Watermarks & Email Password Protection
Add or Remove Watermarks on Documents
What: Automated security controls in Provider Settings that apply a visible digital seal (watermark) to clinical documents and can require the patient's ID number to open emailed PDFs.
Why: To prevent patients from tampering with high-risk documents like medical certificates and prescriptions, and to ensure your practice stays POPIA-compliant when sharing sensitive records by email.
When: Configure these settings once when setting up your practice, they apply automatically every time you generate or email a supported document type.
Steps
1. Click your provider name to open the Provider File
Location: Top navigation bar › provider name (top right)
From any screen in Healthbridge Clinical, click your name in the top-right corner of the navigation bar. This opens the 'Provider File' with a sidebar on the left.
You should see: the Provider File page opens with a sidebar listing Provider, Letters & SMS's, Pathology, Settings, and other options.
2. Select Settings in the Provider File sidebar
Location: Provider File sidebar › Settings
In the left sidebar, click 'Settings'.
You should see: the Settings page opens, showing the General section at the top with Consultation UI Settings and Advanced consult settings.
Practice logo, header, and signature live here too: Scroll to the 'Documents' section, just above Watermark, to upload your Practice logo, Report Header, and digital Signature, click 'Change' on any of them. All three only accept image files (JPG, PNG, or GIF), a PDF or Word file will be rejected, so export your logo or letterhead as an image first. The logo appears on all Prescriptions, Sick Notes, and Referral Letters; the Report Header also appears on Custom Letters.
3. Scroll down to the Watermark section
Location: Provider File › Settings page
The Settings page is long. Scroll past the 'General', 'Consultation UI Settings', and 'Digital Signature' sections until you see the 'Watermark' and 'Email password protection' sections side by side.
Tip: The Watermark section is near the bottom of the Settings page. Keep scrolling until you see two columns: 'Watermark' on the left and 'Email password protection' on the right.
4. Toggle watermarks on or off per document type
Location: Provider File › Settings › Watermark section
Under 'Watermark' (left column), you will see a list of document types with individual toggles. Toggle each document type 'On' (orange) to include a watermark, or 'Off' (grey) to remove it. Supported document types are:
- Medical Certificate
- Prescriptions
- Referral Letter
- Custom Letter
- Questionnaires
- Vaccination Schedule
- Developmental Screening
You should see: orange toggles appear next to any document types you have switched on. Grey toggles indicate watermarks are disabled for that document type.
5. Toggle email password protection on or off per document type
Location: Provider File › Settings › Email password protection section
In the right column, under 'Email password protection', toggle each document type 'On' for any documents you want to password-protect when they are emailed. When enabled, the recipient must enter the patient's ID number to open the PDF. Supported document types are:
- Medical Certificate
- Prescriptions
- Referral Letter
- Custom Letter
- Questionnaires
- Vaccination Schedule
- Developmental Screening
- Pathology Results
You should see: the toggles reflect your chosen settings. Changes are saved automatically, there is no separate Save button.
Note: Email password protection supports one additional document type, 'Pathology Results', that is not available in the Watermark section.
Frequently asked
Q: Do I have to watermark every document type, or can I choose?
You can choose. These settings are per document type, you can watermark only high-risk documents like Medical Certificates and Prescriptions while leaving Referral Letters unwatermarked.
Q: What password does the patient use to open a password-protected email?
The patient must enter their ID number. Healthbridge Clinical uses the ID number on the patient's file as the PDF password automatically, no manual setup is required.
Q: If I turn watermarks off, is the document still secure?
Yes. Every clinical PDF generated in Healthbridge Clinical includes an embedded Authentication QR Code, regardless of the watermark setting. Third parties such as pharmacies or employers can scan this code to instantly verify that the document is an authentic record issued by your practice.
Q: Are these settings applied immediately?
Yes. Toggles save automatically and apply to the next document you generate. No page reload or Save action is required.