Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Fax Management

I've read a lot of people here use the Brother MFC's for handing their faxing. I want to share my fax setup in case anyone is interested.

I use SnappyFax 64bit FaxServer on a Windows 2008 Server. $69.00
I have 3 SnappyFax clients ($49.00 each)

2 workstations have an Iris Page Scanner ($99.00)
The FrontDesk has a Xerox Documate152 ($400) scans 18ppm. I chose this over the Fujitsu ScanSnap S510 because it has a TWAIN driver and the Fujitsu does not.

HOW IT WORKS:

The FaxServer supports multiple modems, although I am only using one. It also supports forwarding faxes by email and SENDING FAXES BY EMAIL.

All of the faxes come into the server and each of the 3 MA's has a different responsibility. They can each import the fax to their individual station and the server logs the fax as imported(picked up). This is great because I can look at the log at anytime and tell whether a fax was "attended to" by the appropriate person.

The MA's can fax directly from their workstation, and if the server is busy sending or receiving, it cues the faxes for sending. The users are automatically notified if their faxes fail.

All sent and received faxes are stored as PDFs and moved into the document management system.

This has been extremely helpful in reducing the "I need to fax something" or my other favorite "I just want a regular fax machine" which of course will never happen!

We use the same thing
SnappyFax with Clients. I am yet to integrate the email system but is seems to be working wonders.

The best thing is alll faxes are are kept in as PDF, so you can also attach them to AC patients charts.

Right now the two docs and two support staff use them.

It sounds good, how do your MA's view the faxes for deciding what should be done with them? Do they have to open them in Adobe Reader? Or does the Snappy Fax client have a good viewer that works with its file explorer?

The MA's can view the faxes, with the SNAPPYFAX VIEWER, on the server before "importing them." If the fax "belongs" to the MA she will import the fax and it will be marked "imported" on the server. Other MA's checking the server after will be able to see which faxes have been imported ("picked up") and by whom.

SnappyFax can be set to automatically save all INCOMING and OUTGOING faxes as pdf's to Admin specified folders.

Thanks GK (I can't parse where your last name begins.), something I dislike about Paperport. There is no good viewer to decide who should be dealing with an item. Click to open, click to close, click to move; it would be better to have an in program viewer to decide where a fax should be placed.

GK is good. Just let me be clear.
1) All the faxes are retained on the server, unless deleted.
2) All faxes are ALSO saved in folders as PDF files
3) Users can IMPORT "their items" to their SnappyFax client, still leaving the "imported item" on the server. That imported item is now MARKED as to which workstation imported it.

BTW, both the server and client have 30 day trials available.

Hello GK...
Could you also describe the process workflow in your office as to how these faxes flow through to the Doctor and back to the point those get faxed out? I know almost all of these fax messages need comments/approvals, etc by the doctor.

How doctor enters comments/signatures on these electronic faxes? Does Snappy fax allow digital signatures, etc?

Thanks,
HOB

I have built a custom workflow based on Microsoft's Windows WorkFlow Foundation (WWF) which allows the MA take the PDF examine it and route it to the appropriate person. The app allows the doc to add notes to the pdf and when the doc clicks complete the file is indexed, locked and saved in the patient's folder. It is possible to pull up a patient, and see all the documents we have on file for him/her.

As to digital signatures we do not use "digital signatures," and I doubt that many people are using them. A transparent graphic of my signature is not a digital signature and in many cases is far more insecure than an actual signature.

A digital signature on the other hand, must provide at least 3 things:
1) authentication - that the signature is authentic
2) integrity -that the document has not changed since it was signed
3) non-repudiation - does not allow denial that the person who was authenticated actually signed the document.

I know this sounds like a lot of Hocus Pocus, but digital signatures usually require some sort of Public Key Encryption technology.

for a free (or nearly) workflow:

we use software (FAX TO PC) that comes with brother mfcs that directly downloads incoming faxes to the computer (altho as a .tif file, instead of pdf). then we use XNVIEW (free pic manager) to manage the .tifs and sort it to the appropriate provider's folder. then use MS's office document image (comes with MS office) to view the .tiffs and manipulate them. no .pdf in our workflow, which allows us to bypass .pdf editors (which i have not found an easy free program for)

we send using brother's own PC-FAX that allows to treat the fax machine as another printer.

as an aside, how many people here use image to text (OCR) frequently? i'm hesitant on accuracy, esp for bad quality faxes, to do it automatically on all incoming faxes.

I have a question for GK- just wondering if you incorporate your pdf files into ac for the patients - and if so how do you go about doing it.

also do you email patients and if so how do you save it back into AC-
thanks tim

We use a document management system, to save all patient documents.

We do not email patients, ever. Unless you have a patient portal, email is fraught with HIPAA minefields.

george is of course right on the mark with that digital signature thing. I think Adobe offers a service for an actual digital signature.

