Troubleshooting Inbound Fax Failures in Elation EHR
When an inbound fax doesn’t arrive where you expect, use this guide to verify your fax setup, isolate where the breakdown occurred, and recover the document quickly.How inbound faxing works in Elation
- Your practice has an electronic Elation fax number. Faxes sent to this number appear in your Fax Inbox in the EHR.
- You can keep your existing fax number by either porting it to Elation or forwarding faxes from your landline fax number to your Elation fax number.
- Fax forwarding only works with landline fax numbers; if you used an electronic fax service previously, Elation recommends porting that number to Elation instead of forwarding.
Quick fixes checklist
- Confirm and share your Elation fax number with the sender. To locate it, open the Fax Inbox on your Practice Home page and note the 10‑digit number at the top.
- Check the Fax Inbox thoroughly:
- Verify you’re viewing the correct fax line tab if your practice has multiple lines.
- Review the “Unfiled Images (non-fax)” tab in case pages were removed from a chart and are awaiting re-filing.
- If pages appear out of order, adjust or confirm your default sorting in Settings → Fax Usage & Settings (Newest vs. Oldest).
- Ask the sender to retry once and confirm they dialed your Elation fax number exactly as provided. Minor digit errors are a common cause.
If the sender used your old/non‑Elation number
- If you retained your old number, ensure automatic forwarding from that landline fax number is active to your Elation fax number; your phone carrier or the fax machine can be configured to forward to Elation.
- Forwarding from electronic fax services is not supported; port that number to Elation to receive faxes directly in your Fax Inbox.
- To isolate forwarding issues, ask the sender to send a test fax directly to your Elation fax number; if that arrives, the forwarding configuration needs attention.
Downtime considerations
During periods when Elation services are degraded, inbound faxes will automatically route into your Fax Inbox once service returns to normal. For urgent documents, ask the sender to fax to an alternate destination you can access (e.g., external/personal fax).If the fax exists outside Elation
If a fax reached your external eFax or a physical machine, you can still bring it into Elation:- Manually forward the pages to your Elation fax number from the physical fax machine or via your carrier’s forwarding flow.
- Upload the document from your computer into the Fax Inbox or upload directly in the patient chart when appropriate.
When the fax appears in Fax Inbox but not in the patient chart
- File the document from the Fax Inbox into the correct patient chart using the filing workflow; the Fax Inbox shows your fax line tab(s) and the Unfiled Images area for documents awaiting re-filing.
- After filing, you can annotate and eSign the report in the chart if needed.
Reduce the chance of future “missing” faxes
- Share your Elation fax number (not a retired number) with external collaborators and update it on forms, letterhead, and portals. You can port your existing number to Elation if continuity is essential.
- If you continue to operate a landline fax, confirm automatic forwarding rules are active and tested to your Elation fax number.
- Monitor your practice’s fax usage and settings in Settings → Fax Usage & Settings; inbound pages contribute to your monthly usage total.
When to contact Elation Support
If you have verified the correct Elation fax number, checked the Fax Inbox tabs and sorting, tested direct sending to your Elation number, and the fax still isn’t arriving, contact Elation Support and include:- Your Elation fax number
- The sender’s fax number
- Date/time of attempted transmission
- Number of pages and (if possible) the sender’s confirmation page