. Contact us today to learn more about improving the patient experience with secure email communications.

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LuxSci Earns 19 G2 Spring 2026 Badges

March 23, 2026
Pete Wermter

LuxSci continues its strong performance in the G2 Spring 2026 Reports, earning 19 badges that reflect real customer satisfaction and consistent product excellence across multiple areas, including email encryption, HIPAA compliant messaging, email security and email gateways.

G2: A Highly Reputable Peer Review Platformn

In a crowded software landscape, it’s easy for bold claims to blur together. That’s where G2 stands apart. Its rankings are based entirely on verified user feedback, giving buyers a clearer picture of how solutions actually perform in day-to-day use, not just how they’re marketed.

For Spring 2026, LuxSci earned recognition across multiple categories, including Leader, Best Customer Support, and Best ROI. Together, these awards show that LuxSci delivers leading technology and a best-in-class customer experience.

What the Badges Represent

Each G2 badge reflects direct input from customers using LuxSci in real-world environments. These evaluations cover usability, onboarding, support responsiveness, and long-term value. LuxSci’s Spring 2026 badges span leadership, customer satisfaction, ROI, and ease of implementation, demonstrating consistent strength across the full customer lifecycle.

Leader Badge: Market Leadership Validated

The Leader badge is awarded to companies with high customer satisfaction and strong market presence. LuxSci’s placement reflects reliable performance, strong security, and continued trust from organizations operating in highly regulated environments like healthcare.

Best Customer Support: A Standout Strength

In secure healthcare communications, timely and accurate support is essential. Issues must be resolved quickly to avoid operational or compliance risks. Customers consistently highlight LuxSci’s fast response times, deep expertise, and a hands-on approach, showing that our technology and our people deliver meaningful, real-world solutions.

Best ROI: Proven Business Value

ROI includes reduced compliance risk, improved efficiency, and scalable operations, not just cost. Customers report measurable benefits from LuxSci’s reliability, built-in compliance, and streamlined workflows, leading to strong long-term value and a solution that keeps you ahead of security and compliance risks.

What This Means for LuxSci Customers

These awards show LuxSci’s ability to serve organizations of varying sizes, from mid-market to enterprise. All reviews are from verified users, ensuring authenticity and transparency. Customers consistently mention reliability, security, and responsive support, along with overall peace of mind. The recognitions validate LuxSci’s ability to deliver secure, dependable communication solutions backed by strong support, including HIPAA compliant email, marketing and forms.

LuxSci’s 10 G2 Spring 2026 badges—including Leader, Best Customer Support, and Best ROI—demonstrate consistent excellence across performance, usability, and customer satisfaction. These results reinforce its position as a trusted provider in secure communications.

Traditional MFA No Longer Qualifies as “Reasonable” Security

March 17, 2026
Pete Wermter

For years, multi-factor authentication (MFA) was considered one of the most effective ways to protect sensitive systems. By requiring a second verification step, such as a text message code or push notification, organizations could significantly reduce the risk of compromised passwords.

But the threat landscape has changed.

Today, attackers routinely bypass traditional MFA using techniques such as MFA evasion, token replay attacks, and consent phishing. These methods are no longer rare or highly sophisticated. They are widely used, automated, and increasingly effective.

As a result, regulators, auditors, and security frameworks are raising expectations for authentication security. For healthcare organizations in particular, traditional MFA alone may no longer satisfy the HIPAA requirement to implement “reasonable and appropriate safeguards.”

In the near future, email systems that rely only on basic MFA, without conditional access or phishing-resistant authentication, may increasingly be viewed as security gaps during risk assessments.

Why Traditional MFA Is No Longer Enough

Traditional MFA still improves security compared to passwords alone. However, many common MFA methods were designed before today’s phishing techniques and cloud authentication attacks became widespread.

Common MFA methods include:

SMS verification codes
Email-based authentication codes
Push notifications to mobile apps

While these mechanisms add friction for attackers, they can still be intercepted or manipulated during sophisticated phishing attacks. Because modern attackers now target authentication workflows directly, organizations relying solely on traditional MFA may be more vulnerable than they realize.

How Attackers Bypass MFA Today

Cybercriminals increasingly rely on tools that capture credentials and authentication tokens during login sessions. Three attack techniques are now especially common.

MFA Evasion and Phishing Proxies – Attackers frequently deploy adversary-in-the-middle phishing kits that sit between the user and the real login service. When users enter their credentials and MFA code on a phishing page, the attacker forwards the information to the legitimate site and captures the authentication session. The user successfully logs in—but the attacker gains access as well. If attackers capture those tokens, they can reuse them to access the account directly.
Token Replay Attacks – After successful authentication, systems typically issue session tokens that allow users to remain logged in without repeated MFA prompts. This technique has been widely observed in attacks targeting cloud email platforms such as Microsoft 365, allowing attackers to access email data even when MFA is enabled.
Consent Phishing – Consent phishing bypasses MFA entirely. Instead of stealing passwords, attackers trick users into granting permissions to malicious applications that request access to their mailbox or files. If users approve the request, the attacker’s application receives persistent access to the account through APIs—often without triggering security alerts.

