Beginners Guide to Hushmail for Healthcare

If you're looking for a HIPAA-compliant email service, you probably already know that Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and other free email providers are not HIPAA-compliant.

However, it is possible to make Gmail or Outlook HIPAA-compliant, but you have to buy more software. You would have to pay for a Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 account, pay for a third-party encryption tool on top, and follow the steps for setup.

Many therapists, counselors, healthcare providers, and other practitioners choose Hushmail because it's less technical and more affordable to manage a single email service that's HIPAA-compliant out of the box. They also get a ton of value from the HIPAA-compliant forms with e-signatures. See our Hushmail for Healthcare page for more.

There’s a difference between having an “@outlook.com” email address and using the Outlook email application (“app”) that comes with Microsoft Office.

Think of the email app (sometimes called an “email client” by techies) as a way to funnel multiple email accounts through. 

Let’s say you have a free personal Outlook address. You can add that as one of the email accounts you manage through your Outlook app. But you can also add non-Outlook email accounts, including your Hushmail account. And then you can use Outlook to view incoming Hushmail messages as well as send Hushmail messages. Our blog post “How to use Hushmail with your favorite email app” goes a little deeper.

There are pros and cons to managing your Hushmail messages in the Outlook app (and other email apps like Apple Mail). If you have any other burning questions about this, pop your question in the live chat.

If you don’t have your own domain (something that looks like yourpractice.com, where “your practice” is the name of your clinic or business), you can use one of ours:

@hush.com
@therapyemail.com
@counselingmail.com
@therapysecure.com
@counselingsecure.com

So, for example, if your practice goes by Raymond Rogers but you can’t or don’t want to use @raymondrogers.com, your Hushmail email address can be raymond@raymondrogers.hush.com or raymond.rogers@therapysecure.com. Those are just two options. You can actually get pretty creative with these.

This way you can still customize your Hushmail address even if you don’t have your own domain. There’s more information on our blog: “What’s in a name? Choosing your Hushmail email address.”

Let’s say your name is Raymond Rogers and you own the domain raymondrogers.com for your practice. You’ve set up several email addresses, each with their own inbox: raymond@raymondrogers.com (you), office@raymondrogers.com (your administrative assistant), and two more practitioners, like jane@raymondrogers.com and john@raymondrogers.com. 

Many people ask if it’s possible to turn just one of those email addresses into a Hushmail account while keeping the rest with their current provider.

Unfortunately, that's not how it works. All the email addresses connected to @raymondrogers.com would have to be connected to one email provider. In the end, some customers prefer to keep their current email provider and go for a Hushmail subdomain instead. An example of that would be: raymond@raymondrogers.hush.com.

If that’s confusing, we’ll be happy to answer your question in the live chat during business hours.

Email migration is not included in our plans. We do charge a fee for this service. If you’d like details about the process and cost, please contact our Sales team.

Yes. The information submitted through your web forms is encrypted with the same TLS and OpenPGP encryption used by Hushmail email.

Yes! For only $25 per form, Customer Care will build your secure web forms exactly the way you want them. Our done-for-you form building service is perfect if you’re busy launching your practice or going through a big transition.

How it works:

1. You give us the form(s) you’re currently using in your practice.
2. You get a dedicated Customer Care rep to oversee the service and answer questions. 
3. You end up with custom secure web forms that are easy for your clients to fill out.

If you’re already a Hushmail customer, get started by sending a quick message to Customer Care.

If you’re looking for HIPAA-compliant web forms, there are several things to consider: Is it simple enough? Does it have the healthcare features I need? Is it affordable? Is the customer support good? Is it suitable for my small or medium practice? Can I add e-signatures?

• Many popular form builders, like Jotform, are large companies that serve a wide range of industries. While they may offer HIPAA-compliant forms, they’re more expensive, typically $99/month or more — just for forms. With our Hushmail for Healthcare Essentials plan, you get 3 forms included for $14.99/month or 25 forms included for $17.99/month on our Hushmail for Healthcare Growth plan.
• Many larger form builders don’t offer the same knowledgeable, one-on-one customer support. At Hushmail, you get personalized support from Customer Care, a team of dedicated experts who talk to healthcare practitioners on a daily basis and understand the challenges of running a practice. You get this top-notch support no matter what plan you choose. 
• Even though some builders include healthcare templates, many of them don’t have body charts (important for massage therapy, chiropractic, physical therapy, and other types of healthcare).

For a more detailed comparison, see "5 HIPAA-compliant form builders compared for your small practice.”

Remember, too, when it comes to client management, email messages and forms tend to go hand in hand. When you use Hushmail, you don’t have to manage a separate tool for your forms. Form submissions land straight in your inbox. That way, your client's messages and form submissions all live in the same secure space. 

Yes. You can use Hush™ Secure Forms without switching your email provider or setting up a traditional Hushmail email account.

You can send and receive secure forms, including intake and consent forms, using your existing email address. Form submissions and secure messages are kept together in a single secure location to support HIPAA-compliant communication.

Learn more or get started here.

Yes, we know it’s not easy choosing the right technology for your practice or clinic.

That’s why, you can try Hushmail for Healthcare free for 14 days. And remember, as soon as you get started with Hushmail, you can rely on our team of experts to help you get set up and show you how to get the most out of Hushmail.

Absolutely. We understand you have to take a lot into consideration. Maybe you’re a non-profit organization that works with healthcare professionals. Or maybe you’re a team that works with a government agency. Whatever your situation, we’re happy to help you figure out the best plan. You can fill out this form or start a live chat.

Yes. You can switch to a yearly or 2-year plan at any time. Just contact our Customer Care team, and we'll be happy to make the change for you.

The custom branding package includes a few simple ways to customize your Hushmail account and enhance your brand.

Add your logo
Add your logo to webmail, secure web forms, and encrypted emails sent to people outside of Hushmail. This helps reinforce your professional identity whenever clients interact with you.

Custom form accent color
Choose a custom accent color for your forms to match your brand style more closely.

Remove "Powered by Hushmail" branding
Option to remove the "Powered by Hushmail" logo from your secure web forms, keeping the focus entirely on your practice.

The additional security package provides enhanced control over how your Hushmail accounts are accessed. It includes:

Country-based login restriction

You can set your account to only allow logins from a specific country of your choice (U.S. or Canada). This helps reduce the risk of unauthorized access from abroad.

Require two-step verification

You can make two-step verification mandatory for all email accounts under your domain. This ensures that every user signs in with both their password and a verification code, adding a strong extra layer of protection.