Wayne, yesterday you said I was "dead right" about something. Today I am "right on the mark." I don't mind being right, but I really don't like the idea of being "dead" even if I'm right. LOL!

Wayne, I believe PKI(Public Key Infrasturcture) digital signatures will definitely be a part of the next CCHITT standard. This will enable Docs to "sign" a note/record and lock down the record in a verifiable manner.

I worked with the US Army Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB outside St. Louis, in way back in 1995 to implement a Leave Request which used PKI. Exciting times are here again!

ok, I won't call u dead anymore. LOL

I know where the FBI, CIA, DOJ, my local authorities and the Texas Rangers are.

Where are the HIPAA police located?

GK
The snappyfax setting sounds terrific.
Now, What document management software do you use? Is that the one you mentioned WWF?

Gama I wrote my own.

Anyone using the fax service on a windows server?

From what I have read, George is.

Bert, I am using SnappyFax from www.snappyfax.com

For about three days now, I have downloaded the 30 day trial of Snappyfax and it seems to work pretty good as a software.

However, I am trying to come up with the best process workflow in which a received fax flows through the office and is sent back (where neccessary - about 50%).

Almost 99% of received faxes must get to the doctor for their review and are returned with their Signatures/instructions/approvals. Once reviewed, some are to be faxed back and other to be stored(imported) into Patient Charts.

Now SnappyFax has a Server and a Client application that work really good in an environment where server is getting variety of faxes for different type of work and for multiple workers where any worker can pull the faxes related to their job duties.

But like I said ealier that in a Medical office (specially one physician office) almost all faxes go to the doctor for review. Following are the process steps that so far I have come up. We are going to try it to find out if Doctor is able to keep up with this process and also like it. This is definitely a little time consuming compared to paper where doctor just initials or write few comments.

1) Assume there is a server app of Snappyfax installed on a machine hooked to phone line and all the faxes are being received there.
2) Doctor on his/her desktop with Snappyfax client app installed.. will periodically Import(a function in SF) all the received faxes. This is equivalent to Doctor himself/herself picking the faxes from the traditional fax machine.
3) Then using the SF's View fax Page area, will manipulate the document.
a) Here I have scanned doctor's signature image file and configured it in the Sig. function of SF. Once clicked, teh sig image is inserted on the page that can be moved to the desired position of the page.
b) Also, you can insert comments(annotate)using SF's function in which I have selected a red color, size and font type for our easy recognition. Once clicked this icon, a sort of textbox is inserted for you to enter your comments/instructions and this also can be moved to the desired position of the page.

4) After you are done the step 3...you can click on the icon labeld "Burn" that permanently burns the sig and comments to the page. SF allows you to save these changes to the original file or you can save it as a new file.

5) Now you save the file as an external file into a shared folder(e,g Completed Faxes) on doctor's machine or anywhere you desire (must be shared though as my workflow requires that). .....NOW... This is where doctor's work ends

On the other hand, the assigned employee now (with permission to see the shared folder) can open the files into Snappyfax and send it where necessary and/or store it or import it into patient's charts in AC. Just to let you know that teh manipulated files are stored in .tiff format as SF does not allow you to send fax files in .pdf format. But if you need to import only in .pdf then the employee has to perform an extra step to convertthe .tiff file to .pdf before importing into AC (this is not a long step in my opinion).

I would like to get some opinions from existing Snappyfax users or from others who are using different solutions. I will welcome any better workflow if that adds into minimizing Doctor's time...

Thanks!!!!

Looks like nobody is interested in this thread and or has anything to add??

HOB

And why does that matter?

I don't know that there is no interest but it is a topic that has been discussed on many, many occasions in the past. Bert has his own fax management system. A number of us are using the free Paperport software that came with our Brother machines. Others are using Updox. So, rather than say there is no interest, perhaps it is better to say there is no overwhelming burning interest in SnappyFax.

Leslie

I am in need of some guidance from those with more pc savvy regarding the integration of my brother mfp and paperport with the fax management.
Leslie has been gracious enough to explain how the documents are divided up into separate folders to ultimately allow staff availability. I thought Ihad communicated this to my IT guy who helped network the brother mfp. Unfortunately, what I found is that the files are now on the AC database... and no files on the paperport program to allow the staff to process.

It doesn't seem that putting document folders on a database would then allow me to import the documents to AC from the database they are already attached to....

I know I am an techno-idiot, that's why I do medicine and not IT,
is there any advice you can offer.... I thought I had explained this situation to the IT guy when he did the networking of the mfp. I need to create the files on each of my office staffs pc's so that they can look at the documents once I have moved them, can anyone walk me through that part....

