How to fill out fax cover sheet fields is simple once you know what each is for, and the mistakes are the same in every office: a page count that leaves out the cover, a subject line that discloses the content, a missing callback number. This page goes field by field, then covers how to write a fax cover sheet and how to make a fax cover sheet when there is no template to hand, and the wording for a fax letter cover sheet when the sender needs to say more than a subject line allows.
How to fill out a fax cover sheet, field by field
To: the recipient's name and their department if the fax goes to a shared machine, and their fax number as you will dial it. From: your name and organisation. Fax: your fax number, the one on your machine or online account, so a reply can come back. Phone: a number a person will answer, for a wrong recipient to call. Date: today. Pages: count the cover, so three pages of document is 4. Re: what the fax is for, in words that route it without disclosing content: Referral for review, not the patient's name; Signed agreement for countersignature, not the case. Message: one line, or leave blank. Confidentiality line: intended only for the named recipient; if received in error, telephone the sender and destroy the pages.
How to write a fax cover sheet, and how to make a fax cover sheet
With no template, open a word processor, type FAX at the top in large letters, then the fields above as labels down the left with space to the right, then the confidentiality statement across the foot. Save it as a template so the sender block never has to be retyped. That is how to make a cover sheet for a fax in five minutes, and the free fax cover sheet on this site is the same layout ready to print. For an online service, type the fields into the vendor's cover page at send time instead; the sender block and confidentiality line are saved in the account. Whichever way, keep the type large enough to survive a poor transmission and keep the content off the cover.
The fax letter cover sheet and fax sheet cover letter
When the sender needs to say more than a subject line allows, the message box becomes a short letter: what is enclosed, why, what the recipient should do and by when, and who to call. Keep it to three or four sentences. Everything else about the sheet stays the same: the identifying block above, the page count including the cover, the confidentiality line below. A fax sheet cover letter that runs to a page of its own has become page one of the document and needs a cover of its own, so if the message is long, put it on page two and let the cover route it. The cover letter page on this site gives examples by purpose.
Questions people ask about how to fill out fax cover sheet
Does the page count include the cover sheet?
Yes. Write the total including the cover, so the recipient knows a short transmission when they see one.
What goes in the Re line?
What the fax is for, in words that route it: referral, signed agreement, purchase order. Not the patient, case or account details.
Do I sign the cover sheet?
Initialling the sender line is enough. Some offices initial to confirm the number was checked before sending, which is a good habit.