Fax was a breakthrough when Alexander Bain invented it in the 19th century, allowing documents to travel faster and more reliably than ever before. For decades, fax revolutionized communication and in healthcare it remains central for moving documents - all because it meets strict compliance requirements.

While fax solves for compliance, it creates bottlenecks and adds complexity to healthcare workflows. Today, teams are stuck navigating a tangle of missing faxes, manual data entry and endless follow-ups, all while shouldering the constant pressure of compliance requirements. These outdated manual processes slow down workflows, increase the risk of errors and drain time that could be spent on patient care.

Fax chaos isn’t inevitable - it’s a symptom of processes that haven’t kept pace with modern healthcare demands. Intelligent automation is designed to fix exactly this, streamlining document handling, improving accuracy and freeing teams from the bottlenecks that have held them back for too long.

Fax in modern healthcare

Fax continues to be a backbone of healthcare communication because it remains one of the most reliable, compliant ways to exchange sensitive information. But traditional fax workflows introduce delays, errors and inefficiencies. Healthcare teams frequently spend hours manually routing documents, verifying delivery and entering data into multiple systems. These delays can have real consequences: misdiagnoses, missed medications, billing errors and slower patient care.

In Documo’s 2025 Stuck in the Fax Lane survey, 88% of hospital administrators reported that fax delays impact patient care, and 52% of faxes still require manual processing. These statistics highlight the persistent challenges healthcare teams face with legacy fax workflows.

The risks of outdated workflows

Manual fax processes create multiple points of friction. Staff must print, scan, route documents, verify delivery and enter data manually - each step increasing the risk of errors or misplacement. In fast-paced clinical environments, even small delays can ripple through patient care, administrative and billing workflows. A lost authorization form, delayed lab report or misfiled referral can create bottlenecks that compromise efficiency and outcomes.

The survey also found that the most automated teams are the most confident, yet only 29% of healthcare providers say their workflows are fully automated. The link between automation and reliability is clear: modernizing fax workflows reduces errors, boosts confidence and improves patient outcomes.

Reimagining fax with AI and automation

Modern healthcare organizations are turning to automation to solve these challenges. By combining cloud fax with Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), documents can be automatically categorized - such as referrals, labs or authorizations - and routed to the correct account or subaccount. Built-in OCR extracts patient information, reducing manual work and minimizing errors.

The result is a faster, more reliable and fully digital fax workflow. Staff spend less time chasing down documents and more time focusing on patient care. Automation also ensures HIPAA compliance and secure handling of sensitive data, preserving the trust and security that fax has historically provided.

Benefits beyond efficiency

Automation with Intelligent Document Processing doesn’t just speed up fax workflows - it also provides measurable operational benefits:

• Reliability: Best-in-class uptime and deliverability ensure documents reach the right destination every time.
• Integration: Modern APIs make it easy to connect faxing into existing workflows, EHR’s and software systems.
• Compliance: Built-in HIPAA and SOC2 safeguards protect sensitive patient data.

The future of healthcare workflows

Fax has evolved from a 19th-century invention into a 21st-century operational necessity. Yet its full potential is only realized when combined with intelligent automation. By reimagining fax workflows with AI, healthcare teams can reduce manual effort, cut errors, accelerate patient care and maintain security and compliance. This same automation can extend to other document types for even greater efficiency.

In a healthcare landscape where speed, accuracy and reliability are critical, modern cloud fax and IDP solutions are no longer just a convenience - they’re essential. Fax isn’t going away, but it can finally work smarter, faster and safer.