WestFax

What is WestFax?

WestFax provides cloud-based fax services with a focus on healthcare compliance. The platform offers HIPAA-compliant faxing for organizations transmitting protected health information (PHI), along with general business faxing capabilities for any industry.

Despite seeming outdated, fax remains legally and operationally required in healthcare, legal, and government sectors. WestFax modernizes this necessary function with cloud delivery, security compliance, and integration capabilities.

Key Features

HIPAA Compliance

WestFax signs Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) required for HIPAA compliance. Encryption, audit trails, and access controls protect PHI transmitted via fax. Healthcare organizations can fax patient information legally and securely.

Cloud Fax Portal

Send and receive faxes through a web interface without physical fax machines. Upload documents, enter recipient numbers, and transmit. Received faxes appear in your online inbox for viewing, downloading, or forwarding.

Email-to-Fax

Send faxes by attaching documents to emails. The recipient's fax number becomes the email address. Receive faxes as email attachments. Workflow stays in email for users who live in their inboxes.

API Integration

Developers integrate fax capabilities into applications, EHR systems, and business software. Programmatic sending and receiving automates fax workflows. Popular with healthcare IT vendors building compliant systems.

High-Volume Faxing

Broadcast faxing handles large distribution lists. Medical practices send referrals, pharmacies transmit prescriptions, and businesses distribute documents at scale.

Number Porting

Keep existing fax numbers when switching to WestFax. Number portability ensures business continuity—recipients continue using familiar numbers.

Pricing

WestFax offers plans based on page volume. Pay-as-you-go charges per page for low-volume users. Monthly plans include page allocations at lower per-page costs. Enterprise pricing serves high-volume organizations with custom arrangements.

Healthcare-specific plans include BAA execution and compliance features. Contact WestFax for healthcare pricing details.

Who Uses WestFax?

WestFax serves a diverse range of industries where secure, compliant document transmission remains essential. Here are the primary sectors that benefit from this cloud fax solution.

Healthcare Organizations

Hospitals, medical clinics, and physician practices rely on WestFax for transmitting patient records, lab results, and referral documentation. HIPAA compliance ensures protected health information travels securely between providers, specialists, and insurance companies. The platform handles the high-volume demands of busy healthcare facilities while maintaining audit trails required for compliance.

Pharmacies and Prescription Services

Pharmacies use WestFax to receive prescriptions from healthcare providers and communicate with insurance companies. The secure transmission of prescription information meets regulatory requirements while streamlining pharmacy operations. Chain pharmacies and independent pharmacies alike benefit from the API integration capabilities.

Legal Firms and Law Offices

Attorneys and legal professionals fax court filings, contracts, and legal notices where fax remains the required delivery method. Many courts and government agencies mandate fax for official submissions. WestFax provides the delivery confirmation and documentation legal professionals need to prove transmission.

Insurance Companies

Health insurers, life insurance providers, and claims processors exchange documentation with healthcare providers, agents, and policyholders. The volume of claims, authorizations, and policy documents makes efficient fax processing essential. WestFax handles batch processing for large insurance operations.

Government Agencies

Federal, state, and local government offices use fax for official communications where security and documentation matter. WestFax serves public sector needs with appropriate security controls and audit capabilities. Government contractors also rely on compliant fax services when working with agencies.

Integrations

WestFax integrates with EHR/EMR systems through APIs. Direct integrations exist for major healthcare software. Email integration works universally. Developer documentation supports custom integrations.

WestFax vs Competitors

WestFax vs eFax

eFax serves general business faxing with broad features. WestFax emphasizes healthcare compliance and HIPAA focus. eFax for general business; WestFax for healthcare-specific needs.

WestFax vs RingCentral Fax

RingCentral bundles fax with broader UCaaS offerings. WestFax provides dedicated fax with healthcare compliance focus. RingCentral for unified communications; WestFax for compliance-focused faxing.

WestFax vs SRFax

SRFax offers HIPAA-compliant faxing at competitive prices. Both serve healthcare effectively. Comparison depends on specific feature needs, pricing, and integration requirements.

