Choosing a HIPAA Compliant Email Service for Your Facility (2025)
In our increasingly digital healthcare environment, securing patient data is more important than ever. Healthcare providers are responsible for abiding by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in all areas of operations, including electronic communications. Our review of the best HIPAA compliant email services on the market will give you an idea of what’s available to you and the pros and cons of each service.
The Role of HIPAA Within Your Facility
Protecting your patients’ health information is a crucial step toward gaining trust, providing quality care, and facilitating positive outcomes. Adherence to HIPAA guidelines requires healthcare providers to strike the right balance between information exchange and protection.
Federal HIPAA regulations touch many different aspects of patient care, from handling paperwork to sharing lab results over the phone. As our digital healthcare systems become more advanced, facilities need to take intentional measures to protect the many different avenues of information exchange, including email communication with patients.
The Importance of Using HIPAA Compliant Email
When providers use email to contact patients, request information, share test results, or any other act that involves personal health information (PHI), the process has to meet strict HIPAA standards. Utilizing an up-to-date, secure email platform is vital for engaging with patients. Maintaining HIPAA compliance ensures that you’re doing so without putting their PHI, or your facility, at risk.
Risks of Not Having a HIPAA Compliant Email Service
Healthcare facilities covered by HIPAA regulations that fail to meet the defined standards for secure and safe emailing may be cited for violations. The Office of Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services may issue a fine that ranges in severity depending on the situation. In extreme cases, a violation could result in criminal penalties, such as prison time.
Key Considerations for Choosing a Secure Email Provider
As you look for a HIPAA compliant email service to fit your facility’s needs, ensure that the following five core technical safeguards are in place:
- Access controls are standard for most email services, and involve measures such as password-protected accounts or two-step authentication.
- Audit controls, also standard for most email services, include monitoring email activity (i.e., with timestamps) and detecting data breaches.
- Integrity controls ensure that PHI remains unaltered.
- ID authentication verifies the identity of senders and receivers.
- Transmission security protects PHI in transit, and often takes the form of encryption protocols.
Consider the type of PHI your facility handles and how it fits into your workflow. What staff members need to share PHI, when, and why? Getting a clear understanding of incoming and outgoing sensitive data will help you choose an email provider capable of addressing the situations you face in your practice.
In addition, consider your patient population. Are they tech-savvy, or tech-averse? Certain email providers offer HIPAA compliant email encryption services that require patients to perform multiple steps in order to access information. If your patients are elderly or have limited access to technology, ease of use will be important.
Review of HIPAA Compliant Secure Email Services
Because choosing a secure email provider can be incredibly complex, we gathered essential information about the top options on the market. Our list of HIPAA compliant email service options covers what each service has to offer, why healthcare providers might use it, potential drawbacks, and key features.
1. Widely Used Services Customized to Meet HIPAA Standards
Some popular “off the shelf” email services, like Gmail and Outlook, are not HIPAA compliant by default, but can become compliant if the proper steps are followed. Facilities that wish to use this type of email solution will need to purchase a subscription, sign a business associate agreement (BAA) with the service provider, and configure the settings to fit security needs.
| Pros of customizing a popular service | Cons of customizing a popular service |
|---|---|
| User familiarity
Intuitive Interface Integrates with other subscription features |
May require a subscription, including features facility may not use
Requires a carefully reviewed and signed BAA Requires configuration to fit a facility’s security needs |
Here are three widely used email services that can be configured for HIPAA compliance (click on each to learn more):
Gmail
- What it offers: Gmail is not a HIPAA compliant email service by default, but it can be made compliant when a facility purchases a Google Workspace subscription, signs a business associate agreement (BAA) with Google, and sets up the proper configurations.
- Why healthcare providers use it: Providers like Gmail’s robust security features and the ability to integrate with other Workspace features (such as Google Meets and Google Docs) designed for real-time collaboration with the healthcare team and patients.
- Potential drawbacks: Facilities need to set up a BAA with Google and configure the Google Workspace environment properly, considering the unique threats that the facility faces. There may be issues with the types of encryption Gmail uses to protect the confidentiality of PHI in transit.
- Key feature for healthcare facilities: The Vault feature includes an “eDiscovery” tool which can be used to efficiently search and export stored data — critical when responding to legal matters or audits.
Outlook
- What it offers: Outlook is not a HIPAA compliant email service by default, but it can attain compliance when a facility purchases a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, signs a BAA with Microsoft, and sets up the proper configurations. Making Outlook email HIPAA compliant is the organization’s responsibility and requires careful planning.
- Why healthcare providers use it: Providers like Outlook’s advanced security features, secure cloud storage, and integration with other Microsoft Office 365 features (such as Microsoft Teams) that facilitate team collaboration.
- Potential drawbacks: Because Microsoft Office 365 subscriptions come in a wide variety of subscription options, it may be difficult to determine the most appropriate one. This solution requires detailed review of the default BAA before signing a service agreement.
- Key feature for healthcare facilities: Outlook can be integrated with a hospital’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) system and the Microsoft Calendar feature to facilitate automated appointment scheduling.
Proton Mail
- What it offers: Proton Mail is owned by Proton AG, a company founded by former CERN physicist and privacy advocate Andy Yen. Though it’s not designed specifically for healthcare, it can become a HIPAA compliant email service with a signed BAA and customized configuration.
