Paperless Faxing: Learn Healthcare’s New Best Practices

At the start of the pandemic, physicians and healthcare providers were able to quickly pivot and utilize innovative technology such as telehealth to triage patients, keep waiting rooms clear and protect patients and staff. But as providers were able to see a greater number of patients virtually, inefficient processes such as manual faxing took a toll on productivity. This is why paperless faxing in healthcare is the key to future productivity.

While very few industries today use fax machines, more than 9 billion faxes are still sent every year in healthcare. So, why does our industry continue to cling to this outdated tech? It’s what practices have always used and it’s already integrated into their workflow. But as healthcare delivery transforms quicker than ever before, manual fax is now creating bottlenecks, system interoperability, security and communication challenges.

Read on to learn why you should make the switch to online fax solutions to build a secure paperless practice to boost productivity, security and more.

Say Farewell to Fax Machines and Hello to Secure Online Fax

On average, providers can spend upwards of 55 hours manually faxing each month, and for every 5,000 fax pages sent or received, a practice spends an average of $155 in supplies. In fact, one of our customers was spending over $1,000 per month on paper and toner before switching to electronic fax! In addition, this outdated tech can cause workflow challenges for your staff such as duplicating records and compromising patient safety, as data can end up missing or in the wrong place.

Healthcare practices need a way to exchange information and transfer documents that is cost effective, secure for patients and easy to use by staff. Making the switch from manual faxing to a secure online option doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. For instance, Updox Electronic Fax solution is easy to implement as we partner and integrate directly with some of the leading EHR/EMR and PMS companies.

With an Updox HIPAA-Compliant eFax you can:

• Cut expenses on hardware, phone lines, paper, toner, and shredding
• “Fax” from anywhere at any time
• Organize and assign ownership and priority to keep documents moving throughout the day
• Markup, sign, or break apart documents electronically without disruptions

Building a Paperless Practice

Creating a fax-free office is only one step to building a truly paperless practice. To reduce overall paper usage, providers can begin by optimizing their practice leveraging the following solutions:

• Electronic Forms: Paper processes are full of human error from manual entry. With e-forms, providers can eliminate risk and safely enhance document availability for patients with easily accessible online and mobile friendly data entry options.
• Direct Secure Messaging: Collaboration between a patient’s entire care team can help providers achieve the best possible outcome for patients. With Direct Secure Messaging, providers can reduce faxes and mail while cutting out the need to make paper copies.

Implementing paperless and contactless solutions can enable greater efficiency and patient satisfaction for healthcare providers. But don’t just take our word for it.

“Getting away from paper saves money but it also saves time,”

Updox customer Kristi B., business manager at Modern Podiatry.

Ready to axe the fax and build your own secure paperless practice? Click here for our eGuide learn how from our virtual care experts.