Faxing a hospital
Health data is on the move: getting the right number matters even more here.
Healthcare facilities, both public and private, still exchange documents by fax machine: referral letters, reports, preadmission forms, signed consent forms. A page that lands with the wrong department exposes medical data, so obtain the exact department number — admissions, cardiology secretary's office, medical records — directly from the facility itself. On the transmission report, include only the patient's identity and the document's subject, with no clinical details. To obtain a copy of a record, the facility's written procedure applies: request it first.
Why a hospital still accepts faxes
In hospitals, the fax machine survives because it does not rely on a shared inbox linking software systems that cannot communicate: the sheet is printed straight to the right floor, where the secretary places it in the record. Departments therefore keep their own line, near the medical secretary's office.
On the patient side, it's used to send a required document before a scheduled admission: supplementary health insurance certificate, signed form, lab results. Admissions and medical records are the two receiving departments.
Where to find the valid number
- The appointment letter, or any correspondence from the facility: the department's fax line is often listed there, alongside the phone number.
- The hospital's website, the department page, or the "contact us" section; third-party directories are rarely up to date — don't rely on them.
- The switchboard, which connects you to the relevant secretary's office to validate the number before sending.
What the cover sheet should say
- The department you're targeting and, if you know it, the name of the physician or secretary.
- The patient's full identity, and their admission number if the facility provided it to you.
- The wording "Confidential — designated department", with no medical information on the transmission report.
- The subject summarized in one line, and the page count.
The proof to archive
Keep the transmission report with the file you sent, then call the secretary's office to confirm that the document got into the record. The report establishes that a machine picked up at that number; it doesn't know who took the page. When medical data is at stake, this follow-up call is not a luxury.
Other channels, sometimes preferable
The MSSanté secure messaging service
Among healthcare professionals, MSSanté's encrypted and identified exchange is the recommended standard, going beyond fax for confidentiality.
The patient portal
Pre-admission, results and messaging: many facilities now offer a personal account — the most direct route.
Requesting by mail
To access your medical records, a written request with a copy of your ID remains the procedure required by most hospitals.
Other guides
- An overloaded diplomatic post processes first the transmissions it can identify at a glance.
- Fax speeds up the assembly of the file; signing the deed is another matter.
- Water damage, theft, accident: the reporting deadline is ticking, and proof of sending counts.
- Reporting an absence on time, without revealing anything about your health condition.
Send to an organisation
This topic
- Faxing an organization: instructions
- Water damage, theft, accident: the reporting deadline is ticking, and proof of sending counts.
- Reporting an absence on time, without revealing anything about your health condition.
- Disputed tax notice, document requested by the office: the case reference is everything.
Keep reading
Pages chosen to help you prepare a send, track it, or keep proof of it.