Frank Ruelas (francisco.ruelas@dignityhealth.org) is a Facility Compliance Professional with Dignity Health in Phoenix.
The sending of faxes is not typically thought of when assessing compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule. However, as more organizations move to electronic fax applications, this gives us an additional reason for us to check the accuracy of fax numbers, because when faxes are received and stored electronically, the Security Rule comes into play. This month’s Security Awareness Suggestion (SAS) is related to a common error involving faxes that was identified through several investigations.