Sending and receiving faxes

Use Faxes for day-to-day fax work. Owners and admins set up the clinic fax number in Settings → Fax & Referrals.

How do I set up faxing?

In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click Fax to provision a fax number and copy the inbox email forwarding address. The page can show an Activating badge while the number is still being set up, and a Finish setup button may appear until setup is complete.

Use Settings (1) to open the settings area and Fax (2) to reach the fax settings page where you turn faxing on, review the clinic number, and copy the forwarding address.

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom).
2. In the settings menu, under Communication, click Fax.
3. Turn on Fax to allow the clinic to send faxes from its dedicated number.
4. Use Fax number as the number your clinic sends from and receives on.
5. Turn on Digital inbox if you want forwarded fax documents to arrive in Ona.
6. Copy Forwarding address into your existing fax service if you want to keep your current published fax number.
7. Select Open Faxes to go to the fax inbox after setup is complete.

After setup is complete, the fax number and inbox email also appear at the bottom of the Faxes list with copy buttons.

How do I work received faxes?

In the left sidebar, click Faxes to review incoming documents, link them to patients, and keep the inbox clear.

Use Faxes (1) to open the fax area, Inbox (2) to review received faxes, Sent (3) to review outgoing faxes, Archive (4) to open archived faxes, and New fax (5) to start a fax.

1. In the left sidebar, click Faxes.
2. Select Inbox to see received faxes, or use Unread to focus on new items.
3. Select a fax to preview the PDF in the reading pane.
4. Select the category badge to correct the document category if needed.
5. Use the patient chip to link the fax to an existing patient, create a new patient from the fax, or unlink the patient.
6. Select Download if you need a local copy of the PDF.

Incoming faxes may show Classifying… before a category appears. The available categories are Referral, Prior auth, Lab results and Uncategorized. Referral faxes can also be worked from the referral workflow; see Managing incoming referrals.

How do I send a fax?

In the left sidebar, click Faxes when you need to send a document to a saved contact or a fax number. Your clinic needs fax sending set up before outgoing actions are available.

Use Faxes (1) to open the fax area and New fax (2) to start a new outgoing fax.

1. In the left sidebar, click Faxes.
2. Select Send fax.
3. Choose a fax contact, enter a fax number, or select Add new contact.
4. Add the files you want to fax, then review the pages in the editor if you need to make changes before sending.
5. If your fax needs a signature, turn on Sign before sending and place your signature on the pages.
6. Select Send fax.

The fax appears in Sent with a status such as Queued, Sending, Delivered or Failed. If a fax fails, open Sent and select Resend on the failed fax to try again.

How do I reply to or forward a received fax?

In the left sidebar, click Faxes, then open the received fax when a document needs to be signed and sent back, or sent onward to another recipient.

Use Edit & Reply (1) to open the reply flow, More actions (2) to reach the menu, and Forward… (3) to send the fax onward.

1. In the left sidebar, click Faxes.
2. Select the received fax.
3. Wait for the PDF preview to load.
4. Select Edit & Reply to open the reply flow for the sender, or open the actions menu and select Forward….
5. Edit or mark up the pages you need to send, then complete the reply flow.

Edit & Reply is available only for received faxes when your clinic can send faxes. Forward… also requires fax sending to be set up. For signing details, see Signing documents for fax.

How do I save a fax to a patient chart?

In the left sidebar, click Faxes, then open the fax and use Save to chart after the fax is linked to a patient. The action is not shown until there is a linked patient.

Use More actions (1) to open the menu and Save to chart (2) to file the fax in the linked patient's chart.

1. In the left sidebar, click Faxes.
2. Select the fax.
3. Use the patient chip to link the fax to the correct patient if it is not already linked.
4. Open the actions menu.
5. Select Save to chart.

The fax document is filed to the linked patient's chart.

How do I archive, restore or delete a fax?

In the left sidebar, click Faxes, then open the fax and use Archive to clear it from the active list without deleting it. Delete is available only after a fax is already in Archive.

1. In the left sidebar, click Faxes.
2. Select the fax.
3. Select Archive.
4. To bring it back, open Archive and select Move to inbox.
5. To remove an archived fax permanently, select Delete permanently.
6. Confirm with Delete.

Archiving files the fax in Archive and shows a success toast. Permanent deletion destroys the fax and its document and cannot be undone.

What can't I do here?

In the left sidebar, click Faxes to review fax access and actions. They are limited in these ways:

• Owners, admins and staff use the operational fax workflow. Doctors are not included in this workflow.
• Staff can work faxes, but only owners and admins can open Settings → Fax to set up faxing.
• You cannot send, forward, or use Edit & Reply until fax sending is set up.
• You cannot use Open Faxes until the fax number is fully set up.
• You cannot use Save to chart until the fax is linked to a patient.
• You cannot delete an active inbox or sent fax directly. Archive it first, then delete it from Archive.
• You cannot change a fax contact's fax number after the contact is created.

Common questions

What do the fax categories mean?

In the Faxes inbox, Referral, Prior auth and Lab results identify common clinical documents. Uncategorized means the fax does not fit one of those categories, or you set it that way manually.

Why does a fax say Classifying…?

A new received fax in Faxes can show Classifying… while Ona processes the document. If it does not receive a category, it may later appear as Unclassified.

Can I keep my existing fax number?

Yes, if your current fax service can forward incoming documents. Use the fax settings to turn on Digital inbox and send forwarded faxes to the forwarding address so they arrive in Ona. If the number is still activating, you may also need to finish setup from Settings → Fax.

Where do failed outgoing faxes go?

Failed outgoing faxes appear in Sent. Use the Failed filter there, then select Resend.

Can I share a link to a fax with my team?

Yes. Open the fax actions menu and select Copy link to fax. Anyone on your team with access to Faxes can open it.