Do you have a fax machine? (Medical office complaint)

[marbel]

This afternoon I received a call from a medical center at which I am having a test next week.   It was a confirmation call but included a question about a form I was to have received from my doctor and which I need to fill out before I go for my procedure.  

 

"If you don't have the form, let me know and I'll fax it right over to you, and you can fill it out and fax it back."

 

WTH.  Who has a fax machine any more (other than medical offices)?  Maybe some businesses still use them? Anyway, 15 minutes later when I called back, the office was already closed for the weekend (~3:45pm).  I left a message asking where I can find the form online so I can print it and email it back to them.  Because, right, my doctor didn't give it to me. 

 

This just annoys me so much.  I haven't had anyone talk about faxing something for years, except medical offices.  

 

I've already checked the hospital's and the doctor's websites; no sign of any forms.  

 

 

[gardenmom5]

we have a fax machine.

 

I get annoyed when I'm emailed a form, -and in order to fill it out, I have to print it then scan it back in.

[Happy]

I have a home office so I have one, but, yeah, most people don't.

 

Most of our medical offices email forms to us...which means you must be able to print them off, too. I find a lot of people aren't set up for that.

[Ravin]

We have a fax machine at work, but seriously when dealing with patients it would be more reasonable to send forms by email and/or maintain a website with secure upload capability.

[thessa516]

My printer has a fax option, but in today's world I think all those patient forms should be on the website.

Edited October 14, 2016 by thessa516

[TravelingChris]

My printer can do fax but since I have one phone line in the house, I only use it very rarely.  To use it, I have to get the printer from the office to my bedroom, unplug the phone and plug in the printer.  Not something I really want to do.  I much prefer it if the doctor's office has the forms on a website that you can print out yourself.

[MotherGoose]

I have a printer that can allegedly fax but I don't use it.  I think HIPPA has caused you actually not to be able legally to scan/email medical forms unless both have special secured emails (ie not gmail).  Also I've run into the same problem with investments: they can't email you any financial documents, at least not the firm I use.  

[EmseB]

I think you can fax to and from the web.  I know I've done it before but it's been ages.  faxzero, maybe?  but it gets sent as a pdf.

[Guest]

I just ask if I can scan and email them. Most say no prob.

[Janeway]

I have a fax. But I do not receive faxes, only send.

[Laura Corin]

We have a fax machine at work.  It sits in the corner of a sitting room under a plant, which has grown enormous through ill-directed fax power.  We use it once a year or so.

[gardenmom5]

We have a fax machine at work, but seriously when dealing with patients it would be more reasonable to send forms by email and/or maintain a website with secure upload capability.

 

this.

 

dudeling's ND does this.  it's great.  I can fill out, read reports, etc.  and it's secure.'

I don't let being emailed forms - but the same risk for fax'ed forms.  you get  the wrong person's

[SparklyUnicorn]

Not really.  I have a scanner/printer.  So I could scan and e-mail.

 

I imagine many people don't have faxes.  You generally need both a landline and a dial up modem.  I know there are some workarounds on the modem thing, but I don't know about the phone line.

 

 

[Annie G]

Nope. Used to have  a fax machine years ago but haven't had one in years.  Dh has bloodwork done regularly and his doc always says his office will fax the orders to the lab. They never do (or maybe the lab just misplaces them). We got tired of that so now we pick up orders to take even though they roll their eyes and tell us they've already faxed them. We always check at the lab...maybe once in six years the orders have been there. 

 

I like having paper prescriptions too.  It seems like whenever we pick up our drugs they ALWAYS tell us they 'just got the prescription faxed' and it'll take a while to fill.  It's funny because sometimes we go an hour after the appointment and sometimes the next day...and they always 'just got' it. 

 

 

[carriede]

No fax here. I ask for a digital copy, print, fill out, then scan it back in.

[marbel]

OK, I stand corrected in my thinking that no one has a fax machine anymore.  :-)

 

Most of the doctors I deal with have a secure web portal, which is great.  Those that don't, have forms to download on their website and ask that I bring in at the appointment.  From the message I received today, I gather that the hospital wants the form before I arrive at 8 am Thursday.  I guess I'll find out on Monday what I'll need to do. 

 

I love having prescriptions electronically submitted to the pharmacy.  So inconvenient to have to take the paper over, either wait around for half an hour for it to be filled, or go back the next day.  Love getting the text while I'm on the way home from the doc saying "your prescription is ready for pickup."   

[Alicia64]

I don't think most have fax machines, but can send scanned stuff through email.

 

Alley

[happypamama]

No, I find that sort of thing annoying too.  I don't like when someone wants me to fax something to them instead of emailing it.

 

I do have a fax machine as part of my printer, but it isn't hooked up because we don't have a landline.  I don't think that's uncommon anymore; I think most people don't just have multifunction machines as a matter of course.

[AnnE-girl]

I think our printer can be a fax machine, but we've never used it for that. Usually our doctors will email the forms for us to print out to bring in with us rather than taking the time to fill them out at the office. Do they need the completed form before you actually go in?

[Seasider]

We had a fax line for years, but as scanning and sending things in PDF form became easier, and cell phones much more functional than landlines, we dropped our fax machine line.

