Overview

VentureTel’s eFax integration with Microsoft Teams allows healthcare organizations to send and receive faxes securely within Teams, but ensuring HIPAA compliance is critical when handling Protected Health Information (PHI). This article explains how VentureTel’s eFax solution is designed to meet HIPAA requirements and what your organization needs to do to maintain compliance.

How VentureTel Ensures HIPAA Compliance with eFax Integration

VentureTel’s eFax integration with Microsoft Teams is built to support HIPAA compliance, ensuring secure handling of PHI for healthcare organizations. Here’s how we achieve this:

1. Reliance on Microsoft Teams’ Compliance Framework

- Our eFax integration operates within Microsoft Teams, leveraging Teams’ HIPAA-compliant features when properly configured.
- Faxes sent and received through Teams are encrypted in transit and at rest, aligning with HIPAA’s Security Rule, provided you have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with Microsoft and have configured Teams correctly (see our related KB article on securing Microsoft 365 for HIPAA compliance).

2. Secure Fax Transmission

- VentureTel uses cloud-based faxing technology through our upstream providers, ensuring faxes are transmitted securely over the internet without the need for physical fax machines or SIP trunking.
- All fax transmissions are encrypted to protect PHI, and our upstream providers operate under the HIPAA Conduit Exception, meaning they transmit data without storing it, reducing the risk of data breaches.

3. Automatic Storage in SharePoint

- Inbound faxes are automatically saved to a SharePoint folder, accessible from both SharePoint and Teams. SharePoint, when configured under a Microsoft BAA, provides encrypted storage and access controls to ensure PHI is stored securely and only accessible to authorized users.

4. Access Controls and Audit Trails

- Faxes are delivered to a designated Teams channel, where access can be restricted to authorized team members using Teams’ role-based access controls (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) features.
- Teams’ audit logs track all interactions with faxes (e.g., viewing, sharing), ensuring compliance with HIPAA’s requirement to monitor access to PHI.

5. No Storage of PHI by VentureTel

- VentureTel does not store PHI on our servers. Faxes are transmitted directly to Teams and stored in your SharePoint environment, meaning your organization retains control over PHI and its security.

6. User Responsibility

- While VentureTel’s eFax integration is designed to support HIPAA compliance, your organization must ensure Teams is configured correctly and that staff are trained to handle PHI securely. For example, ensure faxes are not shared with unauthorized recipients and that devices accessing Teams are secure.

Additional Notes

• Patient Consent: If using eFax to share patient information, ensure patients complete necessary consent forms for electronic communication, as required by HIPAA.
• Risk Assessments: Regularly assess your eFax workflow to identify and address potential vulnerabilities, such as misconfigured access controls or user errors.
• Consult a Professional: HIPAA compliance can be complex. We recommend consulting with a HIPAA compliance expert or legal counsel to ensure your specific use case meets all requirements.

Conclusion

VentureTel’s eFax integration with Microsoft Teams is designed to be HIPAA compliant, leveraging secure cloud-based faxing, encryption, and Microsoft’s compliance framework to protect PHI. By ensuring your Teams environment is properly configured and following best practices, you can use our eFax solution to modernize faxing while maintaining HIPAA compliance.

For further assistance, contact VentureTel, or call or text us at 208.735.8999.