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  Answer ID  
356
  Category  
Privacy of Health Information/HIPAA
  Privacy Rule: General Topics
  Smaller Providers/Small Businesses
  Date Updated  
07/18/2003 12:22 PM

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  Can a physician’s office FAX patient medical information to another physician’s office?
  Question
  Can a physician’s office FAX patient medical information to another physician’s office?
  Answer
  The HIPAA Privacy Rule permits physicians to disclose protected health information to another health care provider for treatment purposes. This can be done by fax or by other means. Covered entities must have in place reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the privacy of protected health information that is disclosed using a fax machine. Examples of measures that could be reasonable and appropriate in such a situation include the sender confirming that the fax number to be used is in fact the correct one for the other physician’s office, and placing the fax machine in a secure location to prevent unauthorized access to the information. See 45 CFR164.530(c).
 
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