Why Email Authentication Matters Most in Healthcare

Email remains one of the most critical systems in healthcare organizations. It supports patient communication, internal collaboration, and the exchange of sensitive information. Unfortunately, it is also the most frequently targeted entry point for cyberattacks.

Once attackers gain access to an email account, they can:

Impersonate healthcare staff
Launch internal phishing attacks
Access sensitive patient communications
Extract protected health information (PHI)

Because of this, email authentication controls are becoming a major focus for security teams and compliance auditors alike.

Evolving Regulatory Expectations

HIPAA does not prescribe specific technologies, but it requires organizations to implement safeguards that are “reasonable and appropriate” based on risk. As new attack methods emerge, the definition of reasonable security evolves.

Today, many security frameworks and regulatory bodies are emphasizing stronger identity protections, including:

Phishing-resistant authentication
Conditional access policies
Monitoring for suspicious login behavior
Controls for third-party application permissions

Organizations that rely solely on basic MFA may increasingly struggle to demonstrate that their authentication protections are sufficient.

The Shift Toward Phishing-Resistant Authentication

To address the weaknesses of traditional MFA, many organizations are adopting phishing-resistant authentication technologies, which can be enabled with tools like Duo and Okta. These solutions rely on cryptographic authentication tied to trusted devices, which prevents attackers from capturing or replaying login credentials.

Examples include:

Hardware security keys
Passkeys
Certificate-based authentication

Because authentication is tied to both the device and the legitimate website domain, these technologies significantly reduce the success rate of phishing attacks.

Why Conditional Access Is Becoming Essential

Conditional access adds another layer of protection by evaluating context and risk before granting access. Instead of treating every login the same, conditional access policies analyze signals such as:

Device security status
Geographic location
Network reputation
User behavior patterns

If something appears unusual, such as a login from a new country, the system can require stronger authentication or block the attempt altogether. This risk-based approach to authentication helps prevent many account compromise scenarios.

The Future of HIPAA Risk Assessments

As authentication threats evolve, healthcare security assessments are increasingly focusing on identity protection maturity. Organizations may begin seeing findings related to:

Weak or outdated MFA methods
Lack of conditional access policies
Insufficient monitoring of login activity
Unrestricted third-party application permissions

In particular, email systems without advanced authentication protections may be flagged as high-risk vulnerabilities, especially when PHI is accessible.

LuxSci’s Modern Approach to MFA

Modern threats require more than a simple second login factor. LuxSci approaches authentication security with layered identity protection designed specifically for healthcare environments.

Instead of relying solely on basic MFA methods like SMS codes or email verification, LuxSci supports stronger authentication controls and policies that align with evolving security expectations. These protections can include:

Strong multi-factor authentication options
Monitoring for unusual login behavior
Enhanced identity verification mechanisms

By combining multiple security layers within its HIPAA-compliant secure communications email and marketing solutions, LuxSci helps healthcare organizations protect sensitive email communications while maintaining usability for providers, health plan administrators, payment providers, and patient engagement teams.

Conclusion

Multi-factor authentication remains an important security control—but not all MFA is created equal. Attack techniques such as phishing proxies, token replay, and consent phishing have demonstrated that traditional MFA methods can be bypassed. As a result, regulators and auditors are increasingly expecting stronger identity protections.

For healthcare organizations that rely heavily on email communications, the implications are significant. Weak authentication controls can expose sensitive patient data and may soon appear as high-risk findings during HIPAA risk assessments. The organizations best positioned for the future will be those that modernize authentication strategies now, moving toward phishing-resistant methods, conditional access policies, and layered identity protection.

Reach out to LuxSci today to learn how HIPAA compliant email can support both your organization’s engagement and cybersecurity needs.

FAQs

1. What is traditional MFA?

Traditional MFA refers to authentication methods that require a second verification step, typically SMS codes, email codes, or push notifications.

2. Why can attackers bypass MFA today?

Modern phishing tools can intercept authentication sessions or steal login tokens, allowing attackers to access accounts even when MFA is enabled.

3. What is phishing-resistant authentication?

Phishing-resistant authentication uses cryptographic methods tied to trusted devices, preventing attackers from capturing login credentials.

4. Why is email security especially important for healthcare organizations?

Email systems often contain patient communications and sensitive information, making them a common target for cyberattacks.

5. How can organizations improve authentication security?

Organizations can strengthen identity security by adopting phishing-resistant authentication methods, implementing conditional access policies, and monitoring login activity.

Encryption Optional Email Will Fail Audits in 2026 and Beyond

February 24, 2026
Pete Wermter

For years, healthcare organizations have relied on click-to-encrypt email workflows and secure portals as a practical compromise between usability and compliance. Or in some cases, they simply thought most of their emails did not need to be compliant. In regulated industries where data security and privacy are paramount, this approach was still considered “good enough.”

That era is ending.

As we progress into 2026 and beyond, regulators, auditors, and cyber insurers are sending a clear and consistent message: encryption that depends on human choice is no longer acceptable. It’s already happening. Encryption optional email isn’t merely raising concerns, it’s failing audits outright.

An Email Threat Landscape That’s Changing Faster Than Email Habits

Historically, email encryption was treated as a best practice rather than a hard requirement. If an organization could demonstrate that encryption tools existed and that employees had access to them, auditors were often satisfied. The box was checked, everybody moved on.

