Faxing is one of the oldest and most effective methods of sending confidential information. Despite the many innovative communication technologies today, many industries handling sensitive information, including healthcare, rely on faxing to share sensitive data.

Many avoid emails because many professionals do not subscribe to secure email services. Even in industries that strictly observe HIPAA requirements, faxing has stood the test of time. One compelling reason why faxing is still popular is because it is familiar and has never failed.

However, that does not suggest that people sharing sensitive information can use any faxing solution they find. These dos and don’ts can help professionals sharing sensitive information, such as medical workers, send and receive faxes conveniently and securely.

Use a Secure Faxing Service

Not all fax service providers are equal, which explains why users should evaluate the available providers and choose the most secure. How can beginners identify a safe online fax solution? They should assess compliance with HIPAA and other data protection policies.

Besides, they should use advanced encryption so that the data cannot land in the wrong hands even if criminals manage to hack the system. Therefore, people faxing sensitive information should ask about data security measures the provider has in place to prevent data breaches.

Online fax systems are usually safer and more convenient than traditional faxing. They usually support secure and instant transmission of data to authorized individuals.

Confirm the Fax Numbers

Criminals may not always hack into the faxing service platform to access sensitive information. If the sender transmits sensitive information to an unintended person, the data could be misused. Therefore, anyone sending a fax should double-check the recipient’s fax number beforehand to

The sender can call the recipient to verify the details and ensure the recipient is ready to access the information as soon as possible. This is because the information could sit unattended for hours, which increases the risk of the information getting into the wrong hands.

Ensure Effective Documentation

Some fax solutions do not securely store fax contacts or transmission logs. This means the sender cannot quickly know whether they sent the fax to an unintended recipient, delaying data recovery intervention.

To store transmission logs and contact details, fax service providers must employ physical, technical, and administrative measures to protect the data as stated under HIPAA requirements. Additionally, the sender must have a business associate agreement with the online fax service to ascertain compliance with HIPAA standards.

Send as Little Information as Needed

Regardless of how secure a fax service is, the sender and recipient should understand that they can only reduce data security risks to a certain extent. Therefore, they should use other protective measures to lower the risk further. For starters, they should only send the information needed by the recipient.

Sending too much information increases the magnitude of the problem if the data lands in the hands of criminals. Therefore, fax users must determine what information is needed and stick to that to reduce the risk if the data is intercepted.

Use Confidential Cover Sheet

The cover sheet should identify the sender and the intended recipient of the sensitive fax information. It is also important to mark the document as confidential and ask any unauthorized person who receives it to destroy it and notify the sender as soon as possible.

Therefore, the sender knows the fax contains sensitive data and treats it as such. If it lands in the wrong hands, they can quickly notify the sender for timely intervention.

Don’t Use Public Fax Machines

A fax machine that many people use is exposed to a higher risk of hacking or data security breaches. Users of online fax solutions should ask about the security protocol used and treat fax solutions that do not support the T.38 protocol as non-secure.

Whether dealing with a private system or a traditional fax machine, the user should always apply the best practices to reduce the risk of exposing sensitive data. For instance, the sender should shred copies of the fax containing sensitive information. The leading fax solutions provide private fax systems with many security features to safely transform sensitive data.

Don’t Use Free Fax Service

Many people like using free or trial versions of fax service solutions. Although the system might send the data securely, the service provider may not guarantee the effectiveness or security of the trial version of their service.

The fax service provider might not be liable if anything wrong happens and the fax lands in an unintended recipient. Paid fax service usually offers better security features than the trial or traditional fax machine.

Therefore, sensitive data is best transmitted through paid service with reliable security features. If anything happens with the paid service, the provider will likely take responsibility and employ relevant protective interventions.

Don’t Leave the Fax in the Wrong Place

Nobody knows when an unauthorized individual may be interested in faxes with sensitive information. Therefore, the sender and recipient should never leave sensitive data unattended because strangers could access it.

If medical history or personally identifiable information gets to an unintended recipient, the service provider and users might face lawsuits. The provider might also get negative reviews and lose clients to competition.

Don’t Ignore Suspicious Activity

The sender and recipient of sensitive faxes should watch out for suspicious activities, such as signs of tampering with the fax. Physical security helps prevent people with bad intentions from accessing faxes or manipulating the fax machine. Therefore, users of fax services must always stay alert and notify the service provider if the system misbehaves or other users seem to manipulate the machine.

If the machine uses passwords or other authentication solutions, the users should choose secure passwords with digits, words, and special characters to reduce the chances of strangers guessing the password.

Faxing is still a reliable and efficient method of sharing confidential information protected by HIPAA. However, users of fax solutions must learn what to do or not do to avoid exposing sensitive data to unintended parties. These tips can help anyone sending or receiving sensitive data safely use faxes and prevent compliance issues.

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