- Why healthcare providers use it: Proton Mail’s emphasis on privacy and security makes it a strong option for healthcare facilities. End-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption features ensure that patient health data remains private, even from Proton employees.
- Potential drawbacks: Non-Proton users, such as patients, will need to click on a link to visit a portal, or use a shared password to receive emails. This extra step may be a barrier to receiving health information, especially for patients who are unfamiliar with the service or technology-averse.
- Key feature for healthcare facilities: Proton’s services are not cloud-based, but rather stored on server hardware in Switzerland, increasing the privacy of communication between providers, coworkers, and patients.
2. Dedicated HIPAA Compliant Email Services
Some email services were specifically designed for healthcare environments, with a focus on HIPAA compliant communication. By addressing the specific needs of the healthcare industry, this type of email service can provide facilities with a user-friendly option for secure communication with patients and staff.
| Pros of dedicated HIPAA compliant services | Cons of dedicated HIPAA compliant services |
| Focused on the specific needs of the healthcare industry
Designed to meet HIPAA standards May integrate with other popular email platforms, like Gmail and Outlook |
Requires staff training for familiarization
Cost may be a barrier for small facilities May require healthcare facilities to migrate their existing email accounts |
Here are two of the best HIPAA compliant email services that were designed to meet the needs of healthcare providers:
PauBox
- What it offers: PauBox acts as an email gateway that facilities can integrate with existing email systems for easy, user-friendly, HIPAA compliant encryption. Designed to meet HIPAA standards and reduce communication breakdowns in healthcare, PauBox sends encrypted emails directly to patients without the need for portals or passwords.
- Why healthcare providers use it: PauBox’s commitment to security and streamlined communication makes it a popular choice for healthcare facilities.
- Potential drawbacks: Cost may be a barrier for smaller healthcare organizations. PauBox is focused on email encryption, and may not offer all of the communication, organization, and collaboration features some facilities are looking for.
- Key feature for healthcare facilities: All outbound emails are encrypted by default, so providers don’t have to assess whether PHI is included, facilitating ease of use and eliminating user error.
LuxSci
- What it offers: LuxSci was founded in 1999 to address the growing challenges of secure digital communications in the healthcare industry. Their HIPAA compliant email service offers secure, encrypted communication with patients and other members of the healthcare team.
- Why healthcare providers use it: LuxSci is known for being highly scalable, which makes it a good fit for large (or growing) organizations. Their encryption services are coupled with marketing features like detailed deliverability statistics and reporting. Providers can easily send secure, automated, personalized messages to patients, such as appointment details and follow-up reminders.
- Potential drawbacks: The initial set-up may be time-intensive or challenging, and integrating with EHR systems could require custom development. Staff may need additional HIPAA training as they gain familiarity with the system.
- Key feature for healthcare facilities: LuxSci’s automated and flexible, HIPAA compliant encryption services adapt to the recipient’s system, increasing the deliverability of important emails.
3. Plugins For HIPAA Complaint Emailing
Email protection plugins can be used to help facilities meet HIPAA standards while maintaining existing communication channels. This type of HIPAA compliant email service can be more affordable to implement than others, but it’s important to find an option that addresses all HIPAA compliance requirements, including secure transfers of PHI and compliance with data storage regulations.
| Pros of email protection plugins | Cons of email protection plugins |
| Minimal disruption to existing workflows
Reduced implementation costs (compared to solutions that require custom development) Minimal learning curve for staff |
Can be difficult to evaluate the plugin’s ability to meet a facility’s security needs
Could introduce vulnerability to a facility’s IT infrastructure. Must be managed and updated |
Here are two email protection plugins that can be used to facilitate HIPAA compliance at your facility:
Virtru
- What it offers: Virtru is an email protection plugin that integrates with Gmail and Outlook. It offers end-to-end encryption, access controls, and streamlined file sharing between healthcare teams and patients.
- Why healthcare providers use it: Virtru’s access controls allow healthcare providers to grant or revoke access to emails and shared files. Providers also have the ability to track use of protected data, which can be helpful for audits and incident reports.
- Potential drawbacks: Though this plugin is designed to facilitate seamless communication with patients, some providers report difficulties with recipient access, leading to communication barriers.
- Key feature for healthcare facilities: Providers can configure the Virtru Data Protection Gateway to automatically flag and encrypt outbound PHI.
Delivery Trust
- What it offers: The email protection plugin Delivery Trust, by Identillect, uses military-grade encryption protocols to help healthcare facilities protect sensitive PHI and comply with HIPAA regulations. Delivery Trust can be integrated with various email systems, allowing for implementation with minimal disruption to existing workflows.
- Why healthcare providers use it: Delivery Trust’s robust encryption offers providers a high level of security, including features that allow patients to receive inbound emails by following a link.
- Potential drawbacks: Patients who are unfamiliar with technology may have difficulty accessing encrypted messages.
- Key feature for healthcare facilities: Some versions of this plugin include the Secure Scan feature, which automatically detects and secures sensitive patient information.
Get More Insights for Delivering High-Quality Care
Choosing the right HIPAA compliant email service can be challenging, but it’s necessary for engaging with your patients and earning their trust. Get more expert-written healthcare facility insights to help you deliver safe, productive, and compliant patient care.