> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.decodahealth.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Faxing > Send and receive faxes, file an incoming fax to a patient chart, route it to a provider for review, and manage the labs and partners you fax regularly. **Where to find Fax:** In the left sidebar, click **Comms > Fax**. A badge on the **Fax** item shows how many inbound faxes you haven't opened yet. **Prerequisites:** Faxing must be turned on for your organization, and you need at least one fax line. An admin adds a fax line under [Settings > Phone Numbers](/modules/settings/phone-numbers) by choosing **Fax** when provisioning a number. Until a fax line exists, the compose form shows "No fax line configured for this tenant." The Fax page is where your team sends and receives faxes — to labs, imaging centers, referring clinics, and other partners. Outbound and inbound faxes share one list, so you can see the full history in one place. Faxes are sent as PDFs, and an optional cover sheet is added to the front for you. ## What You See on the Fax Page The page is split into two areas: * **Left side** — Your fax list, newest first. Each entry shows a **To** badge (a fax you sent) or a **From** badge (a fax you received), the contact's name, the date, and the page count. Sent faxes show a delivery status; unread inbound faxes show a blue **New** badge. * **Right side** — The selected fax. Click any fax in the list to open it and view the PDF. If nothing is selected, you'll see a prompt to pick one. ### Filter the List Use the chips above the list to narrow it: **All**, **Outbound**, or **Inbound**. If your clinic has more than one fax line, an **All fax lines** menu also appears so you can filter to a single line. ## Send a Fax Sending a fax requires send access. If you can open the Fax page but the **Send fax** button does nothing, ask your admin to check your role. Click **Send fax** at the top of the fax list. Pick the line to send **From**. If your clinic has only one fax line, it's selected for you. Under **To**, search your saved fax contacts and select one. To fax someone new, click **Add new contact** and enter their name and fax number. Drag PDF files onto the **Attachments** area, or click **browse** to choose them. Only PDF files can be faxed — other file types are skipped. Click **Send**. The fax is queued and you're taken to its detail view, where the status updates as it goes out. ### Cover Sheet A cover sheet is included by default and added to the front of your fax. It carries your clinic's letterhead and a standard confidentiality notice automatically. You can add an optional **Re:** subject line and a short **Message** for the recipient, or clear the **Include cover sheet** switch to send without one. ### Preview and Estimated Cost Once you've attached a file, the composer shows an estimate of the page count, transmission time, and cost — for example, `~3 pages · ~0.6 min · ~$0.12 estimated`. This is an estimate; the actual cost is billed after the fax finishes sending. Use the **Preview** to see exactly what the recipient will receive, cover sheet and all. If you close the composer with an unsaved fax, you'll be asked to **Discard fax draft?** Your recipient and attachments are lost if you discard. ## Send a Document from a Patient Chart You can fax a document straight from a patient's chart without re-uploading it. * **From the chart:** Open the patient's **Forms & Documents**, find the document, and choose **Send as Fax** from its menu. The composer opens with that document already attached. * **While composing for a patient:** Click **Attach from patient chart** to pick one or more documents from that patient's records. Documents attached this way show a **From document** label in the attachment list. ## Receiving Faxes Inbound faxes appear in the same list with a **From** badge and a blue **New** badge until someone opens them. The badge on the **Comms > Fax** menu item counts unread inbound faxes so your team can see at a glance when something has arrived. Opening an inbound fax marks it as read and clears the **New** badge. If the sender's number isn't already saved, it's added to your fax contacts automatically so you can reply or label it later. ### File an Inbound Fax to a Patient Chart When a fax belongs in a patient's records — a referral, lab result, or signed form — you can file a copy straight into their chart. Click the inbound fax to open it, then click the actions menu — the **⋯** button at the top right of the fax. Pick **Link to patient**. A window opens where you choose where the fax goes. Search for and select the **Patient**. Choose a **Document type** (it defaults to **Fax**), and optionally type a **Title** — if you leave it blank, the fax is named after the sender, for example "Fax from Quest Diagnostics." Click **Link to patient**. A copy of the fax is saved to that patient's **Forms & Documents**, and the fax now shows **Linked to \[patient name]** at the top. Click the patient's name to jump to their chart. Linking files a **copy** into the chart, so the fax also stays in your fax list. The original fax is never moved or removed. ### Send an Inbound Fax for Review To ask a provider to look at a fax — for example, to review a result or sign off on a referral — create a task for them. From the fax's actions menu (the **⋯** button), pick **Create task**. A task window opens, already titled "Review fax from \[sender]" and set to the linked patient if the fax has one. Choose who should review it — an assignee is required — adjust the title or details if you like, and create the task. The person you assigned gets a notification, and their task links straight back to this fax so they can open it in one click. You can send a fax for review whether or not it's linked to a patient. ### Change or Remove the Link Filed the wrong patient, or no longer need the link? Open the fax and use its actions menu (the **⋯** button): * **Relink patient** — choose a different patient. The copy filed to the first patient is removed from their chart and a fresh copy is filed to the new one. Re-selecting the same patient changes nothing, so you won't end up with duplicates. * **Unlink patient** — confirm **Unlink** to remove the link. The copy filed to the patient's chart is taken down and the fax no longer shows a linked patient. The fax itself stays in your fax list. If the filed document has already been attached to a clinical note, you can't relink the fax to a different patient — that would move the document away from the note's patient. Detach the document from the note first (from the patient's **Forms & Documents**), then relink. ## Fax Statuses Sent faxes show one of these statuses in the list and on the detail view: | Status | What It Means | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Sending…** | The fax is queued or transmitting. The status refreshes on its own. | | **Delivered** | The fax reached the recipient's machine. | | **Busy** | The recipient's line was busy. Try sending again. | | **No answer** | The recipient's machine didn't pick up. Try sending again. | | **Failed** | The fax couldn't be sent. The detail view shows the reason. | | **Canceled** | The fax was canceled before it went out. | ## Manage Fax Contacts Fax contacts are the labs, clinics, and partners you fax regularly. Open the **Contacts** page under **Comms > Fax** to manage them. ### Add or Edit a Contact Click **Add contact** (or the pencil icon on an existing one). Enter a **Name** and a 10-digit **Fax number** — both required. You can also add an **Organization**, **Notes**, and an address. Click **Create** (or **Save** when editing). ### Start a Fax from a Contact On the **Contacts** page, click any contact's fax number to open the composer with that recipient already filled in. ### Remove a Contact Click the trash icon and confirm **Remove**. Past faxes keep referencing the contact, so your history stays intact. ## Common Questions Check three things: faxing is enabled for your organization, at least one fax line is set up under [Settings > Phone Numbers](/modules/settings/phone-numbers), and your role has fax send access. If there's no fax line, the compose form shows "No fax line configured for this tenant." — ask an admin to add one. Only PDF files. If you drag in another type, it's skipped with a note. Convert other documents to PDF first, or attach them from a patient chart where they're already stored as PDFs. The recipient's machine was busy or didn't pick up. Start a new fax to the same contact to try again. If it keeps failing, confirm the fax number is correct. Yes. Clear the **Include cover sheet** switch in the composer before sending. By default the cover sheet is included with your clinic's letterhead and a confidentiality notice. Open the fax, click the actions menu (the **⋯** button), and choose **Relink patient** to file it to the correct patient — the wrong copy is removed automatically. Or choose **Unlink patient** to remove the link entirely. In the patient's **Forms & Documents**, as a PDF. It's labeled with the document type you picked (**Fax** by default), so you can find it alongside their other records. No. Unlinking only removes the copy filed to the patient's chart. The fax stays in your fax list, and you can link it to a patient again at any time.