Today, the questions auditors ask are fundamentally different. Instead of asking whether encryption is available, they are asking whether sensitive data can ever leave the organization unencrypted. If the answer is yes, even in rare cases, or even accidentally, that’s no longer viewed as an acceptable gap. It’s viewed as inadequate control.

Why 2026 Is a Tipping Point for Email Security

Several forces are converging here in 2026 that make optional encryption increasingly untenable. Regulatory scrutiny around PHI and PII exposure continues to intensify. Breach costs and litigation are rising, with email remaining one of the most common vectors for data exposure and breaches. AI is also changing the game for cybercriminals, and attacks will continue to increase and be more sophisticated. As a result, cyber insurers are tightening underwriting requirements and demanding stronger, more predictable controls.

At the same time, email user behavior is unpredictable and inconsistent, which is a non-starter for data security in today’s world.

Taken together, these trends and behaviors point to a single requirement: email security controls must be automated. They must be enforced by systems, not dependent on employee memory, judgment, or good intentions.

The Reality of “Encryption Optional” in Practice

On paper, optional encryption can sound reasonable. In practice, it creates gaps large enough to open you up to a breach.

Secure portals are a good example. They require recipients to click a link, authenticate, and access content in a controlled environment. While this protects data in transit, and is a better approach than no security at all, it also introduces friction. And people don’t like friction. Senders forget to use the portal. Recipients ask for “just a quick email instead.” Shortcuts are taken to save time. And every shortcut becomes a risk.

Click-to-encrypt systems suffer from a similar problem. They rely on users to correctly identify sensitive data and remember to take action. But people often misclassify information, forget to click the button, or assume someone else has already secured the message. From an auditor’s perspective, this isn’t a training failure. It’s a set-up and control failure.

Email Security Defaults Are the New Normal

The latest message from regulators, auditors, and insurers is clear. If encryption is optional, data vulnerabilities become inevitable.

What can you do?

Below is a quick email security checklist to help you get started. Cyber insurers may require or recommend the following safeguards during the underwriting process, such as:

Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Endpoint protection
Encrypted backups
Incident response planning
Encryption protocols for sensitive data in transit and at rest, including PHI in emails

In 2026 and beyond, healthcare organizations and regulated industries will be judged not by what they allow, but by what they prevent. Automated, encrypted email is the new. normal.

Want to learn more about LuxSci HIPAA compliant email? Reach out today.

LuxSci and Oiva Health Combine to Form Transatlantic Healthcare Communications Group

February 12, 2026
Pete Wermter

Boston & Helsinki, February 12, 2026 – LuxSci, a provider of secure healthcare communications solutions in the United States, and Oiva Health, a Nordic provider of Digital Care solutions in social and healthcare services, today announced that the companies are joining forces. Backed by Main Capital Partners (“Main”), the combination brings together two complementary platforms and teams, forming a strong transatlantic software group focused on secure healthcare communications.

Founded in 1999, LuxSci is a U.S. provider of HIPAA‑compliant, secure email, marketing, and forms solutions. Its application and infrastructure software enable organizations to securely deliver personalized, sensitive data at scale to support a broad range of healthcare communications and workflows including care coordination, benefits and payments, marketing, wellness communications, after care and ongoing care. Certified by HITRUST for the highest levels of data security, LuxSci serves dozens of healthcare enterprises and hundreds of mid‑market organizations.

Founded in 2010, Oiva Health is a provider of digital care and communications solutions in the Nordics. Headquartered in Finland, with additional offices in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Oiva Health offers digital care and digital clinic solutions – including digital visits, secure messaging, online scheduling and appointments, and caregiver communications – serving the long-term care, especially elderly care, and occupational healthcare verticals. The company employs approximately 60 people and has recently expanded across the Nordic region, with a growing presence in Norway and Sweden.

The combination of LuxSci and Oiva Health creates a larger, cross Atlantic group with complementary solutions, serving the U.S. and European markets. Together, the companies offer healthcare providers, payers, and suppliers a comprehensive suite of tools to communicate securely and compliantly, spanning communications, workflows, and virtual care delivery.

Daan Visscher, Partner and Co-Head North America at Main, commented: “We are pleased to announce this cross Atlantic transaction, creating an internationally active secure communications player within the healthcare and home care space. The combined product suite enables healthcare organizations to drive much needed efficiency gains in healthcare provision addressing a global trend of rising costs, aging population, and increasing pressure on resources needed to provide high-quality care.”

Mark Leonard, CEO of LuxSci, said, “We are thrilled to join forces with Oiva Health and believe that together we can truly make a difference in healthcare coordination, access, and delivery. We see an exciting path forward with our customers benefiting from an end-to-end, secure and compliant approach to optimizing both healthcare communications and today’s frontline workers, which we need now more than ever.”

Juhana Ojala, CEO at Oiva Health, concluded, “We look forward to this new chapter together with LuxSci. We are very excited about the strong alignment between our solutions, which especially strongly positions us to expand our flagship Digital Care offering to the high-potential U.S. care market – from care coordination to care delivery to in-home and institutional care.”

Nothing contained in this Press Release is intended to project, predict, guarantee, or forecast the future performance of any investment. This Press Release is for information purposes only and is not investment advice or an offer to buy or sell any securities or to invest in any funds or other investment vehicles managed by Main Capital Partners or any other person.

