The true cost of sending a fax when it comes to HIPAA compliance

The cost to send a fax varies widely, ranging from a few cents per page with online services to a few thousand dollars to purchase and maintain a traditional fax machine. 

The price of a fax

When sending a traditional fax, organizations can expect to pay $286.08 for a starter model like the Brother FAX-575. The machine, while highly rated, is meant for smaller organizations; efficiency models required by large organizations, on the other hand, can run into the thousands of dollars range. Traditional faxing also comes with additional costs like consumables and maintenance costs that become a constant expense. 

The costs of traditional faxing have resulted in the popularization of online faxing services like mFax. There are still considerable facts like the pricey nature of plans for services that offer HIPAA compliance like mFax ranging from $75 - $300 based on the number of staff and the amount of faxes sent.  

Related: Why aren't faxes effective for patient communication?

Fax vs. email

Encryption and security

• HIPAA compliant email services like Paubox encrypt every message sent automatically without the need for additional portals or passwords. 
• Traditional facing does not offer inherent security and even with a cover page, faxes can still be easily intercepted.

Convenience

• Email is already commonly used resulting in easier training of staff in the use of HIPAA-compliant email software. 
• Online faxing comes with additional training on the inner workings of the software and unlike Paubox, most online faxing services don’t intergrate with familiar software like Gmail. 

Ease of use

• Email allows recipients to access documents directly from their inboxes without any special equipment or procedure, 
• Traditional faxing involves dealing with physical machines and may require manual intervention. 

Cost-effectiveness

• While there is an initial investment for HIPAA compliant email services, the long term costs are lower than the costs of maintaining fax machines. 
• Services like Paubox also offer subscriptions that start at $38 per month offering more effective security in the long run compared to the high cost of faxing services where users pay per fax, per batch of faxes or use costly subscriptions. 
  
  

The cost of faxing to HIPAA compliance

The true cost of sending faxes as a healthcare organization goes beyond the fiscal value discussed above. While fax machines can technically be HIPAA compliant, the practical challenges and opportunities for breaches are vast. Faxes can be misrouted to unintended recipients, left unattended in fax machines, or accessed by unauthorized personnel. All these scenarios can lead to entirely avoidable data breaches. Traditional fax machines also often lack encryption, making the transmission of PHI susceptible to interception. 

This lack of security is starkly contrasted by the strong encryption offered by reliable means of communication like HIPAA compliant email. With 4.37 billion users worldwide, email provides an unparalleled opportunity for interaction between patients and providers, fostering open communication. 

Unlike fax, which is limited to transactional medical communications, email can also be leveraged for marketing purposes. This versatility enhances patient engagement and allows healthcare organizations to connect with their audience in meaningful ways, making email a far more dynamic tool. 

FAQs

What is HIPAA?

HIPAA is a law that sets standards for protecting the privacy and security of individuals' health information. 

How are faxes secured? 

Faxes are secured through dedicated phone lines and cover pages. 

What is the difference between traditional and online faxing?

Traditional faxing involves sending documents via a physical fax machine over telephone lines, which can be slower and less secure. Online faxing uses internet-based services to send and receive documents electronically.