When clinical documents are sent by email, splose can automatically apply password protection to the PDF attachments. This helps practices meet data protection requirements for sensitive health information without adding manual steps to the workflow. Letters, progress notes, and invoices are currently supported.
This article covers how to enable the feature, what your recipients will experience, and how to send multiple documents in a single email.
Before You Begin
Password-protected document sending is enabled per workspace. Only users with access to Settings > Workspace > Details can turn it on.
splose uses the client's date of birth as the document password. Make sure the client has a date of birth saved to their record before sending.
All files will be encrypted when the toggle is turned on:
If sending a single letter, progress note or previously uploaded PDF, it will be sent as an encrypted PDF.
If sending a single file of any other type, it will be compressed into a ZIP file, which will be encrypted.
If sending multiple files/letter/notes/invoices, or any combination, they will be sent as a single ZIP file, and the ZIP file will be encrypted.
Previously encrypted PDFs, such as PDFs uploaded to files, will be sent as-is and not re-encrypted.
Setting Up Password-Protected Documents
Enable the feature
Go to Settings.
Select Workspace, then open Details.
Toggle on Password-protected documents.
Sending Communications with a Passworded File
The steps below outline how to send a password-protected document to a client or contact.
When Secure PDF files is switched on, you will see a message outlining that password protection will be applied to all documents.
Open the relevant client record.
Select New Email in the client record.
Select the Attach Files button at the bottom of the email builder.
Select an existing file, or upload a new file from your device. Once you have done this, click Select.
Note that the attached file will appear at the bottom of your email builder with a lock icon. This means that it will be sent securely.
Review the recipient details and email contents.
Click Send Securely.
If your send button is labelled as Send and not Send Securely, your attached files will not be password-protected. To resolve this, enable the Send Securely toggle.
splose encrypts the PDF using the client's date of birth and includes instructions for the recipient in the email body.
Send multiple documents at once
You can select up to 10 documents and send them together in a single email. splose bundles them into a password-protected zip file. This includes letters, progress notes, and invoices.
You can only batch send similar types of documents. You cannot send different types at the same time, i.e. letters and invoices.
Open the relevant client record.
Navigate to the Letters, Progress Notes, or Invoices tab, depending on what you would like to send.
Select the checkbox next to each item you want to send. You can select up to 10 at a time.
A message will appear at the bottom of the page after selecting multiple items. This will display the number of items selected. Click Send.
Review the selected items, email contents and recipient details. You will see the attached items at the bottom of the email builder.
Click Send Securely to send the files out.
All attachments and documents are grouped within a ZIP file.
Things to Note
The password for all documents is the client's date of birth in
YYYYMMDDformat (for example, 19850312 for 12 March 1985). splose includes this information in every email sent to the recipient.If a client does not have a date of birth on file, splose will display a warning and block sending until a date of birth is added to the client record.
The combined file size for a batch send must not exceed 25MB. If your files exceed this, split them across multiple emails.
Password protection applies to letters, progress notes, and invoices only. Other file types are not encrypted.
If you turn off password protection, new documents will send without protection. Previously sent documents remain protected and recipients can still open them using the client's date of birth.
FAQs and Troubleshooting
Q: What password does the recipient use to open the document?
A: The client's date of birth in YYYYMMDD format (for example, 19850312 for 12 March 1985). splose includes instructions for this in the email.
Q: What if the client does not have a date of birth on file?
A: splose will display a warning and the send button will be disabled. Go to the client record, add their date of birth under their personal details, then return to send the document.
Q: Can I send documents to a GP or another healthcare professional?
A: Yes, if the recipient contact record has a date of birth on file, the same protection applies. If the contact does not have a date of birth saved, the document cannot be sent while password protection is enabled.
Q: What happens if the PDF encryption fails?
A: The send is blocked and an error message is displayed. You can retry or contact support if the issue persists.
Q: What if a client's date of birth is updated after documents were already sent?
A: Previously sent documents remain protected with the original date of birth. New documents will use the updated date of birth.
Q: How does the recipient open a password-protected zip file?
A: They extract the zip file using any standard file extraction tool (built into Windows and macOS) and enter the client's date of birth in YYYYMMDD format when prompted. No specialist software is required.