[END OF MESSAGE]

About LuxSci

LuxSci is a U.S.-based provider of secure healthcare communications solutions for the healthcare industry. The company offers secure email, marketing, forms and hosting, delivering HIPAA‑compliant communication solutions that enable organizations to safely manage and transmit sensitive data. Founded in 1999, LuxSci serves more than 1,900 customers across healthcare verticals, including providers, payers, suppliers, and healthcare retail, home care providers, and healthcare systems, as well as organizations operating in other highly regulated industries. LuxSci is HITRUST‑certified with example clients being Athenahealth, 1800 Contacts, Lucerna Health, Eurofins, and Rotech Healthcare, among others.

About Oiva Health

Oiva Health is a Digital Care provider in the Nordics, offering a comprehensive Digital Platform for integrated health and care services to digitalize primary healthcare, social care, hospital healthcare and long-term care services. The company was founded in 2010 and currently employs approximately 60 people in Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden serving domestic municipalities, customers and partners, such as City of Helsinki, Keski-Suomi Welfare Region, Länsi-Uusimaa Welfare Region in Finland, and Viborg municipality in Denmark with its Digital Care platform. Annually over 5 million customer contacts are handled digitally through Oiva Health’s Digital Care and Digital Clinic platforms.

About Main Capital Partners

Main Capital Partners is a software investor managing private equity funds active in the Benelux, DACH, the Nordics, France, and the United States with approximately EUR 7 billion in assets under management. Main has over 20 years of experience in strengthening software companies and works closely with the management teams across its portfolio as a strategic partner to achieve profitable growth and create larger outstanding software groups. Main has approximately 95 employees operating out of its offices in The Hague, Düsseldorf, Stockholm, Antwerp, Paris, and an affiliate office in Boston. Main maintains an active portfolio of over 50 software companies. The underlying portfolio employs approximately 15,000 employees. Through its Main Social Institute, Main supports students with grants and scholarships to study IT and Computer Science at Technical Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences.

The sender of this press release is Main Capital Partners.

For more information, please contact:

Main Capital Partners
Sophia Hengelbrok (PR & Communications Specialist)

sophia.hengelbrok@main.nl

+ 31 6 53 70 76 86

What Are HIPAA Compliant Hosting Requirements?

June 2, 2025
Erik Kangas

HIPAA compliant hosting requirements include administrative policies for workforce training and access management, physical controls for data center security and equipment protection, and information protections for data encryption, access controls, and audit logging. Healthcare organizations using hosting services must ensure providers implement appropriate business associate agreements, security measures, and compliance documentation that meet Privacy and Security Rule obligations for protecting electronic PHI. Healthcare organizations increasingly rely on cloud hosting and managed services to support their operations while reducing internal IT infrastructure costs. Outsourcing hosting responsibilities does not eliminate HIPAA compliant hosting requirements, requiring careful vendor selection and ongoing oversight.

Administrative Protection Standards

Workforce training requirements mandate that hosting providers educate their personnel about HIPAA obligations and PHI handling procedures. All staff with potential access to healthcare client data must understand privacy requirements and security protocols before gaining system access. Access management procedures ensure that hosting provider personnel receive appropriate permissions based on their job responsibilities and healthcare client needs. Role-based access controls limit employee exposure to PHI while enabling necessary system administration and support activities. Security officer designation requires hosting providers to appoint qualified individuals responsible for developing and implementing security policies that protect healthcare client data. Officers must have appropriate authority and expertise to ensure comprehensive compliance across hosting operations.

Infrastructure & HIPAA Compliant Hosting Requirements

Data center security controls must protect servers and network equipment from unauthorized physical access through multiple layers of security including perimeter controls, biometric access systems, and surveillance monitoring. These protections help prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing systems containing PHI. Equipment disposal procedures ensure that storage devices and servers containing healthcare client data receive appropriate destruction when they reach end of life. Hosting providers must implement certified data destruction methods that prevent PHI recovery from disposed equipment. Environmental protections including fire suppression, climate control, and power management help ensure that healthcare client data remains available and protected from physical threats. Systems of this nature support business continuity while maintaining data integrity and accessibility.

Control Measures for HIPAA Compliant Hosting Requirements

User authentication systems verify the identity of individuals accessing hosting infrastructure before granting permissions to view or modify healthcare client data. Multi-factor authentication provides additional security layers for privileged access to systems containing PHI. Unique user identification ensures that hosting provider activities can be traced to specific individuals through comprehensive account management and monitoring systems. These controls support accountability and enable investigation of potential security incidents involving healthcare client data. Emergency access procedures provide alternative authentication methods when normal access controls might delay urgent system maintenance or security response activities. These procedures must include enhanced monitoring and documentation requirements to maintain security while enabling necessary operations.

Audit Controls and Activity Monitoring

Comprehensive logging systems capture detailed records of all activities affecting healthcare client data including user access, system modifications, and data transfers. These logs must be protected from unauthorized modification and preserved for appropriate periods to support compliance demonstrations. Regular log analysis helps hosting providers identify unusual activity patterns that might indicate security threats or compliance violations. Automated monitoring tools can detect suspicious behavior and alert security personnel to potential incidents requiring investigation. Audit trail preservation ensures that activity records remain available for compliance reviews and incident investigations throughout required retention periods. Hosting providers must maintain secure log storage while providing healthcare clients with access to relevant audit information.