Currently, my faxes come in, but I am the only one that can see them.... and in order to process, means printing.

Jennifer

1. Leslie is the resident expert on Paperport and fax management
2. The whole idea of networking is so everyone can have access to everything. (If you let them). Of course, it has to be set up right and SHARED.
3. You may consider yourself a techno-idiot (your words), but even though you do medicine, you probably want your patients to do some (well a little) research on their own. It's a good idea to know a little. The most screwed up things I have seen in networking are when IT guys do it. I have found the following to be true:

When an network IT person sets up a network for themselves or one from scratch, it tends to be good. But, when they don't really have a concept of what you want to do...they just do it their way and it is often screwed up.

Your IT person certainly knows DNS, TCP/IP, WINS, Gateways, etc. but all of a sudden throw in Paperport, which he or she has never seen and you have a nightmare there.

I am sure Leslie can help. I am more than happy as many on here are to help with the networking.

Also, if looking for help, what is your setup? Peer to peer? Client/Server domain, workgroup, XP Pro, XP Home, which version of AC, what is your topology?

Leslie..Ok I take your statement ...there is no overwhelming interest...blah blah blah...-:)
Bert...are you by any chance offended? I appologize if that is true...I just was looking for some knowledge share by anybody on couple of questions...

I beg for some to share
1) Once a fax is received, what software they use to annotate and sign and fax it back? is it, Adobe or something else?

The doctors, as many of you are, do not like many clicks or steps to annotate and sign as appose to on paper that takes 10 seconds or less.

Check out PDF xchange. It is cheaper than Adobe, but not as mature. It can markup PDF files easily, though they can always be edited later. (which I may be a bad thing)

No offense taken and no apology needed. If any apology is needed it would be from me to you. I looked back this morning and thought my comment may have looked a bit abrupt taken out of context.

I have just seen many threads and many just end up dying out. I just found your comment funny -- in a good way. Hope that clears things up.

Actually, your post is kind of a "legal" way to do a "bump." I did a few bumps here once before I was a mod and I got my hand slapped by an admin.

Bert...no problem at all...I understand...
I did not intended this to be a bump..however, i thought this may bring in attention to some who cmay have something more to add...

thats all...

thanx for teh reply

Well, you can "bump" all you want under my watch. I guess if someone wants their thread to be noticed, hey why not.

how is paperport set up to receive faxes if paperport is installed onto a pc with a fax modem! i am unable to get paperport to receive faxes directly into the desktop!

Paperport is a document management system that enables one to work with documents as pdfs and other formats such as JPEG and application files. It works best with scanning allowing one to do much more with a scanning as a total Scan to PC solution.

Simply having Paperport does not guarantee you that you can fax to your desktop. Once you can fax to your desktop, you can use Paperport as an endpoint to manage those documents. It is very powerful software.

There are many ways that faxes come into your network. If you havw a networked fax machine, it most likely has software and drivers which allows you to set a path to a folder or several folders for Fax to PC. If you are faxing directly to a computer via its modem, then you have to have some type of software which will interface with it such as WinFax. Without knowing your entire setup, it is difficult to know exactly how to help you.

We went ahead and bought Snappyfax for an extra computer and use it as a fax server. I had previously looked at essentialfax shareware but snappyfax has a lot more features. We hooked it up last week using a file server on the computer with two clients. One for my assistant (only employee) up front and one for my office. We turned off the paper fax and so far have imported all the faxes into the front office computer. For now she either prints some, deletes trash, and sends other to me for review as imported files into AC.
Major problem when we went to hook up the back office scanner. It is a fujitsu that does not have TWAIN drivers and none seem to be available. A new scanner is to arrive soon. Included software includes paperport and omnipage.
I would like to be able to receive and send faxes via snappyfax and then use paperport to manage the files in prep for importing into AC. ie marking up a report. I would also like to have a document management system to scan and archive some old records and billing sheets. Paperport should be able work there. It is a lot less expensive than Updox.
We are early in implementing AC and I am still sorting out how to put it all together. Fortunately I have great IT support.
Is any reason this would not work?

Paperport does managing, usually the faxes are received by the Brother fax, if that is what you are using connected. You can select where paperport saves files, and probably to the desktop (seems to cluttered to me). I have a computer with a fax modem that receives faxes but if that fails, the brother is set to receive on 4 rings and will pick up the fax. This occurs about 2 times a week. We save the fax modem info to a folder on the desktop "faxes." We check paperport periodically to get faxes from the brother. Mostly we use the brother for outgoing faxes and a back room printer.

@Sambo: If you mean the Windows desketop DrWAW is right. If you mean the Paperport desktop I expect you can edit the software you are using with your fax modem to point to faxes to the 'my paper port documents' (something similar to that) folder in My Documents. Then they will automatically show up in the PaperPort desktop.