It’s time to put aside obsolete technology and get systems to talk to each other
When asked recently if we could “fax” something to someone, our young intern replied, “what’s a fax?” Fax machines have been phased out of many industries but in healthcare, referrals, patient records and many other forms of patient information are getting faxed everywhere. It means systems can’t communicate digitally and things can’t be tracked.
This recent article on Vox.com, tells a gripping story of how Arlington Women’s Centre was faxing patient data to NASA. They have a great podcast episode, “It’s time to face the fax” about the pitfalls of fax machines.
The perils of faxing
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires healthcare providers and other affected agencies to provide secure health care transactions to ensure the privacy of patients’ data.
It wasn’t so long ago that fax machines were considered to be the most secure way to share patient information. While it’s true that the actual sending process is protected, the problem is that once information is sent there’s no way to control it on the receiving end. There’s no guarantee that it won’t end up in the wrong hands, resulting in an HIPAA security violation.
So why is the medical industry still faxing?
- Because they lack the IT support to transition away from this form of communication
- The complexity of digital integration is overwhelming but with online enterprise fax solutions it is much easier.
- Medical tech and office administrators like the sound of a fax machine
To overcome the challenges of modern healthcare integration, you need more than just a software vendor, you need a strategic integration partner to figure out the complexity of obsoleting systems like the fax machine. It becomes entrenched in an operation and it’s difficult to change behaviour.
It’s time to face the fax
Fax machines slow productivity, are prone to human error and security breaches but without the ability to tie systems together, they are often the only choice for getting information from point A to point B. Vyne Medical has a good article about how to securely exchange data securely and eliminate fax machines. We encourage you check out the article.
As well, if you are committed to removing the fax machine from your data transfer processes think about Iguana as a great integration product to remove the bottleneck:
With Iguana you can reduce your total cost of ownership
Iguana is specifically designed for the healthcare industry and is trusted by over 800 healthcare providers and vendors to consistently exchange critical information with high availability options to greatly diminish the risk of costly downtime.
The system supports all healthcare messaging formats and data standards and is able to process in excess of 3,600 messages per second, leaving the outdated fax machine screeching in the dust.
- Faster implementation times. Modest hardware requirements. Rock-solid reliability. Iguana takes into account the entire picture when it comes to the cost of your healthcare integration.
Improve your access to healthcare information. The versatility of Iguana enables organizations to improve all areas of data access including all your clinical, financial, and operational workflows.
Don’t forget to visit us at HIMSS Booth 4141 and talk to us about making faxing a thing of the past in your organization.
You can also meet Matt Dyer by signing up here