Data Integrity and Transmission Security

Encryption implementation protects healthcare client data during storage and transmission through approved cryptographic methods and key management practices. Hosting providers must maintain current encryption standards while ensuring that decryption capabilities remain available for legitimate access needs. Data validation procedures verify that healthcare client information maintains accuracy and completeness throughout processing and storage activities. These procedures help detect unauthorized modifications or corruption that could compromise data integrity or patient care. Backup and recovery systems maintain additional copies of healthcare client data while preserving security protections and access controls. Frequent testing ensures that backup systems function properly and can restore data without compromising compliance requirements.

Network Security and Communication Controls

Firewall configuration creates secure network boundaries that control traffic between healthcare client systems and external networks. These controls help prevent unauthorized access while enabling necessary communication for healthcare operations and patient care. Intrusion detection systems monitor network traffic for potential security threats and unauthorized access attempts involving healthcare client data. Automated alerting helps hosting providers respond quickly to potential incidents while maintaining comprehensive security coverage. Secure communication channels protect data transmission between healthcare clients and hosting infrastructure through encrypted connections and authenticated access methods. These channels help ensure that PHI remains protected during transfer and remote access activities.

Business Associate Agreement Obligations

Contractual requirements establish hosting provider responsibilities for PHI protection including specific security measures, incident response procedures, and compliance monitoring activities. These agreements must address all applicable HIPAA compliant hosting requirements while defining clear performance expectations. Liability allocation between healthcare organizations and hosting providers depends on their respective roles in PHI protection and which party controls different aspects of data security. Clear contractual provisions help define responsibility for various compliance obligations and potential violations. Termination procedures address how healthcare client data is handled when hosting relationships end including data return, destruction, or transfer requirements.

Compliance Monitoring and Vendor Oversight

Risk assessment procedures help healthcare organizations evaluate hosting provider security practices and identify potential vulnerabilities that could compromise PHI protection. These assessments should be conducted regularly and documented to demonstrate due diligence in vendor oversight. Performance monitoring tracks hosting provider compliance with contractual obligations and HIPAA requirements through security audits, incident reviews, and service level assessments. Healthcare organizations must maintain ongoing oversight rather than relying solely on initial vendor evaluations. Documentation requirements ensure that hosting providers maintain records demonstrating their compliance efforts including policies, training materials, audit results, and incident reports. Well kept records support healthcare client compliance demonstrations and regulatory reviews when requested.

HIPAA-Compliant Email Marketing FAQs

October 24, 2024
LuxSci

Email is an essential channel for most healthcare marketers, but HIPAA compliance requirements can make it challenging to execute effective engagement campaigns without violating patient privacy.

HIPAA is a complicated set of regulations that while offering a lot of guidance, does not mandate the use of any specific technologies to protect patient privacy. This ambiguity causes a lot of confusion for marketers looking to integrate email into their healthcare engagement campaigns.

With this in mind, this article addresses some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about HIPAA-compliant email marketing and offers advice for securing patient data and future-proofing your marketing.

Frequently asked HIPAA compliant email marketing questions

Do Generic Newsletters Need To Be Protected?

What Is An Email API?

Does HIPAA Allow Healthcare Providers To Send Unencrypted Emails With PHI To Patients?

Can Patients Exercise Their Right Of Access By Receiving PHI via Unencrypted Email?

Is Microsoft 365 Sufficient For Marketing Emails?

What Are Common Email Marketing Use Cases For Healthcare?

How Do I Find a HIPPA-Compliant Email Marketing Vendor?

Do generic newsletters need to be protected?

Some marketers assume newsletters from a healthcare provider or supplier do not contain health information and, therefore, do not fall under HIPAA requirements. This assumption, however, is often incorrect, with many surprised to learn that protected health information (PHI) can be implied from seemingly innocuous information.

As a result, many generic email newsletters often indirectly contain PHI due to the very fact that they are sent to lists of current patients or customers. This is because email addresses count as individually identifiable data and when combined with the message therein, it’s pretty simple to infer that they are patients or customers.

Let’s say, for example, that you send a newsletter to the patients of a dialysis clinic. An eavesdropper could infer that the recipients receive dialysis. Consequently, as the email reveals information about an individual’s health treatment, it contains PHI and should be secured in compliance with HIPAA regulations.

For the fundamental reason that it can be difficult to determine what classifies as PHI, it’s safer to skip the ambiguity entirely and use a HIPAA-compliant email marketing solution to ensure security.

What is an email API?

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a collection of protocols, or rules, that enable different applications to communicate with each other. APIs are a crucial aspect of modern applications – as they spare developers the considerable effort of creating application features from scratch – they can just connect to the API of an existing application.

For example, how many websites have you used that utilize Google Maps? This is because they have connected their site to the Google Maps API – integrating it into their application and providing another feature for their users.

In the case of an email API, it is a way for applications, such as customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, customer data platforms (CDP) and electronic health record (EHR) systems, to connect to email service providers. This then allows marketers to send emails through the application, using the ePHI (electronic protected health information) collected and stored within the application.

