Client Email Privacy
How PracticeRunner sends client emails separately to reduce accidental disclosure of recipient relationships.
PracticeRunner sends client-facing emails to one recipient at a time. Client emails do not use multiple To recipients, CC, or BCC.
This applies to emails such as appointment reminders, intake requests, billing emails, statements, superbills, calendar links, appointment confirmations, and inquiry responses.
Why client emails are sent separately
An email recipient list can reveal sensitive information even when the message itself is brief. For example, seeing another address on the same email can disclose that two people are connected to the same appointment, bill, inquiry, family, couple, or care episode.
Sending one email per recipient helps reduce that risk. It also makes the delivery record clearer because each email has its own recipient, delivery log, and Conversations record when the message is part of client communication history.
This policy is based on the HIPAA Privacy Rule's minimum necessary principle and HHS guidance on communications with family members and other people involved in a person's care or payment. HIPAA can allow those communications in appropriate circumstances, but disclosures should be limited to information directly relevant to that person's involvement. In practice, a shared recipient list can disclose more than the message requires.
HHS also permits email communication with clients when appropriate safeguards are used. Sending client emails separately is one of those safeguards because it reduces unintended disclosure of another person's email address or relationship to the client.
Family and couple communication
Family, couple, and representative workflows can involve more than one person. PracticeRunner still sends each person's email separately.
This means:
- one client or contact does not see another person's email address
- each recipient gets their own copy of the message
- sent messages can be reviewed in Conversations without relying on a shared email thread
- billing, scheduling, and forms communication can stay focused on the recipient who needs to receive it
Secure messages and email notifications
When secure messaging is enabled, PracticeRunner keeps the message content inside the portal and sends a generic email notification.
Secure message notifications and secure sign-in links are delivery notices. They are not the message itself, so they are not saved as sent Conversations messages.
What clinicians should avoid
Avoid copying client email addresses into a shared email outside PracticeRunner. In ordinary email, do not place multiple clients, family members, partners, or representatives on the same message.
Use PracticeRunner's client communication tools so each recipient receives a separate message and the communication history stays easier to review.