Doctor faxes

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Dec 12, 2012

What kind of facility are you working in? Is English your first language? (Sometimes that is an issue and it can make it easier to offer suggestions or resources if we know whether or not English is your first language). What kind of faxes are you sending to physician's offices?

sbergmann17 · Dec 13, 2012

English yes . The faxes are about galled what's going on with the resident trying to orders to help our resident.

skittlebear · Dec 16, 2012

I am by no means someone who corrects others typos and actually I dislike people who point out others' mistakes on boards. I make many, many mistakes of my own. I do not understand your last post however. Can you elaborate?

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Dec 16, 2012

It's difficult to understand what you are trying to ask us or what is expected of you. Perhaps you are typing on a smart phone (darn autocorrect and microscopic keyboard!).

I am going to venture a guess that you are faxing treating physicians updates about their patient's condition and perhaps to request updated or additional medical orders for treatment and/or medication. Is this correct?

Do you have a nurse educator on staff? Perhaps there is a template that you can use when communicating with physicians? Your posts are bit difficult to understand and, (please don't take this the wrong way) if this is the same syntax that you are using to communicate with physician's offices this could be the source of the confusion and frustration.

Stick with a simple format (****and make certain that you are utilizing a secure fax line to be compliant with HIPAA and patient confidentiality laws****) so that you don't miss any information.

amoLucia · Dec 21, 2012

A thought came to me - how much info should be detailed on faxes in view of HIPAA, esp when there is the possibility that the faxes may NOT be going to where there they were intended to go???

I bring this up since I once received a very information sensitive, time-dependent and RSVP fax from an MD office. It contained info re State unemployment, disability, return-to-work, and auto insurance no-fault. And it had attachments. The real, intended fax # was one digit different from mine but from one of the documents, I could see that the intended number was blurry and easy to misinterpret.

Recognizing the importance of the fax, and being a good Samaritan (and the fact that I had been a past pt), I called the office to give them a heads-up.

I know HIPAA permits the sharing of information among healthcare professionals involved in a pt's care, but... Obviously, the elecronic age has its drawbacks.