Spruce Email

Introduction to Spruce email

At this time, Spruce offers basic email that functions similarly to Spruce messaging – imagine sending a message through Spruce and having it reach an email address instead of being sent as a text. Spruce email does not offer personalized subject lines, cc, bcc, or reply-all. Only PDF and photo attachments are accepted. If enabling basic email on the Spruce platform is right for your organization, the information in this article will help you get started.

Setting up email on Spruce

Each organization on Spruce can set up one email address. All addresses are in the format of [x]@[y].sprucecare.com.

To set up your email address, please message Team Spruce from your Spruce app with what you want the [x] and [y] components of your email address, so the final address is [x]@[y].sprucecare.com. For example: info@drjoepractice.sprucecare.com 

To change your Spruce email please message us in app with your new email request. 

Sending email on Spruce

Alternatively you can open any Contact and if they have an email address you can select the mail icon (envelope) icon to the right of their email to send a new email.

Sending an attachment 

To send an attachment, open a patient conversation and select the Plus (+) button at the bottom of the screen. This will prompt you to attach your file. Please note that Spruce supports most commonly used file types. 

Spam detection for inbound email 

Spruce automatically detects when an inbound email may be spam. When this happens, one of the following actions is taken:

1. DEFAULT SETTING: The conversation will appear unread in your inbox. You'll see Possible Spam next to the email message, and you will not receive a notification about the email.
2. OPTIONAL: The email is blocked. You won’t see any record of the email in your inbox.
3. OPTIONAL: The conversation will appear unread in your inbox. You'll see Possible Spam next to the email message, but you will receive a normal notification.

If you would like to change from the default setting to one of the optional settings, please message the Spruce team through your app or email support@sprucehealth.com.

Blocking Email Addresses

To block an email address, click on the email address or contact to open their contact card. Then, click on the 3 vertical dots next to the email address that you want to block and select “Block Email Address”. Once it’s blocked, it will say “Blocked” in red text next to the email. 

You can also manage your list of blocked email addresses from your Spruce settings, under “Email”, then “Blocked Email Addresses”.

Maintaining HIPAA compliance

After you sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with Spruce, any communication that occurs entirely on Spruce (app-to-app messaging with providers or patients, telemedicine within a secure messaging thread) is inherently secure, encrypted, and compliant with the technical requirements of HIPAA. 

Spruce email is considered a standard (non-encrypted) method of communication. You can still maintain HIPAA compliance with email as long as the patient is aware of potential security vulnerabilities and you offer a secure communication alternative (Spruce app-to-app messaging). Please take a look at our White Paper on HIPAA compliance to learn more.

Inbound Email Payload Limits

Please note: the inbound email payload limit for emails received on Spruce is 30 MB. However, most email services warn someone when they are trying to send an email with attachments that exceed 20 MB, so this shouldn’t be of too much concern.