Pros and Cons

What We Like

• Strong HIPAA compliance focus with signed BAAs
• Reliable API for seamless EHR/EMR integration
• Multiple access methods including web portal, email, and API
• Number porting preserves existing business fax numbers
• High-volume broadcast capabilities for large distributions
• Delivery confirmation and audit trails for compliance documentation
• Responsive customer support with healthcare expertise

What Could Be Better

• Interface design feels dated compared to newer competitors
• Per-page pricing can become expensive at very high volumes
• International fax coverage has limitations in some regions
• Mobile app functionality could be more robust
• Setup process may require technical assistance for complex integrations

Tips for Success

Getting the most value from WestFax requires thoughtful implementation and workflow optimization. Follow these practical tips to maximize your cloud faxing experience.

Optimize Your Document Formatting

Before sending faxes, ensure documents are formatted for clarity. Use high-contrast text, avoid light gray fonts, and choose clean sans-serif typefaces. Compress large files appropriately—overly compressed images become unreadable while unnecessarily large files slow transmission.

Set Up Email-to-Fax Templates

Create email templates for common fax recipients with their fax numbers pre-formatted as email addresses. This speeds up sending and reduces errors from manually entering fax numbers. Train staff on the email format to minimize failed transmissions.

Implement Folder Organization

Organize your incoming fax inbox with folders for different departments, document types, or urgency levels. This prevents important faxes from getting buried and helps staff locate documents quickly. Establish naming conventions for downloaded faxes.

Monitor Delivery Reports Regularly

Check delivery confirmation reports daily to catch failed transmissions quickly. Some failures result from busy signals or temporary issues that resolve with retry. Identify patterns in failures—certain recipients may have problematic fax machines requiring attention.

Train Staff on Compliance Procedures

Ensure everyone using WestFax understands HIPAA requirements and your organization's fax policies. Document procedures for handling PHI via fax, including proper disposal of printed faxes and secure storage of electronic copies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is fax actually HIPAA compliant?

Fax transmission over phone lines has specific HIPAA treatment—it's considered more secure than unencrypted email. Cloud fax with proper encryption and BAAs maintains compliance. WestFax provides the infrastructure; organizations must implement appropriate policies.

Can I keep my fax number?

Yes, WestFax supports number porting from other services and carriers. Porting maintains business continuity—partners and patients continue using familiar numbers. The porting process typically takes one to two weeks to complete.

Do I need a fax machine?

No, WestFax is entirely cloud-based. Send and receive through web portal, email, or API. Physical fax machines become unnecessary, eliminating hardware maintenance and dedicated phone line costs.

How reliable is delivery?

WestFax provides delivery confirmation and retry logic for failed transmissions. Monitor delivery status through the portal. Reliability matches or exceeds traditional fax when recipient machines are functional.

What file formats can I fax?

WestFax accepts common document formats including PDF, Word documents, images (JPEG, PNG, TIFF), and text files. PDFs generally produce the best fax quality. The system automatically converts supported formats for transmission.

How long are faxes stored?

WestFax retains faxes according to your plan settings and compliance requirements. Healthcare organizations can configure retention periods to meet HIPAA documentation requirements. Download and archive important faxes to your own systems for long-term storage.

Can multiple users share one account?

Yes, WestFax supports multi-user accounts with individual logins and permissions. Administrators can control access levels, assign fax numbers to users or departments, and monitor usage across the organization.

Getting Started

Beginning with WestFax involves a straightforward setup process. Start by selecting a plan matching your anticipated fax volume—you can always upgrade later as needs grow. Healthcare organizations should request the BAA during signup to ensure compliance from day one.

During account setup, choose whether to get a new fax number or port an existing number. New numbers activate immediately, while porting requires coordination with your current carrier and typically takes one to two weeks. Plan the transition timing to avoid gaps in fax service.

Configure your preferred access methods after account activation. Set up email-to-fax by adding WestFax to your email contacts with the proper format. Explore the web portal to familiarize yourself with sending, receiving, and managing faxes. Organizations with technical resources should review the API documentation for integration opportunities.

Test your setup with internal faxes before relying on the service for critical communications. Verify that documents transmit clearly and delivery confirmations arrive as expected. Address any issues during testing rather than discovering problems with important faxes.

Final Verdict

WestFax delivers HIPAA-compliant faxing that healthcare organizations require. While fax technology feels antiquated, regulatory and operational realities make it necessary. WestFax modernizes the experience while maintaining compliance.

For healthcare organizations and businesses in regulated industries, WestFax provides secure, compliant faxing without the burden of physical fax infrastructure. The platform excels at serving organizations where HIPAA compliance is non-negotiable and fax remains a business requirement.

Rating: 4.1/5