Additionally, marketers can view and further utilize campaign data through the powerful dashboards and analysis tools found in CRM systems and similar applications. Trigger-based transactional or marketing emails are ideal for sending with an email API, whereby emails are sent when pre-determined conditions in the application are met. Healthcare organizations may use email APIs to send appointment reminders using electronic health records system data about a patient’s upcoming appointments, check ups or treatments.

As invaluable as email APIs are, however, especially for streamlining and automation communication workflows, they are no substitute for a comprehensive email marketing platform. Email APIs do not include the contact management systems standard in most email marketing platforms, as all the data resides within the application they connect to. Additionally, email API tools do not typically include drag-and-drop editor tools and other design features that enable you to make your emails stand out and boost patient engagement.

Does HIPAA allow healthcare providers and companies to send unencrypted emails with PHI to patients?

Encryption is an addressable standard, i.e., it must be implemented by the organization unless a risk analysis concludes that implementation is not reasonable and appropriate, under the HIPAA Security Rule. This does not mean it is optional. The HIPAA Security Rule does not explicitly forbid unencrypted email. Still, it does state that “other safeguards should be applied to protect privacy reasonably, such as limiting the amount or type of information disclosed through the unencrypted email.”

In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services also states that “covered entities are permitted to send individuals unencrypted emails if they have advised the individual of the risk, and the individual still prefers the unencrypted email.” in response to this, some organizations use waivers to inform patients of the risks and acquire permission to send unencrypted emails.

However, we do not recommend this approach for several reasons:

Keeping track of waivers over time and recording status changes and updates is challenging – and increases your administrative overhead.
Signed waivers do not insulate you from the consequences of a HIPAA breach.
Using waivers to send unencrypted emails doesn’t absolve you of your other HIPAA obligations, such as data retention and disposal. Subsequently, using a HIPAA-compliant email solution is more manageable and eliminates ambiguity.

Can patients exercise their right of access of receiving PHI voa unencrypted email?

Yes, but they must be fully informed of the risks and sign waivers acknowledging them; the caveats detailed in the above answer apply. Consequently, it’s always best to use an encryption tool to protect patient data.

Is Microsoft 365 with encryption sufficient for sending marketing emails?

Microsoft 365 can be configured with Office Message Encryption (OME) to comply with HIPAA. However, it is not well-suited for sending marketing emails. OME primarily relies on portal pickup encryption, in which the message is stored securely on a server and requires the recipient to log in to the portal to read the email. As a result, the portal adds friction to the marketing process that prevents optimal engagement and constrains ROI.

Marketing messages containing light-PHI, i.e. low-risk data, are best sent using Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption. TLS-encrypted messages arrive in the recipient’s inbox just like a regular email and do not require them to complete an additional step.

Additionally, Microsoft 365 is not configured to send high volumes of email. If you plan on executing large scale marketing campaigns, you could unintentionally disrupt regular business communications by sending all the messages through the same infrastructure. Instead, you should separate your business and marketing email delivery activities to protect your IP reputation, i.e., the trustworthiness of your IP addresses and how likely it is your emails end up in a spam folder, and achieve your desired sending throughput.

What are the common email marketing use cases for healthcare?

Email marketing in healthcare is not restricted to boring general practice newsletters and other communications that fail to engage patients. When you successfully harness tools that enable you to use ePHI to better target and personalize your healthcare engagement campaigns – the sky is the limit. With consumer preferences shifting toward digital communications, marketers who know how to best utilize HIPAA-compliant email marketing – and tactics like segmentation and personalization – will prove more effective at reaching patients.

Examples of ways that healthcare marketers can use email include:

Lead generation campaigns
Promotions
Verifications
Order confirmations
Notifications
Upsell & cross-sell
Collecting data on the patient experience

How do I find a HIPAA-compliant email vendor?

Using popular email marketing platforms, such as Mailchimp, is not recommended. Many of these platforms were designed for businesses, but are simply not secure enough to meet HIPAA requirements. We do not recommend using a solution not specifically equipped to meet the healthcare industry’s unique security and compliance needs. To determine if your email marketing provider is compliant, they must meet three broad criteria at a minimum.

The vendor must sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) outlining how they plan to secure your data and what they will do in the event of a breach.
Encrypt data at rest when it is stored in their systems.
Encrypt data, i.e., email messages, in transit as sent to the recipients.

Not all vendors will be up to the task. Carefully vet your email marketing vendors to ensure they are taking steps to secure data and protect patient privacy.

Conclusion

Admittedly, HIPAA can be difficult to understand – but choosing the right tools and adequately vetting your vendors makes it far easier to successfully execute HIPAA-compliant email marketing campaigns.

As the most experienced HIPAA-compliant email provider, LuxSci specializes in providing secure and scalable communications for companies aiming to send hundreds of thousands – or millions – of emails. In light of this, we place security, compliance and personalization considerations front and center when building our solutions.

Interested in discovering how LuxSci’s secure healthcare communications solutions can transform your healthcare marketing and engagement efforts?

What Are HIPAA Email Rules?

