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
We recently released functionality that saves the last fax memo entered by a user on a given instance of Weave. This way, you can add your own HIPAA disclaimer (or other memo) and have it persist for the next fax you send. We plan to improve this further in the future, so please share your ideas on how we can help streamline your workflow!
Best,
Matt Schultz
Weave Product Management
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Jill Ramsey
commented
Could we please have access to edit a more extensive coversheet?
E.g. could we have access to add basic info we want on every coversheet. E.g. Company Name, Fax Number, etc.
The fax "coversheet" in weave is insufficient and we often have to upload our own in order to have the info we need in there.
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Tina 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.