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How to Fax a Hospital Discharge Summary to Post-Acute Providers

A hospital discharge summary has to reach the primary care physician, skilled nursing facility, home health agency, or follow-up specialist quickly, because a delayed summary delays the care plan and raises readmission risk. Joint Commission standards call for discharge information to go to the next care provider at the time of discharge, and CMS Conditions of Participation set completion deadlines that run as tight as 24 hours for some high-risk diagnoses. Send FAX Mail lets case managers fax the EHR-generated summary from the unit before the patient leaves, send to several receiving providers at once with broadcast fax, and keep the delivery confirmations in the chart as transitions-of-care documentation.

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How to Fax a Discharge Summaries

  1. 1Generate the discharge summary from the EHR as a PDF, verifying all sections are complete and physician-signed
  2. 2Identify all receiving providers — PCP, SNF, home health agency, specialist — and gather their fax numbers
  3. 3Log in to Send FAX Mail and prepare a new fax
  4. 4Upload the discharge summary and enter the first recipient's fax number
  5. 5Use broadcast fax to send to multiple providers simultaneously if needed
  6. 6Retain delivery confirmation records in the patient chart for transitions-of-care documentation

Document Format

Structure discharge summaries with clearly labeled sections: admission date and diagnosis, procedures performed, significant findings, discharge condition, discharge medications, follow-up instructions, and pending results. Keep to 2-3 pages. Include primary care physician, receiving facility, and patient demographic information prominently.

Legal Considerations

Discharge summaries are part of the medical record and protected under HIPAA. CMS Conditions of Participation require discharge summaries be completed within 30 days of discharge, and certain high-risk diagnoses require completion within 24 hours. Joint Commission standards require discharge information be transmitted to the next care provider at the time of discharge.

Industries That Fax This Document

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Faxing a Discharge Summaries — FAQ

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