All About Fax Management: Numbers, Cover Pages, and Activity

In this article, you will learn about fax numbers, fax cover pages, and fax activity within your practice to ensure smooth and efficient communication.

In this article:

• Fax Numbers
• Fax Cover Page
• Fax Activity in your Practice

Fax Numbers ▶

The Fax Numbers section allows admins to manage fax line configurations, assign numbers to locations or agents, and enable email-based faxing. This configuration ensures that all inbound and outbound faxes are routed correctly, securely, and in compliance with healthcare data standards.

Learn about how to Configure Fax Numbers in VoiceStack.

Benefits

Securely Exchange Critical Healthcare Information: By facilitating the transfer of patient information through encrypted and compliant channels, faxing ensures timely communication and supports full adherence to HIPAA regulations.

Best Practices

1. Review Fax Configurations Monthly: Regularly audit all assigned fax numbers to verify that only active users and valid email addresses are linked. This helps prevent sensitive documents from being routed to inactive accounts or incorrect recipients.
2. Deactivate Unused Fax Numbers: Routinely identify and disable fax numbers that are no longer in use. Doing so reduces interface clutter, prevents confusion, and minimises potential data security risks from unattended lines.
3. Validate Fax Functionality Periodically: Conduct scheduled test transmissions—both inbound and outbound—to confirm that each fax line is operational. Test results help detect issues early, such as misrouted faxes, delivery failures, or configuration errors, ensuring uninterrupted service.
4. Maintain Access Control and Permissions: Limit fax configuration access to administrators or designated personnel only. This prevents unauthorised changes and maintains accountability for all routing and forwarding settings.

FAQ

Q) Can one fax number be shared by multiple locations?

A) Yes. A single fax number can be assigned to multiple locations if needed. This allows different offices or departments to send and receive faxes through the same number, which can simplify communication and reduce the need for multiple lines. However, it’s important to manage routing and access carefully to ensure that faxes are delivered to the correct recipients.

Fax Cover Page ▶

The Fax Cover Page feature allows admins to add a standardised cover page to outgoing faxes. This ensures that all fax transmissions include important identifiers such as company branding, recipient details, and other relevant information.

Learn about Configuring Fax Cover Page.

Use Cases

Scenario: A practice needs to send patient reports securely.

• Application: Admin uploads a branded cover page with disclaimer text.
• Benefit: Ensures every fax carries the clinic’s compliance and confidentiality statement. 

Benefits

• Improves communication consistency.
• Enhances compliance with organisational standards.
• Customisable branding improves professionalism.
• Saves time by eliminating the need to create a cover page for each fax.

Best Practices

• Use a company-branded template.
• Keep cover pages simple and professional.
• Regularly update cover pages to reflect current information (logos, addresses, disclaimers).

Edge Cases

• Only PDF file formats less than 5MB are supported for fax cover pages.
• Large file sizes may cause upload errors.
• Agents cannot bypass the cover page once assigned.

Fax Activity in your Practice ▶

The fax section within the admin app sends, receives, and tracks faxes digitally - eliminating the need for traditional fax machines. It acts as a centralised interface for managing all inbound and outbound fax activity within a practice.

Using the fax activity, admins can:

• View both the Inbox (Received) and Sent (Outgoing) faxes.
• Track fax delivery status.
• Open and download fax documents in PDF format.
• Filter, search, and download fax records for audit or record-keeping purposes.

Learn about how to Manage Fax Activity in your Practice.

Use Cases

1. Lab Reports/Referrals:  Receive medical reports or send patient details securely to partner clinics.
2. Insurance Documentation: Send claim forms or pre-authorisation documents directly to insurance providers. This ensures HIPAA-compliant data exchange.
3. Prescriptions / Orders: Forward prescriptions or material orders without printing or scanning.

Highlights

• The admin can view all sent and received faxes across the practice directly from the Fax dashboard.
• PDF view and download are |available for each fax.
• Separate tabs for Inbox and Sent faxes for easy management.
• Filter and search functionality for quick access to specific faxes.

Best Practices

• Review failed faxes to resend or verify recipient numbers.
• Use descriptive Notes (e.g., “X-ray Request,” “Lab Report”) for easy retrieval later.
• Verify that the Fax Numbers under Configuration are active and correctly mapped.

FAQ

Q: Why does a fax show “Failed: Unable to Connect to Recipient”?

A: The recipient’s line may be busy, offline, or invalid. Retry sending or confirm the destination number.

Q: Can I send a fax to multiple recipients?

A: No, each fax must be sent individually to ensure accurate delivery tracking

Q: How can I view older fax records beyond 30 days?

A: Change the Show Only filter to a custom date range or export the data before archival.

Q: Can I send a fax from my computer to a traditional fax machine?

A: Yes. You can send faxes directly from your computer to any online or physical fax machine, as long as you have the recipient’s fax number. If the recipient is not using an online fax service, they will still receive the document on their traditional fax machine.

Edge Cases

• Fax delivery depends on the recipient’s line availability. If the recipient’s fax machine is busy or offline, the fax may fail or retry automatically.
• The maximum file size limit for a single fax is 20 MB.
• Supported file formats for sending faxes are PDF and TIFF.

Support

Need further help? Contact [e-mail] or call [phone].