Instead of sending a mass email to patients to inform them of small items, it would be useful for there to be a "message board' within the patient portal, so that the clinic can post important updates (Such as if a physician is going to be away for a long period of time, if they want to wish their patients a happy holidays, or other important information for patients)
The idea would be that the clinic can send a message to the portal message board and all patients with a portal account would be able to see it.