Email for clinics, practices and health apps

Healthcare email has one design rule that matters more than the rest: the email should reveal as little as possible. Everything specific lives behind a login.

Compliance statement

This page describes email design. It does not say Inboxili meets any healthcare regulation or certification, and Inboxili's public documentation makes no such claim. If your product handles regulated health information, decide with your own advisers whether and how email may be used.

The workflows

| Moment | Email | What it should contain | |---|---|---| | Booking made | Confirmation | Clinic, date, time, manage link | | Day before | Reminder | Date and time, reschedule link | | Rescheduled by clinic | Change notice | New time, apology, manage link | | New message or result | "You have a new message" | A link to sign in. No content. | | Account security | Alert | What changed and how to lock the account | | Password or access | OTP or reset | Standard OTP rules |

The "notify, don't reveal" pattern (PHP)

<?php
use Inboxili\Client;

function notifyNewMessage(Client $inboxili, array $patient): void
{
    // The subject and body say nothing about the content or the condition.
    $inboxili->emails->send([
        'to' => $patient['email'],
        'from_email' => 'noreply@yourclinic.example',
        'from_name' => 'Riverside Clinic',
        'subject' => 'You have a new message',
        'html_body' => '<p>Hi {{first_name}}, you have a new message from Riverside Clinic. '
            . '<a href="{{portal_url}}">Sign in to read it</a>.</p>',
        'text_body' => 'You have a new message from Riverside Clinic. Sign in to read it: ' . $patient['portal_url'],
        'template_data' => ['first_name' => $patient['first_name'], 'portal_url' => $patient['portal_url']],
    ]);
}

Things to get right

• Subject lines. They show on lock screens and in previews. Keep them generic.
• Shared mailboxes. Families and workplaces share addresses, so assume the wrong person may read it.
• Login links. A link to the portal is fine. A link that logs the patient in directly is a credential.
• No-shows. Reminders reduce them, but your own scheduler sends them, because the API cannot schedule.
• Attachments. Not supported by the API, which suits the principle above. Never email records.
• Language. Plain wording and the patient's chosen language reduce missed appointments.

Delivery events

Record bounced against the patient's contact preferences and fall back to SMS or a phone call for appointments. A missed notification can have real consequences.