Healthcare B2B Marketing: HIPAA, Professional Data and Compliance

Important: this is general information, not legal advice. Consult a qualified lawyer about your specific situation.

Professional data vs patient data

B2B healthcare data covers professionals and organisations: a physician's name, specialty, practice and business contact details. Patient health information is different, and in the United States it is protected under HIPAA when held by covered entities and their business associates. Patient information should never be part of a marketing list.

What HIPAA does and does not cover

HIPAA governs how covered entities, such as providers and health plans, and their business associates use and disclose protected health information. Contacting a physician at their practice about a product for their business is generally a B2B communication, not a disclosure of patient information. Your general marketing obligations still apply, such as email and telephone rules.

Practical compliance steps

• Use business contact data only, never patient data.
• Keep messages professional and relevant to the recipient's specialty or role.
• Follow CAN-SPAM for email and the relevant rules for calls and texts.
• Honour opt-outs promptly across all systems.
• Be careful with claims about drugs and devices, which may be regulated separately.

Respecting clinicians' time

Clinicians receive a lot of outreach. Short, specialty-specific messages with clear clinical or operational value perform better and protect your reputation. See our guide to healthcare data for B2B marketing.

Frequently asked questions