Health Care Clings to Faxes as U.S. Pushes Electronic Records
Regulatory changes are on the way that will start pushing the health-care system away from the fax machine in the direction of “interoperability,” but first health IT technology must show more concern for provider communication and care coordination, analysts say.
At least 70% of health-care providers still exchange medical information by fax, according to federal officials, and some providers, such as nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities, rely heavily on the outdated technology.
Electronic health records and other modern health IT tools hold much promise, but they under-deliver when it comes to moving information across boundaries of the health-care system: between hospital systems, between providers, between competing technology platforms.
That’s where the fax machine comes in, bridging the gaps in its own clunky way.