HIPAA-Compliant Fax In Healthcare: Why Is It Important?

Billions of faxes are sent each year despite the growing prevalence of email and other advanced forms of communication. Faxing is a common practice among businesses from both the B2B and B2C perspective. If current trends are any indication, faxing is going to remain popular in the coming years. 

Many types of businesses routinely use fax machines, including legal offices, real estate companies, government agencies, and financial institutions. Additionally, at least 70 percent of medical facilities continue to rely on faxing. For those in the latter category, sending faxes with HIPAA compliance is essential. 

Why HIPAA-Compliant Faxing Is Important In Healthcare

HIPAA-compliant faxing is crucial in healthcare for several reasons. Accessibility is one of the most significant. Modern fax technology allows patients’ records to be stored electronically, so they’re readily available when healthcare providers need them.

As such, physicians and other medical professionals can pull up patients’ information without having to search for and sift through paper documents. There’s less of a risk of important details being lost in the mix as well. Those are only a couple of basic points to keep in mind.

Sharing Patient Information

Healthcare facilities routinely use faxing to share patient information with other members of the medical field. Hospitals can quickly and easily pull patient information from clinics. Clinics can receive test results from third-party labs. Those are only a few examples.

Being able to access and share patients’ medical records paves the way for more well-rounded treatment. HIPAA-compliant faxing can reduce medication and treatment errors as well. When medical facilities are able to share information, both they and their patients are sure to benefit.

Fast, Simple Access

The speed and simplicity of faxing can’t be ignored. Instead of having to wait days or weeks for the transfer of medical information, caregivers can receive vital patient information in a matter of seconds. In the medical field, speed is often of the essence. Delays of even a few minutes could be detrimental, so faxing offers the expedient data transfers medical professionals and their patients need.

Versatility and Flexibility

Versatility and flexibility are also key factors in health care. Faxing allows healthcare facilities to send and receive documents from various types of operating systems. It works between conventional fax machines and internet-based options as well. At the same time, users can send and receive faxes from different types of devices and in virtually any location. 

Enhanced Security

It’s also important to examine the enhanced security of modern fax technology. Whether transmitting private details about patients’ medical conditions or sending documents that contain sensitive billing information, faxing helps to keep data safe. It uses a range of measures, including encryption and third-party authentication, to keep people’s information secure.

Keep in mind that medical facilities are required by law to remain in compliance with HIPAA regulations. Failing to do so could lead to serious repercussions. Besides the consequences commonly discussed, HIPAA violations can certainly lead to a loss of patients’ trust. 

Fostering Medical Care with Faxing

Faxing is still common among businesses, with healthcare facilities routinely using this form of communication. HIPAA-compliant faxing can reduce the risks of treatment errors and prevent crucial details from falling through the cracks. It can also provide better security when dealing with sensitive information. On top of all that, modern faxing solutions give healthcare providers ready access to patients’ records while offering optimal flexibility and versatility.