hMessage
A RightFax Replacement
Introduction
Manatee Health has been an active participant in Centralis Health's hConnect health information exchange (HIE) since 2010.
With more than 300 beds spread across a half-dozen facilities, the Bradenton, Fla.-based provider was facing challenges managing its referral communications processes. To optimize referrals and to enhance patient care and satisfaction, Manatee extended services in 2023 by adding Centralis’s hMessage communication suite to replace existing RightFax services.
The Why
Healthcare may be the only industry that still heavily relies on fax technology for referring patients and sharing health data. Still, roughly 5-8% of faxes fail to deliver on time, with 25% failing to arrive before a patient’s appointment.
Manatee’s existing system was no longer meeting the needs and demands of providers and patients.
"It is not easy to find a fax after it has been received"
"As a manager I have no way to audit or track productivity of my staff"
Staff Complaints
"If one of my colleagues is out sick, we cannot access the faxes sent or received from their inbox"
"Large faxes always fail then we have to print and manually fax"
"There is little to no support when fax issues arise, seems like we are on our own"
When asked why transition after over a decade with RightFax, Jeff Kridel, Market Director of Information Services, responded,
"We evaluated our existing relationships and recognized the exceptional support we had been receiving from Centralis. This positive experience played a significant role in our decision-making process. Additionally, consolidating our vendor relationships into a single, reliable partner was a strategic move to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and reduce the complexities associated with managing multiple vendors."
The Transition to hMessage
The transition process took approximately six months. While the technical aspects of the switch were managed efficiently, usually less than 24 hours, the primary challenge lay in helping operational users adapt to the slightly different workflows inherent in hMessage.
Centralis diligently collaborated with teams to understand existing fax workflows prior to the go-live date. This proactive approach minimized potential disruptions and ensured a smooth transition. By focusing on complex, cross-departmental workflows involving multiple teams and disciplines, Centralis instilled confidence with leadership, department heads, and end users. This comprehensive strategy reassured everyone that Centralis had their backs throughout the transition and beyond.
The Results
Smarter Routing
12.22%
Centralis Health's smart routing has converted an average of 12.22% of outbound communications from fax to in-network secure messages, effectively bypassing phone carrier networks and eliminating the risk of failure associated with faxes.
Lower Rate of Failure
< 1%
Despite a small percentage of communications bypassing the phone carrier network, hMessage boasts a current failure rate of less than 1% to good fax numbers, significantly lower than the industry standard of 5-10%.
Faster Delivery
9%
By converting faxes to in-network secure messages, we have reduced the industry standard transmission time of one minute per page by 9%, effectively saving 6 seconds per page.
"Since transitioning, our operations have experienced a seamless change with minimal disruption. We've saved time and costs, thanks to the streamlined processes and reliable support from Centralis. Reflecting on this, partnering with Centralis was undoubtedly the right decision. The support from Katie Bradley and her team was instrumental, and we would make the same choice again without hesitation." Jeff Kridel, Market Director of Information Services
The hMessage Difference
hMessage is not just a fax solution, in fact faxing is our least favorite way to transmit secure patient records. hMessage manages interdepartmental, in-network, and out-of-network communications within a single, HIPAA-compliant, and user-friendly web portal.
71,389
Number of network wide monthly faxes that never were because of hMessage's smart routing technology that converts them to secure in-network messages. They delivered instantly, without fail, in full color without document degradation.
60
The number of seconds a single fax page takes to deliver, or 30 minutes for a 30-page document
$2.5 Million
The largest HIPAA fine issued due to a fax to the wrong number
9 Billion
The number of fax pages sent annually by healthcare providers, roughly 3k a month per provider.
By the Numbers
5-8%
The likelihood a fax will fail to deliver is 5-8% of the time
25%
The percentage of faxes that do not make it prior to a patients appointment
80%
Percentage of medical mistakes caused by missing or poor communications, which include faxes
