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HIPAA faxing: what healthcare organizations need to know
HIPAA permits healthcare providers to share patient information by fax for treatment purposes, as long as appropriate safeguards are in place.
When you compare online fax services, four checks matter most:
- A BAA that covers each provider handling PHI
- Encryption in transit and at rest
- Access and document handling by the service and its providers
- Retention and records, including fax activity tracking
Using an online fax service does not by itself make an organization HIPAA compliant.
BAA and HIPAA requirements
Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and HIPAA requirements
A Business Associate Agreement defines how a service provider may handle PHI on behalf of a covered healthcare organization or another business associate.
Faxer uses Documo as its underlying fax infrastructure provider, and that relationship is covered by a signed BAA. Documo publishes documentation on its security controls and HIPAA-related services.
BAA checklist before sending PHI
- The contractual scope of the BAA
- The service or subscription it covers
- The service providers involved
- Who is responsible for handling patient information
How Faxer protects patient information
Safeguards apply across upload, file conversion, transmission and storage. For protections that apply to every fax, see Faxer’s fax security overview.
Encryption in transit and at rest
TLS 1.3 protects data sent over supported electronic connections. AES-256 protects information held in the applicable encrypted storage environment.
Encrypted connections do not mean every part of a fax’s route, including a recipient’s conventional phone or fax equipment, is end-to-end encrypted.
- TLS 1.3In transit
- AES-256At rest
Document conversion
Files are converted for faxing with ConvertAPI, which publishes HIPAA documentation and offers BAAs for qualifying arrangements.
Access controls
Faxer implements governed data access controls that restrict and manage access to information while documents are handled.
Fax history
Review transmission activity and delivery status for the faxes you send.
How to send healthcare documents online
Medical staff and administrators can fax without a physical machine or dedicated phone line.
Upload your document
Select a file from your computer or mobile device, such as a medical record, referral, claim or lab report.
Add an optional cover page
Add recipient and sender details with a short message, and keep patient information off it. About fax cover sheets.
Enter and verify the fax number
Check that the number belongs to the intended hospital, clinic, insurer or medical office before you submit.
Send and track delivery
Follow the transmission status and review past sends in your fax history.
A more transparent approach to healthcare fax security
Faxer’s service architecture incorporates specialized providers for different stages of the workflow. Each provider’s compliance documentation must be assessed according to the services it performs and whether it processes PHI.
For additional information, to discuss the documentation required for your organization.
Documo
Cloud fax infrastructure and transmission.
ConvertAPI
Document and image conversion.
Google
Supporting cloud infrastructure and services.
Stripe
Payment processing.
Frequently asked questions about HIPAA fax
Faxer’s fax infrastructure relationship with Documo operates under a signed BAA. That agreement is separate from one with your organization.
A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) defines how a service provider may handle PHI on behalf of a healthcare organization, and it ensures the required agreements cover every entity that handles patient information.
Faxer has a signed BAA with Documo, its fax infrastructure provider.
Yes. Faxer is HIPAA compliant: its fax infrastructure is covered by a signed BAA, and documents are protected with TLS 1.3 encryption in transit and AES-256 encryption at rest.
Your organization’s own policies and handling of PHI remain part of its compliance.
Delivery confirmation means the fax was delivered to the recipient’s fax number.
It reflects transmission status only: whether a specific person retrieves and reads the document is up to the recipient, and the confirmation does not establish that they did.
Send your next fax online with Faxer
Upload your document, enter the recipient’s fax number and send it from your browser, with delivery status tracking.