Fax cover sheet - missing HIPAA notice
Yikes - just realized the Fax Cover Sheet does not contain the federally-mandated HIPAA privacy language that all offices are required to have on any faxed document transmitting protected health information (PHI). This is a major liability and oversight on your part.
https://concord.net/hipaa-compliant-fax-cover-sheet/
Whether you’re new to the world of HIPAA fax regulations, or you’ve just never thought about this question, remembering to always include a cover sheet is easier if you’re aware of how important this step is. Simply put, there are three primary reasons why a cover sheet is important for HIPAA compliant faxing:
Protecting the fax document from view
Providing contact info in case of an incorrect recipient
Displaying the HIPAA disclaimer upfront
The first of these reasons is arguably the most important: When you send a fax containing PHI to a business or individual your organization doesn’t have a close relationship with, you have no way of knowing how that document will be received or who will be receiving it. If the recipient’s documents are received by a traditional fax machine, a cover sheet keeps PHI protected from view when that fax lands in the document tray. Even if the fax recipient is utilizing a service that delivers fax via email, it’s still possible that it will land in an inbox that multiple users have access to. If the wrong user opens the fax attachment, the cover sheet will still be the first thing they see, protecting the info in the fax itself.
The second reason a cover sheet is important to HIPAA compliant faxing is that it provides contact info for the sender. If a fax is erroneously delivered to an organization it was never intended for, the cover sheet clearly displays who sent the document and how to reach them.
Finally, including the HIPAA fax disclaimer will also be important should the fax be mistakenly delivered to someone other than the intended recipient. The HIPAA fax disclaimer directly notifies the recipient that reviewing, disclosing and distributing the information in the document are prohibited. For your organization’s own liability risks, this statement should never be left off your cover sheet.
A sample of this language is here:
THE PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI) CONTAINED IN THIS FAX IS HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL. IT IS INTENDED FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE ADDRESSEE. IT IS TO BE USED ONLY TO AID IN PROVIDING SPECIFIC HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO THIS PATIENT. ANY OTHER USE IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW (HIPAA) AND WILL BE REPORTED AS SUCH. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS FAX IN ERROR, PLEASE DESTROY IT AND CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY.
Sarah Jerome
shared this idea
8 comments
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Judit Calvert
commented
Hello, I am reaching out since I noticed that the Weave fax cover page does not have a HIPAA disclosure on it. This means if we fax to the wrong number there is nothing stating not to go through the document if it doesn't regard them.
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Nikki
commented
I need to add a HIPAA disclaimer to the fax cover sheet. Please add this function to add some verbiage to the sheet without having to manually do it each time. Thanks
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Joy Deckard
commented
Is there anyway Weave can put the disclaimer into the memo each time a new fax is created? It seems if Weave is claiming HIPAA compliancy, they should provide the disclaimer as part of the creation with every new fax.
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Jenna McDermed
commented
Our HIPAA compliance company has requested that we begin including the following message on all fax cover forms:
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This facsimile is intended only for the use of the
named addressee and may contain information that is confidential or privileged. If
you are not the intended recipient, or you are not the employee responsible for
delivering the facsimile for the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any
dissemination, distribution or copying of this facsimile is strictly prohibited. If you
have received this facsimile in error, please notify the sender immediately.As these HIPAA rules would be true for all of your clients, we are requesting this to auto-generate on all fax cover letters. Thank you!
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William Stephen
commented
Agreed, we are currently copy and pasting a HIPAA disclaimer onto every cover sheet. It would be awesome to be able to make a default cover sheet that included the info that we need to stay HIPAA compliant
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Jen Cunningham
commented
It would be GREAT to add the ability to have a customized HIPAA-compliant fax cover sheet that we can toggle on (vs. having to hand-write a HIPAA-compliant cover sheet to include or having to customize the current cover sheet for every single fax). We are a doctor's office, and fax a great deal of Patient Health Info -- so we are required to have a HIPAA cover sheet. Thanks so much for considering! ;-)
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erica dunn
commented
There needs to be a way that a confidentiality statement per HIPAA guidelines can be attached to all fax cover sheets permanently. Please update me when this feature will be available. Thank you.
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Tina Holtzman
commented
Fax cover sheet template with the ability to save a Hipaa notice at the bottom.
EX. This fax, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain
confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is
prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by phone, at 312-549-8691,
or return e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.