January 26, 2024
Studies show more medical practices and hospitals in the U.S. are adopting cloud faxing (also known as eFaxing) when exchanging patient records. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), in 2021, “more than 6 in 10 hospitals engaged in key aspects of electronically sharing health information (send, receive, query) and integrating of summary of care records into EHRs, a 51 percent increase since 2017.” Additionally, while 69 percent of hospitals still used traditional mail or fax to send summary of care records (down from 71 percent in 2018), 67 percent also used eFaxing via their EHR to send these records.
Here are 10 reasons why we think more medical practices are using paperless methods like cloud faxing to exchange information:
1. Efficiency
Going paperless allows medical practices to digitize and automate various processes, reducing manual paperwork and streamlining workflows. In fact, practices can save an average of 4 minutes per fax when switching to cloud faxing!
2. Cost Savings
Cloud faxing eliminates the need for paper, toner and printing supplies, resulting in cost savings for the practice. Cloud faxing typically operates on a subscription-based model, making costs more predictable and manageable.
3. HIPAA Compliance
Cloud faxing services that are HIPAA-compliant ensure the secure transmission of patient records and usually come with advanced security features (like encryption and audit trails) to protect confidentiality and integrity.
4. Accessibility
Cloud faxing lets medical staff send and receive faxes from anywhere with an internet connection. Plus, eFaxing is often accessible through mobile devices, allowing healthcare professionals to manage faxes and communications on the go.
5. Improved Accuracy
Cloud faxing often integrates seamlessly with EHR systems, meaning providers can fax documents directly from the EHR. This can reduce manual data entry and ultimately improves accuracy.
6. Interoperability
When integrated with EHR systems, eFaxing allows seamless data transfer within systems. Digital records facilitate collaboration among healthcare team members, improving communication and coordination of care.
7. Enhanced Analytics
Cloud faxing creates a digital record, which enables practices to analyze patient data, identify trends and generate reports for better insights into patient populations and healthcare outcomes.
8. Adaptability
Going paperless with cloud faxing allows medical practices to adapt more easily to changes in healthcare regulations and standards, ensuring ongoing compliance.
9. Environmental Impact
Cloud faxing contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing the demand for paper and lowering the carbon footprint associated with paper production and disposal.
10. Ease of Use
Many cloud faxing services take pride in promoting simple, organized workflows. Most eFaxing use a "print to fax" functionality to quickly share pages from your EHR.
Did You Know?
MEDENT partners with Updox for inbound and outbound faxing!
MEDENT has integrated Updox’s HIPAA-compliant Cloud Fax solution.
Send a fax from anywhere in MEDENT!
With MEDENT Cloud Faxing, practices have the ability to send and receive faxes without the need for fax modems or phone lines in the office. This means your practice won’t be delayed by busy signals or line congestion.
The MEDENT Cloud Faxing module has a low per page cost based on the total number of pages sent and received. Plus, the first phone line is included!
This can ultimately save your practice money, as it eliminates the need for things like toner, fax lines, paper and shredding. A typical practice spends around $185 per month on traditional faxing.
With MEDENT Faxing, practices can send faxes immediately or queue a fax to be sent automatically at a scheduled time. You can also produce a status log to provide complete control.
Receive an inbound fax from the MEDENT Electronic Medical Records and Medical Imaging Modules. Information received from outside sources can be stored directly in the patient’s electronic chart.
When turned on, a Quick Send feature is also available that allows the user to fax out a quick simple note.
Interested in MEDENT Cloud Faxing?
Contact MEDENT for a quote!
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