January
2004
Volume 28 •
No. 1
Check those fax numbers - Phone numbers change often
Faxes have become an indispensable tool in medical practice but simple errors in dialing a phone or checking a number can both delay medical care and cause serious and potentially costly breaches of confidentiality.
Carole Klove, chief compliance and privacy officer for the medical center, reminds physicians that sending correct faxes are a two-step process that ultimately physicians are responsible for managing.
Confirm that the destination number is correct.
"Both actions are deceptively simple, easy to forget about, but essential to embed into our practices," said Larry Shuer, chief of staff. "I think one of the reasons that hospitals and practitioners face errors is that we caregivers occasionally fail to remember that sending a fax accurately is as important as writing a prescription accurately - both are integral to our practices.
"Anyone can make a mistake. But we must use the strategies and controls we have in place to minimize errors," Shuer added.
Klove said that a mobile population and frequent changes in phone numbers contribute to potential errors.
"Phone companies can reassign numbers quickly," Klove noted. "Verifying the fax number via a quick phone call to the intended recipient's voice phone will help protect our patients' privacy," she added.
Patient numbers will follow patients after Jan. 20
Physicians can help make new nurse ratio law an opportunity
Check those fax numbers - Phone numbers change often
Gastroenterologist Young crosses street and brings experience to Medical Board
Cancer Center progress continues
Hospital plans for flu contingencies and so should physicians
Deal
struck to provide lab services to Santa Clara IPA
AutoPulse
Resuscitation System
Bioengineering receives Degree granting authority
