Physician email lists, and the rules behind them.

What do physician email list vendors sell?

A physician list is a set of records, each with a name, specialty, practice address and, for an email list, one or more email addresses, usually with filters such as state, practice size or hospital affiliation. Vendors sell them in three ways: a one-time rental, where the vendor sends your message and you never see the addresses; a purchase or license for a set period; and a subscription to a database you query yourself.

Prices are quoted per record, per thousand or per campaign, and depend on the filters and the use. We have not found prices published on vendors' own pages that we could record and date, so this guide gives none; ask each vendor for a written quote that states the license terms.

Where does physician data come from?

Most vendors build lists from a mix of sources: professional licensing and credentialing data, publishers' subscriber and event registrations, physicians who opted in to receive offers, and email addresses matched to names after the fact. The last of these is the least reliable; matched addresses often bounce or reach a shared office inbox.

The AMA's physician data is one well-known source. The AMA licenses it to database licensees under contract, and those licensees provide marketing services to the medical community. Physicians can ask the AMA not to have their information routinely licensed, so a list built from that data excludes those who opted out, and a vendor should be able to say how it honors that restriction.

How do you judge a list before buying?

Ask for a small test file or a test send. Check how many addresses bounce, how many reach a named physician rather than a general inbox, and whether the specialties match a sample you can verify yourself. A list that is cheap per record but bounces heavily costs more in the end, because high bounce rates damage the sending domain's reputation and can stop its email reaching anyone.

Send from a domain separate from the one your customers and patients rely on until a list has proven itself, and remove bounced and unsubscribed addresses immediately.

Questions to ask

• Where did each record come from, and when was the email address last verified?
• Does the list include physicians who opted out of AMA data licensing or asked not to be contacted?
• What does the license allow: one send, a year of use, or resale?
• Will the vendor provide a test send or sample before payment?
• Who handles unsubscribe requests, and how fast do they reach your suppression list?

Which rules apply to emailing physicians?

Email to physicians is business email, and the federal rule makes no exception for it. Every promotional message needs an accurate sender and subject line, a statement that it is an ad, a postal address and a working opt-out honored promptly. The company whose product is promoted stays responsible even when a list vendor does the sending.

Texts are different. A text message to a physician's cell phone falls under the telephone consumer rules, which require consent before commercial texts; a list that includes cell numbers does not supply that consent.

What if a practice wants to email its own patients?

A practice's own patient list is a different matter. Practices may email patients about their own services and care, and must still follow the email rules for promotions. What they may not do is sell or rent the list, or let another company use it to promote its products, without each patient's written authorization.