April 12, 2025
Erik Kangas

HIPAA email rules are regulatory standards established by the Department of Health and Human Services that govern how healthcare organizations handle protected health information through electronic messaging systems. These rules include privacy standards for PHI disclosure, security standards for electronic data protection, and breach notification standards for incident reporting when email communications involve unauthorized access or disclosure. Healthcare providers often struggle to understand which specific HIPAA email rules apply to their email communications and how to implement compliance measures effectively. Clear understanding of regulatory requirements helps organizations develop appropriate policies while avoiding costly violations and maintaining patient trust.

Privacy Standards for Email Communications

Use and disclosure limitations restrict how healthcare organizations can share PHI through email without patient authorization. These standards permit email communications for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations while requiring authorization for marketing, research, and other purposes. Individual control provisions give patients rights to restrict email disclosures, access email records about themselves, and request corrections to inaccurate information shared electronically. Healthcare organizations must provide clear procedures for patients to exercise these rights. Minimum necessary standards require healthcare organizations to limit email disclosures to only the PHI needed for the intended purpose. Complete medical records should not be shared via email unless the entire record is necessary for the specific communication.

Security Standards for Electronic Information Systems

Access control requirements mandate that healthcare organizations implement procedures to verify user identity before allowing access to email systems containing PHI. These procedures must include unique user identification, emergency access procedures, and automatic logoff capabilities. Audit control standards require healthcare organizations to implement hardware, software, and procedural mechanisms that record and examine access to email systems containing PHI. These controls must capture user identification, access attempts, and system activities. Integrity protections ensure that PHI transmitted through email is not improperly altered or destroyed. Healthcare organizations must implement measures to detect unauthorized changes to email content and maintain data accuracy throughout transmission and storage.

Transmission Security Requirements

Encryption implementation helps protect PHI during email transmission between healthcare organizations and external recipients. While not explicitly required, encryption serves as a reasonable protection when risk assessments indicate potential vulnerabilities in email communications. Network 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 email communications containing PHI. End-to-end protection measures ensure that PHI remains secure throughout the entire email communication process from sender to recipient. Healthcare organizations must evaluate their email systems to ensure adequate protection during all phases of message handling.

HIPAA Email Rules & Breach Notification Standards

Incident assessment rules require healthcare organizations to evaluate email security incidents within 60 days to determine whether they constitute breaches requiring notification. These assessments must consider the nature of PHI involved, unauthorized recipients, and actual or potential harm. Patient notification requirements mandate that healthcare organizations inform affected individuals about email breaches within 60 days of discovery. Notifications must include specific details about the breach, types of information involved, and recommendations for protective actions. Media notification obligations apply when email breaches affect 500 or more individuals in the same state or jurisdiction. Healthcare organizations must provide press releases or other media notifications to warn the public about significant breaches.

Administrative Requirements for Compliance Programs

Policy development standards require healthcare organizations to create written procedures governing email usage, PHI protection, and incident response. These policies must address all applicable HIPAA email rules and provide clear guidance for workforce members. Training obligations mandate that healthcare organizations educate workforce members about HIPAA email rules and their responsibilities for PHI protection. Training must be provided to all personnel with access to email systems and updated regularly to address new requirements.

Officer designation requirements mandate that healthcare organizations appoint privacy and security officers responsible for developing and implementing email compliance programs. These individuals must have appropriate authority and expertise to ensure regulatory compliance.

Business Associate Requirements

Contract obligations require healthcare organizations to execute business associate agreements with email service providers that access PHI. These agreements must include specific provisions about PHI protection, breach notification, and compliance monitoring.Oversight responsibilities require healthcare organizations to monitor business associate compliance with HIPAA email rules through audits, security assessments, and performance reviews. Organizations cannot rely solely on contracts without verifying actual compliance. Liability allocation between healthcare organizations and business associates depends on their respective roles in PHI protection and which party controls specific aspects of email security. Clear contractual provisions help define responsibility for different compliance obligations.

Enforcement and Penalty Provisions

Investigation procedures allow the Office for Civil Rights to review healthcare organization email practices and system configurations during compliance reviews. These investigations can include on-site visits, document reviews, and interviews with personnel. Penalty structure establishes monetary sanctions for violations of HIPAA email rules, based on factors like culpability level, violation severity, and organizational size. Penalties range from thousands to millions of dollars depending on these factors and previous compliance history. Corrective action authority allows OCR to require specific changes to email policies, training programs, or system configurations to address identified deficiencies. These requirements often include ongoing monitoring and reporting obligations.

Implementation Guidance and Best Practices

Risk assessment procedures help healthcare organizations evaluate their email systems and identify potential vulnerabilities requiring additional protections. These assessments should consider technology capabilities, usage patterns, and potential threats to PHI security. Documentation requirements ensure that healthcare organizations maintain records demonstrating compliance with HIPAA email rules including policies, training records, and incident reports. These documents support audit preparation and demonstrate good faith compliance efforts. Performance monitoring helps healthcare organizations track their compliance with email rules and identify areas needing improvement. Regular assessments should review policy effectiveness, training adequacy, and incident response capabilities.

LuxSci Enhances API Authentication for Easier, More Flexible Integrations with EHRs, CDPs and RCM Platforms

April 7, 2025
Erik Kangas

Today, we’re pleased to announce that LuxSci just made it even easier to leverage its powerful high volume email API with the healthcare platforms you rely on most. Whether you’re connecting with an EHR system, Customer Data Platform (CDP), Revenue Capital Management (RCM) platform—or even your contact center or unified communications suite—the new LuxSci API authentication options unlock the flexibility you need to scale and move fast.

