Home Forums Discussions General Discussion How do I handle ALL of the Faxes I receive?

Like you, I get tons of faxes about my patients-from labs that don't interface with AC, from Xray Clinics and Hospitals that don't interface with AC, from other Doctors, Pharmacy requests, etc. ad. nauseum. I used to use sticky notes (yes, real sticky notes) to route the faxes for staff (little action notes such as call pt in, file this, review w pt at next office call, pull chart for doctor review). I do not like the idea of a "fax/document handling service" that I have to pay for monthly + any overage.

Does anyone use or know of a software solution that will take tiff faxes that I receive on my Windows 2003 Fax Server (no paper involved) batch convert them to pdf or jpeg, let me mark them up, sign them off and file them in the Imported section of AC (would be best if we had more options as far as type of imported document (such as Hospital inpat records, Hospital Discharge Summary, ER records, etc.--perhaps, new user customizable tabs across the top of Imported items so we could assign our own special type of Imported items?

Please Help me--lost in a Flurry of Faxes!

Paperport will do this. My copy, Version 9, was free with my Brother MFC and works very well for me. The newer versions seem to be a little more buggy and slower to function so I have opted not to upgrade. I have also heard a number of complaints about the tech support. But, hey, it was free!

We use a program called Snappy Fax - it is free to try for 30 days, then $29.99 to buy for one computer. It handles all our incoming and outgoing faxes. We save faxes as PDF files which can be marked-up with Adobe Acrobat Typewriter Tool and we can insert signatures. Then you can import the PDF file into the patient's chart.

To send a fax, simply go to print a document, but instead print it to the "Snappy Fax Printer" - this takes you into the program where you can then select the recipient's fax number from your contact list. We've been using this program in conjunction with a Toshiba ScanSnap S1500 to scan paper documents for faxing. To send a patient's chart, we just print the entire chart to the "Snappy Fax Printer", add a cover page in the Snappy Fax program, and away it goes. We've been using it for over a year and have no complaints. It was a one-time purchase of the scanner (which we needed for scanning in paper charts anyways), the software, and the monthly phone bill.

Dr. Dino,
I understand what you are looking for, and I also understand your desire not to pay a monthly fee for a document management program. I felt the same way.
On the other hand, I suggest that you consider Updox. It does the things you are looking for, and a lot more. In my opinion, the amount of time and irritation saved by you and your staff would make the program well worth the investment.

If your fax can receive the fax directly to your computer as a PDF file, I use File Assistant Pro, which is a free software

For heavy duty faxing I recommend Faxmaker by GFI. When I say heavy duty, I mean heavy duty. This software and a good fax card costs $1100.00 or so and should only be purchased if you have your own Exchange server.

JamesNT

There are a couple of solutions.
1) Assign an employee who will review the incoming faxes and route them appropriately. This will decrease the total number you have to review. Some can legitimately be put in your inbox which you then sign off through AC which will show that you have reviewed it.

2) There are a number of programs that will convert from tiff to PDF. I, like Leslie, use Paperport, which came with my Brother fax. I think I use V10 but it works OK with Win XP. (I think they are on V11 and have also heard it is buggy)

2a) There are PDF "printers" such as cutePDF or PDFredirect that allow you to print from any format to PDF. I'm not sure you can batch print, but I will look into it. I use both of them for different purposes, cute PDF is faster. PDFredirect allows you to merge files. Did I mention that they are FREE?

3) I now use ATT "unified messaging" which traps all of my faxes online. They can then be printed (via cutePDF) either to filing or to be reviewed. It also gives the option of checking faxes from any computer.

4) While the pro version of cutePDF allows you to mark up, the free version does not. I use Paperport to mark up. Lately though, I started using another program Nitro PDF because it will allow me to use a PNG signature that has a clear background. PDF, GIF and TIF had solid backgrounds. NitroPDF is also free, but it requires me to bounce back and forth to mark up documents (it does signature and text but not free form or boxes like paperport.) Paperport will not recognize PNG.

I am sure there are more options out there. This is just what we use.

I think UPDOX is the way to go, but it is the only e-fax I have ever used. It costs me about $55/month but I no longer pay for the additional phone line. I then bundled my internet and other phone lines and greatly reduced my costs.

Thank you for your thoughts--I will investigate PaperPort v9
Dr. Dinosaur (genius: paper plodipus)

Thank you for your thoughts--I use a Snappy Scanner --I will give the 30 day trial of Snap Fax a shot at handling the flurry of faxes

Dr. Dinosaur (genius: paper plodipus)

Lots of good suggestions.

One I would add is try to reduce the number of faxes you receive.

I think updox is the slickest solution but they had no local number for my area. (although there are workarounds with forwarding).

I got 11 faxes one morning from a pharmacy on a non-compliant with followup patient . At that point I boiled over then gave 1 month refill, but also told patient: no more refills except in person.

I am using the new eprescribing interface within Amaz Charts 5.1.7 and it is much improved. No more separate "newcrop" screens. Stuff is imported into A/c. It's not perfect yet, but again reduces faxes.

Per Leslie's advice (thank you) I use Paperport 9 to receive faxes from my Brother All in One. Sometimes I markup the fax on the screen and send it back, but sometimes I print it out, write on it, and have the staff manually fax it, then either just file it in the paper chart or scan it back in. I find it ironic that Medicare wants manual signatures and non-stamped dates, but government wants us to go electronic, but that is another topic.

A Amazing Charts lab interface also will reduce faxes.

One Home health agency was sending me all these hard to read faxes printed on colored forms in fine print. I told them "no more", just sent to me in a folder. At least now I can read what I am signing.

As far as junk faxes, I have gotten to where I can detect them in a few seconds just by viewing the thumbnail in paperport and I immediately delete them in a few seconds.

Hope these tips help.

I can't find the post, but recently I think either Wendell or Leslie posted the CMS regulation about stamped versus electronic signatures & dates. Bottom line, electronic signatures & dates are not prohibited.

We were getting frequent rejections of our electronically signed/dated documents by "jerk-clerks" at the various pharmacies & DME companies, until we added the following statement to our fax cover sheet:

So, John...do you print that in a #6 font, or is your cover sheet 3 pages long?

Intimidation was my goal, so I need all that verbosity.

Actually, it is one of my fax coversheet templates on Updox. I let Updox figure out how to fit it on one page (it does). And if it comes out to be 3 pages on their fax -- so much the better.

I love you guys!

It was me, my cover now includes the phrase "this is a computerized signature not a stamp and is acceptable to HCFA. If you will not accept it, please mail me a SASE and original not copy for signature."

I like yours better, I think I will borrow it if you do not mind.

Wendell, thanks for the inspiration. It is yours to use as you wish.

Does any use, or has any one heard of Lunar pages? http://www.lunarpages.com/hosting-solutions/fax-to-email/ It apparently costs per month for the number of faxes received. I don't have paperport or UpDox. Looking to do what others have discussed....a means to have Xrays and labs available in a format that is easier to import into AC, with a lot less paper piling up.

Tom

Slightly less expensive than Updox for my # of faxes, but lacks the markup tools and direct AC import/filing capabilities of Updox.