faxing is old school

Here is a recent conversation I had with a client:

Client: can you help me fax a form to my doctor’s office? 

Me: I can, if you have fax capability, but it would be much better to scan the page and either email it to the doctor’s office or upload it to the office’s secure website portal. Faxing is old-school technology. 

Client: well they gave me a fax number but I’d rather scan the form and email it or upload it. 

Me: call the doctor’s office, tell them you don’t have a fax machine, and ask them for an email address or see if they have a web portal. These are not unusual requests. 

(20 minutes later)

Client: I got the office email address! Can you show me how to scan the form and attach it to an email. 

Me: Absolutely! Let’s get started.

While the rest of us have moved on from faxing, some medical offices (and law firms) still use it. But, if you prefer, you can ask for an email address or see if the office has a web portal. Then either scan the form or take a picture of it for emailing or uploading. Conversely, if an office wants to fax something to you, give them your email address and ask them to scan and email. Let’s get these offices up to speed!