Free fax cover sheet: what it must carry, and where to get one

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What a fax cover sheet must carry

1. To and from. The recipient's name and fax number, and the sender's name, fax number and a phone number to call if the fax arrived in error. The recipient's number is the one field that catches a misdial, because the person who picks it up can see it was meant for someone else.
2. Date and page count. The date sent and the number of pages including the cover. A recipient who receives four of five pages knows to ask for the fifth; without the count, a missing page is invisible.
3. Subject and a short message. One line on what the fax is, and any instruction (sign and return, for the attention of). Keep it short: a cover sheet is a label, not a letter.
4. The confidentiality notice, when the contents need one. For patient records, legal documents or anything under a confidentiality duty, a notice that the fax is confidential, intended only for the named recipient, and that anyone else who receives it should notify the sender and destroy it. Providers whose pricing page states HIPAA with a BAA, WestFax on every plan, eFax on Business and Documo on Solo and Business, build the notice into their generated covers; the wording is the sender's responsibility on any service.

Where to get a free fax cover sheet

From the service you send with: every vendor in the table generates a cover from the fields above, and FaxZero adds one to its free faxes unless you untick the box. A printable template is only needed for a physical machine, and a plain document with the six fields above is a complete one; the design of the sheet carries no weight, the fields do.

What a template cannot supply is the confidentiality wording your own organisation has approved. Use the notice your compliance officer signs off, and put it on every cover that carries protected information, whichever service sends it.

The HIPAA fax cover sheet

HIPAA does not prescribe cover sheet wording, but a covered entity's own policies almost always do, and the notice on the cover is the visible half of a set of safeguards that also includes verifying the recipient's number and keeping the transmission report. The provider's part is the BAA and the secure handling of the pages in transit and at rest; the sender's part is the cover, the number check and the log. The HIPAA compliant fax class page lists the vendors whose own product page evidences the compliance claim, with their printed prices beside it.

Common questions

Where can I get a free fax cover sheet?

Every online fax service in the table generates one from the fields you fill in, and FaxZero adds one to free faxes. A printable template is only needed for a physical machine, and any document carrying the six fields above is complete.

What should a fax cover sheet include?

Recipient name and fax number, sender name, fax and phone number, date, page count including the cover, a subject line, and a confidentiality notice when the contents need one.

Does a HIPAA fax need a cover sheet?

HIPAA does not prescribe the wording, but a covered entity's policies almost always require a confidentiality notice on the cover and a check of the recipient's number. The provider's BAA is the other half; the class page lists who states one.

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