Secure Email for Encryption


Secure Email can be used to encrypt email messages and attachments when sending from a CUIMC email account to an address outside of approved Organized Health Care Arrangement (OHCA) email systems listed below.

If you are unsure whether an email message or attachment being sent outside of internally protected email systems contains sensitive data, you must contact your supervisor or the Office of HIPAA Compliance before initiating the email communication.

We also do not recommend sending a secure email a mailing list.

IMPORTANT: Recent changes with Secure Email have made it easier for recipients, they no longer need to sign in with a CUIMC Secure Email specific password to open the message. The changes affected some other aspects, please review all information below for details including current Known Issues.

Sending an Encrypted Email

  1. To send messages using Secure Email, you must have a CUIMC email account. These end in @cumc.columbia.edu.
  2. Create your message as usual, but put #encrypt at the beginning of the email's Subject line: Secure Email with #encrypt for Subject line After typing #encrypt you can add more to the end of the Subject line if desired. Do not include sensitive data in the subject line of the email. 
  3. Email messages containing EPHI must include the following confidentiality notice:
    This electronic message is intended to be for the use only of the named recipient and may contain information that is confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error or are not the named recipient, please notify us immediately by contacting the sender at the electronic email address noted above, and delete and destroy all copies of this message. Thank you.
  4. When ready, send the message as you normally would. The recipient will receive instructions on how to open and view it securely.

Receiving a Secure Email

Recent changes to CUIMC Secure Email mean that recipients should find it easier to open the message and its content.

For the most current instructions please see Microsoft’s How do I open a protected message?

Known Issues

Resolved - Replies to a Secure Email, whether they are replying to an individual or shared mailbox, should no longer be going to quarantine automatically. If you are still getting a "Message Quarantined Notification" emails for any replies to a Secure Email you sent, please contact us for assistance. For more help see What kinds of email messages might be quarantined?