Using HIPAA fax cover sheet is one of the ways to protect the PHI i.e. patient protected health information. Fax is considered as one of the most safest and protected ways to send and receive information about patients. To ensure the privacy and security of patient health information, it is recommended to use HIPPA fax cover sheet. Fax is HIPAA compliant and that’s why it’s still prefered by doctors in medical industry even though there are other modes of communication available. You can still see the use of Fax Machines specially in the government and medical sector because it’s required to send or receive confidential documents.
Let’s understand more about HIPPA compliant fax cover sheets i.e. what are they, why are they useful, how to use them, how to create them, etc. This post is your guide for HIPPA cover sheets.
What is HIPAA Fax Cover Sheet and It’s Importance?
A HIPAA fax cover sheet disclaimer is a message that states that the faxed information or document is confidential and it may contain protected health information. This disclaimer is written so that the fax reaches the correct recipient. A disclaimer can inform the recipient about what information is included and whether it is meant for them.
The purpose of writing this disclaimer is to ensure privacy and security so that a fax does not reach the wrong person. Privacy and security of one’s medical records is extremely important specially in today’s time when hacking and data theft is common. HIPAA addresses these concerns.
This is how HIPPA Fax Cover Sheet Looks Like:
Should HIPAA Fax Cover Pages be Used?
The answer is YES. To maintain the security and privacy of medial records or documents, it is absolute necessary to use HIPAA Fax Cover Pages. Apart from using the HIPPA cover page, here are some of the tips to securely send or receive the medical documents that contains patient health information.
- A fax machine that handles HIPAA-related faxes should not be easily accessible to everyone. It should be located in a place where only authorized people can access it. Keep it located away from public or uncleared individuals.
- Just for extra security, you can notify the receiving party that a document containing sensitive data is incoming so they can check their fax machine accordingly.
- A fax cover sheet should be there that alerts the receiver that the information is confidential and it’s intended for a specific person only.
- Before sending a fax, make sure to double check or verify the receiver’s fax number. We have seen instances where important health information got leaked due to incorrect receiver’s fax number.
What’s Included in a HIPAA Fax Cover Sheet?
The content of a HIPPA fax cover sheet is kind of similar to a normal fax cover sheet, but there are a few extra elemets and a disclaimer. Following is the information that this fax cover sheet should contain:
- name of the sender
- phone number of the sender
- name of the recipient
- fax number of the recipient
- date and time of the fax
- A HIPAA fax cover sheet disclaimer
Disclaimer: This disclaimer is important, it states that the faxed information is confidential and it may contain protected health information. The disclaimer should clearly states that the unauthorized viewing, reviewing, disclosing, or distributing the information in the transmission is strictly prohibited by the Privacy Rule or other applicable law.
Why You Need a HIPAA Fax Disclaimer?
HIPAA Fax Disclaimer is included to increase the privacy and security of the faxed information or document. Faxing is considered as one of the safest ways when it comes to send or receive Protected Health Information (PHI) or any confidential information. Including a HIPAA fax disclaimer with your fax further ensures that the information you are sending is secured.
Through a disclaimer, a receiver get to know that the information is confidential and it may contain Protected Health Information (PHI). Unauthorized viewing or reviewing or disclosing a document may land a person in massive trouble.
Here is an example of HIPPA Fax Disclaimer
The information contained in this transmission may contain confidential information, including patient information protected under federal and state law. This document is intended for [NAME] only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure or distribution of this information is in violation of HIPAA confidentiality and prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and delete all copies. This fax disclaimer is present on the cover sheet and serves as a warning to ensure privacy.
Faxing is secure but there still be instances where a fax could end up in the wrong hands. To ensure a fax reaches the correct person, it’s important to include a Fax Disclaimer that can inform the recipient about what information is included and whether it is meant for them. Fax Disclaimer must be there on all medical documents which contains the patient health information.
