How to Send an Encrypted Email
When you compose your email, if it contains information that needs to be sent securely, simply type the word Encrypt (or any variation or misspelling of it) in the SUBJECT or BODY of the email.
Once you hit send, the system recognizes this keyword and holds that message on our secure server. The recipient then gets a replacement message with a link to click and view the email.
The first time they receive an encrypted message from Aspida, they have to register by creating a username (which is their email address) and password. Then they are able to open up the message, view it, and securely reply back or even forward it on to someone else.
For email as usual, just omit the keyword 'encrypt' and the email will be transmitted as a regular email (not encrypted).
Caution: We recommend NOT to add PHI to the subject of an email because the subject does not get encrypted. For example a name is considered PHI, so we recommend to exclude adding a patient’s name in the subject line.
Aspida Mail also has built in data leakage prevention to prevent accidental or intentional loss of data such as social security numbers and credit card numbers. If you send an email that contains this type of data and you forget to use the encrypted keyword, Aspida Mail scans the email before sending and upon detection that it is a sensitive email, it’s automatically encrypted.
Caution: If you want to guarantee that the message is encrypted make sure you use the encrypt keyword in the subject or body of the email.
Aspida Tips:
- Implement a default subject line protocol for sending ePHI within your office. This will keep secure messages uniform as they leave your office, protect the ePHI within them, and ensure your recipients understand who and what the email is referencing.
- Best Practice: Subject is Encrypted Email from [Office Name]
- You can create and use an email signatures in your email client to send encrypted email without having to type the word encrypted in the subject or the body of the email.
- Example Signature: This email is encrypted to protect the privacy of patient protected health information.
