Leveraging fax machines in 2022 may sound like a punchline, but it’s important to note that faxing is still heavily utilized in healthcare today. Like it or not, the technology persists, and vendors may overestimate how easily they can sell busy providers and their staff on flashy new solutions that eliminate deep, decades-old workflows. Simply because these practices can function, the assumption may be “if it ain’t broken…” Assuming a position of humility, we’d all do well to remember that blithely calling out inefficiencies or mandating change is not likely going to drive adoption. Sure, you may very well recognize that it is, indeed, broken, but where we can really serve clinicians and their teams (and therefore their patients) is by encouraging baby steps toward next level fax communication via Cloud Faxing, and letting the results speak for themselves.
Once More for the Folks in the Back…
We are quite outspoken about how important it is that healthcare providers are not the ones shouldering the worries and responsibilities of interoperability. While there is no question about the value that better communication in healthcare offers to everyone involved, especially administrative staff, overlooking existing workflows and failing to recognize the massive impact of change for day-to-day operations within clinics and hospitals is why so many initiatives have fallen flat.
Any technology implementation should start with a very basic question: How does this work today? Driving change from a baseline of understanding and respect for existing processes is key for gaining traction. And leaning into fax and its long-standing place in medicine is certainly no exception.
Cloud Faxing Moves the Needle on Communication and Connectivity
Imagine the relief for a swamped front desk administrator to incorporate a familiar workflow via a cloud faxing solution that mimics existing processes while still adding value, such as: increased visibility to volume, tracking of documentation needing review/signature, advanced delivery methods, simple assimilation into patient records and EHRs, and more!
Another awesome aspect of cloud faxing is that providers outside of well-funded care settings such as hospitals and large health systems can benefit from affordable, simple-to-implement solutions that provide the same benefits and increase communication for continuity of care. There is so much value in bringing non-traditional providers into this thing called “interoperability” to benefit the patient experience and support business needs at the same time. Especially with quality of care initiatives and risk-based contracts, being able to create a cohesive network with secure, reliable methods of exchanging and requesting patient information is absolutely critical.
How Cloud Fax Can Open the Door for Other Communication Tools and Methods
Slow and steady wins the race, but we also understand that we needed better tools to support healthcare delivery like yesterday. Where cloud faxing plays a strategic role in our collective efforts to better connect providers is the ability to demonstrate value via minimal impact to workflow, which sets the stage beautifully to broach usage of other tools like Direct Secure Messaging, HIEs, and more. But when the proof is in the pudding, recognizing how much ground can be gained by pursuing cloud faxing to replace traditional fax as a gateway to other solutions is not only wise, but it could fundamentally change the healthcare IT experience for many jaded physicians and their staff.
