The healthcare email calendar
- Welcome email after the first visit — what to expect, when to follow up, how to reach the practice
- Quarterly seasonal content — flu shot season, allergy season, summer hydration, hurricane prep
- Annual check-up reminders — by patient cohort, not blast
- Reactivation series for 12-month-lapsed patients — soft, non-clinical messaging
- Practice-update messages when relevant — new provider, new location, hours change
That is roughly 12-18 sends per patient per year. Spread across the calendar, not bursted.
What you can and cannot say in email
- Can: general health content, practice updates, appointment links, general reminders
- Cannot (without consent): specific diagnoses, treatment plans, anything PHI-bearing
When in doubt, do not include the clinical detail in the email itself — link to a HIPAA-compliant portal or ask the patient to call.
Subject lines that work
- 'Time for your annual?'
- '[First name], short note from Dr. [Last name]'
- 'Three things to know about allergy season in Houston'
- 'New hours starting [date]'
What does not work
- 'Special offer' language — feels off in healthcare
- Emoji-heavy subject lines
- Generic 'Your health matters' content (everyone says this, nobody believes it)
- High-frequency sending — patients tolerate less from healthcare than from retail
What BayouEdge does
Writes the email cadence in the practice voice (or in the provider's voice if requested), sets up the HIPAA-compliant tool chain, integrates with the EMR for patient segmentation. Engagements run $1,500-$4,000/month.
What to do next
Call James at 832-338-2926. Bring your current open rates and your patient panel size; we will sketch a fit-for-you cadence.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can we email patients without violating HIPAA?
- Yes when the content contains no PHI and patients consented to email contact. Welcome emails, seasonal content, general practice updates — all fine. Clinical detail must go through the portal.
- What email platforms are HIPAA-compatible?
- Paubox, LuxSci, MailHippo, Aware3, and some HIPAA-enabled Hubspot configurations. We assess your current tool on the first call and recommend a switch only if needed.
- How do we segment patients for relevant content?
- By cohort — new patients, established patients, lapsed patients, condition-specific groups. The EMR holds the data; we set up the segmentation rules in the email tool.
- Can we send appointment reminders by email?
- Yes, with consent. Most practices we work with use SMS for short reminders and email for longer 'what to bring / how to prepare' content.