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This article describes how you can ensure all your faxes appear as electronic records in Elation. This includes instructions on how to port your fax number to Elation or forward faxes from an existing fax number you own to the electronic number provided to you by Elation. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING Click here for an introduction to the Fax Inbox feature in the EHR .

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Overview

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How do I obtain an electronic fax number from Elation and what is it for?

Elation provides each practice with a unique electronic Elation fax number when they begin using Elation EHR. This fax number allows you to receive faxes directly in Elation EHR. This fax number can be one of the following:
  • a brand new fax number that Elation obtains from our fax provider.
  • a fax number that you previously owned, which we port to our fax provider (per your authorization) and assign to your practice.
If you requested a brand new fax number, watch for an email, within 10 days of signing up with Elation, notifying your practice that an electronic Elation fax number has been assigned to your practice.

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How can I keep my existing fax number?

To retain your fax number when switching from one EHR to another and continue receiving faxes as electronic records, you can choose from the following options:
  1. Port the fax number you want to retain to Elation to make that fax number your Elation fax number.
  2. Retain ownership of the fax number while simultaneously having a new fax number with Elation and then forward faxes received by that number to your Elation fax number.
How do I choose between porting my fax number and fax forwarding?
Here is how you would choose between porting your fax number or forwarding faxes:
  • If you are fine with not being able to send faxes from the fax number you want to retain, opt for the fax port option.
  • If you need to retain the ability to send faxes from the fax number you want to retain, select the fax forward option.

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What can I do with the electronic fax number provided by Elation?

With the electronic fax number provided by Elation:
  • all inbound patient paperwork received will automatically be converted into electronic records.
  • you can forward faxes from a landline fax number to your Elation fax number.

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What does it mean to ‘port’ a fax number?

A fax port is the process of transferring ownership of a fax number from your existing fax carrier to Elation’s fax carrier. Afterwards Elation will assign this fax number to you as your Elation fax number. There are two types of fax ports and you would usually pick one of the two when you are asked which type of fax port you would like to proceed with:
  • To port only a subset of your fax numbers from your existing fax carrier to Elation’s fax carrier, choose a partial fax port.
  • To port all your fax numbers from your existing fax carrier to Elation’s fax carrier, choose a full fax port.
Porting an existing fax number under Elation’s ownership means you cannot fax out from your fax machine (or electronic fax account) from this existing fax number because you no longer own this number. You can use Elation’s Letter feature to send faxes from your Elation account. Faxes sent from your Elation account will not be sent from your Elation fax number. Faxes will be sent from a set of fax numbers with California area codes.

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What are the benefits of porting a fax number I previously owned to Elation?

Porting a fax number you previously owned to Elation allows you to maintain your correspondences with external collaborators that already have your existing fax number. You will not need to update any business materials because your fax number remains the same.

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What is fax forwarding?

Fax forwarding is the process of transferring faxes from one fax device/number to your Elation fax number. One fax device/number receives the fax first and then ‘forwards’ a copy of that fax to your Elation fax number. You can forward faxes using one of these options:
  • Forward faxes manually by taking a fax you received and then faxing those pages to your Elation fax number.
  • Ask your landline fax provider to automatically forward any fax your fax number receives to your Elation fax number.
  • Program a physical fax machine to automatically forward any fax it receives to your Elation fax number.
Fax-forwarding will only work with landline fax numbers. If you had an existing electronic fax number prior to using Elation, we recommend porting that number over to Elation’s ownership . Elation can also port your existing landline fax number to Elation’s ownership so that your existing landline fax number becomes your Elation fax number.

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What are the benefits of fax forwarding?

Forwarding all your faxes to your Elation fax number allows you to manage all patient records electronically in Elation. Additionally,
  • automatic fax forwarding allows you to receive all inbound faxes in Elation while still being able to send outbound faxes from the existing fax number you are forwarding faxes from.
  • manual fax forwarding allows you to choose which inbound faxes to store in Elation while still being able to send outbound faxes from the existing fax number you are forwarding faxes from.

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Workflow Instructions

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Porting an existing fax number you own to Elation

To port an existing fax number you own to Elation
  1. Call and confirm with your existing fax number carrier that your fax number can be ported
  2. Send the following to your Elation contact:
  • The date you want the fax port to take place.
  • A completed Letter of Authorization form.
  • A copy of the first page of your current bill for the fax number; the bill must have the Lead Billing Number on it.
  1. Once we receive this paperwork, we submit a request to our fax provider to begin the fax port process.
  • This process can take up to 20 business days depending on how quickly your existing fax carrier processes our request.
  1. You will receive an email from Elation once your existing fax number has been ported to Elation.

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Manually forwarding faxes to your Elation fax number

To manually forward faxes received through a fax number you own, if they are printed from a physical fax machine, follow these steps:
  1. Take the pages you received and put the pages back into your fax machine.
  2. Enter your Elation fax number into the fax machine and send the pages to your Elation fax number.
If you have an electronic fax number and receive faxes in an external electronic fax inbox: Download the fax file from your external electronic fax inbox to your computer.Upload the file to your Elation Fax Inbox.

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Automatically forwarding faxes from your landline fax number to your Elation fax number

To automatically forward faxes from your landline fax number to your Elation fax number, choose one of the following options:
  • Ask your landline fax provider to automatically forward any fax your fax number receives to your Elation fax number.
  • Program a physical fax machine to automatically forward any fax it receives to your Elation fax number.

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Asking your fax provider to automatically forward faxes to your Elation fax number

Some landline fax providers (i.e., your local phone company) offer a service to automatically forward received faxes to another fax number. To request this service, contact your landline fax provider and inquire about the availability and setup process. This service may incur additional costs.

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Programming a fax machine to automatically forward faxes to your Elation fax number

Most physical fax machines allow you to program automatic forwarding of received faxes to another fax number. Refer to your fax machine’s User Manual and follow the provided instructions to set up fax forwarding to your Elation fax number.