Since 1996<\/a>, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule has been protecting patients\u2019 personal information and giving them greater control over who has access to their medical records. For medical professionals, the rule has far-reaching implications. It governs how information about patients is collected, stored and even how it is shared with other medical professionals, as well as insurance companies and other parties. Sending sensitive patient information isn\u2019t quite as simple as shooting an email; instead, medical professionals and clinics must make sure that their methods of sharing this information are secure. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThis means that emails sent by medical outlets must be secure. When medical professionals call a patient, they need to have a plan in place to check that they are truly speaking to their patient, or they need to have permission to talk to a family member or care provider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what about sending patient information via fax?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just as with phone or email communication, HIPAA-compliant faxing<\/a> focuses on ensuring that information is being shared to the right source and that it\u2019s being shared securely. Faxing can be a convenient way to send patient files, lab results and more \u2014 but only if you do so in a HIPAA-complaint way. Keep reading to learn the HIPAA rules surrounding faxing, what you need to know to send a secure fax and how to choose the best HIPAA-compliant online fax service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n