Encrypted Email Services and Tops

We are often asked whether emails sent directly through Tops are encrypted. In most cases, the answer is no.

Tops sends email using SMTP using the port and login credentials configured in your Outgoing Mail Server settings. While you can configure Tops to use an email account hosted by an encrypted email provider, our experience is that this is not compatible with every service.

If your encrypted email provider requires additional authentication, user interaction, or extra steps (such as clicking a button or selecting encryption options before sending), Tops will likely be unable to send encrypted emails through that service.

If you only need to send routine correspondence such as appointment letters, receipts, or statements that do not contain protected health information (PHI), you may want to configure a separate, non-encrypted email account (such as Google Workspace) for use with Tops.

If you need to send emails through your encrypted email service, we recommend configuring the Mail.app on each staff member’s workstation with the appropriate email account. When sending an email from Tops, select the option to Edit Email in Mail.app before sending. This allows the email to be created in Mail.app, where you can complete any additional authentication or encryption steps required by your email provider.

For detailed instructions along with similar artles, see the related article section below.