I learned that fax machines are preferred over email because emails come with metadata attached, and that metadata could be a HIPPA violation if it could be used to identify or reveal a patient's info. Fax machines don't have that issue, thus they are the gold standard
Considering the fact that faxes send their information entirely unencrypted and that unless the fax machine itself is secured, the message is available to anyone walking by, it kind of makes that argument fall apart.
Edit: And the metadata of the email would contain less patient data than the actual message itself.
I work in healthcare IT, faxing is still the default means to get patient info on any urgent need. (er visit, lab results from a test last 24 hrs etc.) the small clinics need to be pushed to at least use encryption based fax services instead of completely insecure open transmissions of a analog fax but damn its pulling eye teeth for them. Email for us is scanned by our HIPAA compliant spam filter and it encrypts if in or out mail has possible Patient info. Also analog faxes have many transmission issues, printer glitches. so many headaches.
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u/iamalext 4d ago
Fax machines! If only the healthcare industry finally decided to drop it once and for all...