Fax

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Memorial Service for Mr. Fax (v1)

Art Post · 8/7/249:30 AM

This is a re-post from 5 years ago. I thought it was quite humorous. ENJOY!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Memorial Service for Mr. Fax

The alleged deceased didn’t show up. Cousin family members, Freddy FaxMachine, Sally Server and Mabel MFP-Board were present but obviously in ill health. What was truly amazing was the number of business associates that were in attendance, all commiserating on how they hoped a younger, more robust family member would assume the business with more current technology since these businesses still had a need for a fax capability due to security and compliance regulations but expressed frustration that the cost and archaic technology were a nuisance. It was really amazing, this gathering of all of the businesses Mr. Fax had touched in his long career: Government, Finance, Medical, Dental, Insurance, Hospitality, and others varied and numerous.

Suddenly in the back of the room a mystery couple appeared and introduced themselves as immediate family ready to assume the burden of responsibility to satisfy the long-term business partners with a new and more efficient capability. Now Mr. Fax’s old drinking buddy, Albert Analog, said “so what, the old stuff still works and is not that important, so just put up with it as long as there is a need”. Well, said Harry HIPAA, the person who always shows up at the wrong place and wrong time, “you will be sorry when big brother shows up”. And then chimes in Billy B. “That’s a fact and when someone asks about PCI and BAA compliance, you’ll be scrambling”. Naturally everyone cringed when hearing dreaded Three Letter Acronyms (TLA’s) so an explanation was in order: “It’s similar to having a contractor’s license to build a house, PCI is the government mandated certification for handling privacy with personal information and BAA is the necessary Business Associates Agreement between a contractor and a healthcare provider in the medical industry.

So, the mystery couple announced: “Mr. Fax is really not deceased, he has retired to the warm climes and is relaxing and watching the clouds.”

Now the event turned from a dour gathering to a celebration of new life and opportunity. The mystery couple introduced themselves as the representatives of a company named Upland InterFAX, one of a number of companies that provide cloud based fax and this one with a significant presence in dozens of countries around the world but surprisingly not that well known. So the question from the cousins, (attempting to diminish the attention of the crowd) was “so it’s not a big deal, who uses this anyway?” After a pause the InterFAX couple simply stated “We are not the only people in this business but certainly one of the most advanced and reliable and our business alone is processing more than 350 Million pages of incoming/outgoing FAX each year for more than 135,000 registered accounts and, oh by the way, the business has been growing in double digits year after year and projected by industry experts to continue this path”. The total for the entire industry?

Now the party took its final turn with a toast to the newly discovered family friends. And the general question throughout the event was where can I license this today? The ones really clamoring were the local copier/printer solutions company, the IT services company and a telecom business consultant asking: “how do I get into this business”?.

Not a bad ending to an expected dismal gathering.

Just a note for everyone. This blog is from my good friend John Hewitt. John is now the Business Development Director at Upland Internet FAX.

Fax

"Breaking the Fax Habit: DHHS Penalties Propel Healthcare into the Digital Age"

Art Post · 7/31/249:30 AM

On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a final rule that outlines new penalties for practices that obstruct, prevent, or significantly discourage the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information (EHI). These penalties, which aim to enforce the interoperability of health information, are designed to ensure that Protected Health Information (PHI) is shared in a digital and interoperable format. The new regulations represent a significant push towards enhancing the efficiency and transparency of healthcare data exchange in the United States.

The emphasis on interoperability is not new. However, these new penalties underscore the federal government's commitment to breaking down barriers that hinder the seamless flow of health information. The ultimate goal is to improve patient care, reduce costs, and enhance the overall healthcare experience by making health data more accessible and usable across different platforms and entities.

The Nature of the Penalties

The final rule introduces a series of "disincentives" targeting different healthcare entities that fail to comply with the requirements. These disincentives are substantial and designed to encourage compliance by making non-compliance financially untenable.

Hospitals and the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program (MPIP): Hospitals that fail to meet the interoperability standards could face a reduction in their MPIP payments by 1%. The MPIP is crucial for hospitals as it rewards them for adopting and using certified electronic health record technology to improve patient care. A reduction in these payments can have a significant financial impact on hospitals, which often rely on these incentives to fund their technology and process improvements.
Clinicians and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): For clinicians and group practices, the penalties are tied to their performance scores under the MIPS. Specifically, they could receive a zero score in the interoperability category of MIPS, which would subsequently reduce their overall MIPS payments. MIPS scores affect how much clinicians are reimbursed by Medicare, and a zero score in any category can considerably decrease their revenue.
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs): ACO participants could face even more severe consequences. Those who fail to comply with the new interoperability requirements may be barred for one year from participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). The MSSP allows ACOs to share in the savings they generate for Medicare by providing high-quality, cost-efficient care. Being excluded from this program can result in a significant loss of revenue for ACOs, making compliance essential.