In healthcare, connected patient journeys anchored in secure, personalized communications are driving increased engagement and better outcomes for patients and companies—all at a lower cost. From sending secure high-volume transactional emails to targeted marketing and educational communications, your systems and platforms need to talk to each other without friction to achieve the best results. LuxSci’s new API updates make that possible, securely.

What’s New in This Update

Support for OAuth 2.0, API Key, and Basic authentication methods.
Published API YAML specs and SwaggerHub integration for instant testing.
Enhanced multi-factor authentication (MFA) protection with one-time-use codes.

Overview of the LuxSci API

The LuxSci API is built with healthcare IT, security and developer teams in mind. It’s RESTful, secure, and designed for high volume email workflows.

Using industry standards like HTTPS, JSON, and TLS 1.2+, LuxSci’s API delivers fast and reliable integration and communication. Whether you’re sending appointment reminders, test results, preventative care communications, explanation of benefits (EoBs), or new product offers, your messages go out quickly and securely, with best-in-class email deliverability rates of 98% or more.

Designed for Compliance and Performance

LuxSci is HIPAA-compliant and HITRUST Certified, ensuring your healthcare communications stay within the bounds of regulatory compliance, keeping patient and company data secure—even as your email sending volume scales into the millions.

Authentication Gets a Major Upgrade

With the latest API release, LuxSci now supports three industry-standard authentication methods—alongside its proprietary LuxSci Secure option.

Let’s break them down:

OAuth 2.0 – The modern standard. Secure, flexible, and ideal for enterprise-scale integrations.
API Key – Simple and efficient. Ideal for server-to-server use when convenience matters most.
Basic Authentication – Straightforward and widely supported. Great for internal systems and quick testing.

Still Available and Highly Recommended: LuxSci Secure Authentication

For those who want the tightest possible control over API sessions—including HMAC signatures and session revocation—LuxSci Secure authentication remains the best option for customers.

Now, let’s take a closer look at how each of the new authentication methods work:

OAuth 2.0: A Standards-Based Approach

OAuth 2.0 gives you a robust framework to handle both account-level and user-level integrations.

Account-Level Authentication (Client Credentials Flow)

Perfect for system-level access—including EHR, CDP or RCM platform integrations where user context isn’t needed.

User-Level Authentication (Resource Owner Password Credentials Flow)

This method allows API access on behalf of individual users—great for patient portals or provider tools.

Security, Flexibility, and Simplicity Combined

Tokens expire after a default of 15 minutes, ensuring sessions aren’t left open indefinitely. Bonus: No message body signing is required, making integration quick and painless.

API Key: Simple and Straightforward

API Key authentication is as easy as including your credentials in a custom header. No session to manage, no extra handshake steps.

How It Works:

You send the HTTP header

X-API-Key: client_id:client_secret

With each request. That’s it.

Ideal Use Cases

Server-to-server automation
Internal dashboards
Data exports from analytics platforms

Basic Authentication: Familiar and Easy

Basic Auth is a time-tested option. Just Base64 encode your API credentials, include them in an HTTP header, and go.

While not as bulletproof as OAuth or LuxSci Secure, API Key and Basic Auth work fine for less sensitive data or development environments.

Easy Access to YAML Specs and SwaggerHub for API Testing

LuxSci has also published detailed YAML API specifications, making it easier for developers and IT teams to access testing interfaces.

You can find more information on our LuxSci API page.

Improved MFA and Easier Access to Testing Tools

As part of today’s announcement, LuxSci also rolled out new, smarter Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for enhanced web interface login protection.

LuxSci now ensures that each MFA code can be used only once. So, even if a hacker captures your password and MFA code, they are useless for conducting new login sessions. This update helps protect against automated phishing, spoofing, and fake login pages.

Why Healthcare Leaders Trust LuxSci

Best-In-Class Email Deliverability Rates of 98%

We don’t just send your emails—we get them delivered. Our 98%+ deliverability rate is among the highest in the industry, especially for sensitive healthcare data and communications.

HIPAA Compliance and HITRUST Certification

LuxSci checks every box when it comes to data privacy and protection. Trust your messages are safe, every step of the way.

Secure Communication at Scale

From a few thousand appointment reminders to millions of outbound secure emails—LuxSci scales with your business. Today, we work with some of the largest players in the healthcare industry, including Athenahealth, 1800 Contacts, US Healthconnect, Lucerna Health and Eurofins.

FAQs

Q1: What’s the most secure authentication method to use with LuxSci?

A: LuxSci Secure authentication offers the highest security with message signing and session revocation. For more information, visit our API Mechanics page.

Q2: Can I use OAuth 2.0 with user-level access?

A: Yes! Use the Resource Owner Password Credentials Flow (ROPC) to authenticate individual users.

Q3: Where can I find the SwaggerHub API testing tools?

A: LuxSci has published YAML specifications for SwaggerHub. Visit the LuxSci API page for more information.

Q4: How does LuxSci ensure HIPAA compliance in its API?

A: Through encryption, access controls, auditing, and industry certifications like HITRUST.