 

We truly haven't missed it for several years. However, I am currently in the middle of an organizational project and twice in this past week it would have been handy, as two companies (one a financial institution, one a health insurance company) would not accept my PDFs but would take a fax. I think I could go someplace like Office Depot or the UPS Store, but I decided to just drop the paperwork into the regular mail instead.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Seasider

[LucyStoner]

Outside of a few specific work settings, fax is an essentially dead technology. I don't know that many people with home phone lines, to say nothing of a fax machine.

 

The place my husband works recieves faxes all day long but that's because pharmacies are stuck in the dark ages due to various factors.

[Seasons]

Yep, we have a fax machine but rarely use it.

[J-rap]

Most businesses I know will accept an email scan instead of a fax these days.  But, I have had dealings with some businesses (mostly overseas) that require a fax.  I go to an office supply store to get it down.  I think UPS/Fed Ex stores have a fax service too.

[Night Elf]

I don't have one but I'm sure DH's work must have one. Otherwise I don't know where I would find one if someone insisted that's the only way I could send the form.

[trulycrabby]

In our area, you can send and receive documents at a UPS Store or kinko's copy store. We do have a fax machine, but it is part of our print/copy/scan/fax function. I haven't used it in years.

[Lanny]

We had a FAX machine in our house for many years, but we don't have a working one now.  I think in "The Office"  there are 2 FAX machines that have problems as I write this.  If I need to send a FAX to the USA, I use a free web service, like FaxZero.com      Occasionally, I do receive a form via email, which needs to be printed out and then after filling it out, needs to be scanned in, so it can be sent by email. That is a bit of a PITA, however, the *quality* of what each party receives, with an email attachment, is probably much better than what one would get after FAXing in 2 directions.  I understand your frustration with the medical office and they are probably assuming that everyone they deal with has a FAX machine, which may be true of Insurance Companies, but is not true of individual families.  We had the phone line for our FAX machine disconnected, years ago. I think around 2008...

[luuknam]

This afternoon I received a call from a medical center at which I am having a test next week.   It was a confirmation call but included a question about a form I was to have received from my doctor and which I need to fill out before I go for my procedure.  

 

"If you don't have the form, let me know and I'll fax it right over to you, and you can fill it out and fax it back."

 

WTH.  Who has a fax machine any more (other than medical offices)?  Maybe some businesses still use them? Anyway, 15 minutes later when I called back, the office was already closed for the weekend (~3:45pm).  I left a message asking where I can find the form online so I can print it and email it back to them.  Because, right, my doctor didn't give it to me. 

 

This just annoys me so much.  I haven't had anyone talk about faxing something for years, except medical offices.  

 

I've already checked the hospital's and the doctor's websites; no sign of any forms.  

 

No. I've never had a fax machine, and neither have my parents afaik (were they ever common for home use? - I thought not). IIRC our library still has one (there was a question on the treasure hunt we did at the beginning of summer). At home, I *think* there's a way to imitate a fax machine using some online service, your printer, and your scanner. But I agree... it's ridiculous they'd expect you to have a fax machine.

[luuknam]

I have a printer that can allegedly fax but I don't use it.  I think HIPPA has caused you actually not to be able legally to scan/email medical forms unless both have special secured emails (ie not gmail).  Also I've run into the same problem with investments: they can't email you any financial documents, at least not the firm I use.  

 

I don't know all the HIPAA laws, but I'm certain that it's legal for them to keep all their blank forms on their website, and for you to email them whatever you want (including completed forms), since you can give your health information to anyone - it's just that *they* can't.

[Amy in NH]

I have an all-in-one copy/print/fax/scan. It did not cost much more than a plain printer, and I use all of those functions all the time.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I have a printer that can allegedly fax but I don't use it.  I think HIPPA has caused you actually not to be able legally to scan/email medical forms unless both have special secured emails (ie not gmail).  Also I've run into the same problem with investments: they can't email you any financial documents, at least not the firm I use.  

 

Incorrect.  Unencrypted email may be used if the proper procedures are followed. 

[Daria]

we have a fax machine.

 

I get annoyed when I'm emailed a form, -and in order to fill it out, I have to print it then scan it back in.

There are plenty of options' for filling out forms on computers.

[Daria]

I have a printer that can allegedly fax but I don't use it. I think HIPPA has caused you actually not to be able legally to scan/email medical forms unless both have special secured emails (ie not gmail). Also I've run into the same problem with investments: they can't email you any financial documents, at least not the firm I use.

But we are talking about sending a blank form. If the patient chooses to take on the risk of sending it back through gmail, that's on them.

[gardenmom5]

There are plenty of options' for filling out forms on computers.

 

not if the form was SCANNED into the computer in the first place (like a photo) as opposed to an electronic document.

[73349]

We can scan and email from home. Blank forms should definitely be available for you to download and print. Then you could even send it back in by snail mail if you wanted.

 

We can go to a nearby Fedex/Kinko's to send a fax. I know this because my state only accepts the copy of the parent's diploma for homeschooling registration that way! (And they only have one line receiving them, so there's a busy signal all day on July 1.)

[kewb]

For the rare fax I need to send or receive I use the service efax. Works through your email.

[Daria]

not if the form was SCANNED into the computer in the first place (like a photo) as opposed to an electronic document.

 

Yes, absolutely, there are options that let you open a PDF, and then write on top of it.