Implications for Fax Communications

These new penalties have direct implications for the use of fax communications in healthcare. Traditionally, fax machines have been widely used to share PHI due to their simplicity and perceived security. However, fax machines do not support the digital and interoperable exchange of information that the DHHS is now mandating.

Healthcare providers will need to transition from fax-based communication to more modern, digital methods. Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, health information exchanges (HIEs), and other digital platforms that support interoperability will become essential tools. These systems not only comply with the new regulations but also offer benefits such as improved accuracy, faster information exchange, and enhanced patient care coordination.

Surfing the Interoperability Surge

The DHHS's new rule and associated penalties mark a pivotal shift towards the digital and interoperable exchange of health information. Healthcare providers must adapt to these changes by abandoning outdated methods like fax communications and embracing modern digital solutions. While the penalties for non-compliance are steep, the potential benefits in terms of improved patient care and operational efficiency are significant. The healthcare industry is on the brink of a new era of connectivity and transparency, driven by these federal mandates.

-=Good Selling=-

Fax

This History of the Fax Machine According to Art

Art Post · 2/26/1510:42 PM

Go ahead, you can do it, no one will see you. It's okay to hug your fax, if you still have one.

Funny, just today I was on an appointment and they told me about one of their principals that was still using a computer with a 3.5 floppy drive. He brought the disk to a meeting and one of the younger employee asked him what he had on his desk. He replied that is was a floppy disk and the younger employee replied, "what is that used for"? Poor fellow had no clue.

Fax will go that route in the near future. My son's children will have the same reaction when they enter the work force if they get the chance to see a fax machine.

History of Fax (Condensed)

Facsimile "make similar", "make a copy" was invented in 1843 by Scottish mechanic and inventor Alexander Bain. He received a British patent for “improvements in producing and regulating electric currents and improvements in timepieces and in electric printing and signal telegraphs”, and the fax was born.

Alexander Bain's fax machine transmitter scanned a flat metal surface using a stylus mounted on a pendulum. The stylus picked up images from the metal surface. An amateur clock maker, Alexander Bain combined parts from clock mechanisms together with telegraph machines to invent his fax machine.

One of the main applications for fax was that of military use, when we demonstrated the technology we also spoke of how it was first used by the military. In fact the military adopted faxing in 1943 to transmit maps, orders and weather charts during World War II.

It was not until 1948 that the FCC authorized commercial use of fax technology, Western Union then manufactured 50,000 Deskfax machines for use at their offices.The first users of facsimile were newspapers to transmit and receive photos from around the world. The next user of facsimile were the weather services around the world.

Sixty years have passed since Western Union created the Deskfax. Remember these words, fax is dead, there's no need for fax when you have email. I'll admit that email has taken most of the fax machines popularity away, however there is still some type of fax in every office, whether its a stand alone product, a modem in a pc or a modem in multi-functional copy machine. Need more info, the go here.

Fax Fun

What would we have done in the eighties with out the fax? Any of you remember the Teli Vaxafax (made in Sweden). Nice looking product and we sold the value of Swedish technology.

I can remember some funny stories about faxing. Back in the Eighties, we always ran across a rude "gate keeper" when we were telemarketing for copiers. However, it was not wise to be rude or hang up the phone if we had your fax number (matter of fact, even if we didn't have it we would place another call and just ask for the fax number). We would then take a few sheets of letter paper and tape them together to make a long document, in most cases it was three sheets taped together. We would then dial the number, press the start key, once the paper started to feed (you had to remember that the early fax machines were very slow and only feed one sheet of paper at a time) we would then create a loop in the paper taping the end of the document to the beginning. We would then let the fax do its work.

What happened at the other end was that the fax would continue to receive the transmission until either the machine ran out of paper or the fax was turned off. Can you image coming in the morning and seeing 500 feet of paper lying on the floor!

Well, it was funny back in the Eighties and we were young and dumb!

-=Good Selling=-