Frequently Asked Questions

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 steps for setup. See our Hushmail for Healthcare page for more.

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.

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.

That’s what we’re here for. We can help you in two ways: 

(1) We can get on a call with you and walk you through the process of doing it step by step. 
(2) We can do the whole process for you. All you have to do is fill out a form that grants us permission to do so.

Either way we’re happy to help. This is actually one of the most common requests we get from our customers 🙂 When you’re ready, you can reach us at Customer Care.

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.

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 Hushmail you can add 3 forms at $3/month to your base plan of $11.99/month. On a 0/month plan with up to 5 email accounts, you get 5 secure web forms included.
• 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. The information submitted through your web forms is encrypted with the same TLS and OpenPGP encryption used by Hushmail email.

Currently, Hushmail and Hush™ Secure Forms go together. Unfortunately, you can’t sign up for forms without getting an email address with us. That’s because all form submissions are designed to go straight into your secure Hushmail email account. 

However, there’s still a way for you to use our forms. If you’re curious, we can share more details in the live chat.

Depending on the Hushmail plan you choose, secure web forms are already included in the plan.

For example, you can sign up for 1 email account and get 3 forms on an Essentials Hushmail for Healthcare plan ($14.99/month). On the next plan up (designed for small group clinics, at $24.99/month), 5 web forms are included. 

See Pricing for more details.

If you’re a behavioral health practitioner in Canada, you’re required to comply with Canadian privacy laws — and these laws vary slightly by province. But don’t worry. When you sign up for Hushmail for Healthcare, your plan will have everything you need for secure, compliant email and forms in Canada. For example, you’ll get a signed Information Manager Agreement (IMA) from us, as required by some provinces in Canada.

Learn more on our Hushmail for Canadian healthcare providers page. Or, for a more in-depth explanation, see our “Guide to secure, compliant email for healthcare practitioners in Canada.” 

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.

We understand that problems sometimes arise at the worst of times. So you have every right to ask. But here’s why our team works Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST:

• To offer 24/7 support, we would have to outsource it or have a very distributed support crew. We’ve chosen not to do that, because we want to keep our support quality and security standards as high as possible.
• As a company we believe in work–life balance and fair treatment of employees, and so we don’t make our team members work nights.

Even though we have set business hours, you’ll get prompt, personalized, patient support.

Contacting Customer Care (for support questions) or a live chat with Sales (for non-support questions) is the fastest way to reach us.

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.

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 your practice is in healthcare or behavioral health, all you need to do is choose a Hushmail for Healthcare plan. It’s the same plan whether you’re in Canada or the United States.

The only difference is, our U.S. customers get a signed BAA to support their HIPAA compliance, whereas our Canadian customers get a signed IMA to support their compliance with the Canadian privacy laws that apply to them.

Hushmail for Personal Use does not include the ability to connect Hushmail to a custom domain. In other words, your email address will end in one of our domains, like @hushmail.com or @hush.com. If you want to use your own personal domain (like yourname@yourname.com), you’ll need Hushmail for Small Business.

Also, please note, Hushmail for Personal Use is not intended for any healthcare professionals. If you plan to use Hushmail for your healthcare or behavioral health practice, you’ll need Hushmail for Healthcare — even if you’re a solo practitioner.

Hushmail for Personal Use is not designed for healthcare or behavioral health practices. It does not include an email archive, Business Associate Agreement (BAA), or Information Manager Agreement (IMA), which support your compliance with HIPAA or Canadian healthcare laws.

In the event of an audit, we would not be able to confirm your compliance with the relevant authority. For these reasons, we reserve the right to switch anyone not using the account for personal usage to our Hushmail for Healthcare plan.