What Compliance eFax is
ZentryVoice Compliance eFax replaces the fax machine next to the printer with a dedicated fax number that delivers every page as a PDF. Inbound faxes arrive in the Fax inbox and by email, are read and tagged automatically (“Referral · 2 pages”), and are routed to the person or role that should act on them. Outbound faxes are sent from the desktop app or practice portal by attaching a PDF, DOCX or image up to 25 MB, with an optional cover page, and the delivery receipt is saved automatically. Compliance eFax is $15 per practice per month and is covered by the BAA countersigned at signup.
T.38 is the ITU-T Recommendation that defines how a Group 3 fax is carried in real time over an IP network. Instead of treating the fax tones as audio (which packet loss garbles), T.38 turns the fax data itself into IP packets with error recovery, so a fax over the internet is as reliable as one over a copper line. ZentryVoice provisions T.38 on your fax number through Telnyx, which carries faxes over its private IP network with encrypted signaling and media and falls back to G.711 pass-through when the far end cannot negotiate T.38.
Fax is still the lingua franca of referrals, prior authorizations, lab results and insurance correspondence, which is why it needs the same treatment as calls and texts: in the record, encrypted, searchable and routed.
How it works
Both directions run through the same pipeline.
- 1A fax number is ordered and T.38 is enabledDuring activation ZentryVoice orders a dedicated fax DID (direct inward dial number) from Telnyx and enables T.38 on it. Existing fax numbers can be ported in 5–10 business days.
- 2Inbound pages become a PDFTelnyx receives the fax over T.38 and hands the pages to ZentryVoice, which stores the PDF encrypted in the practice’s archive and notifies the inbox and email.
- 3Read, tagged, routedThe document is classified and tagged (referral, records request, insurance) and routed to the extension or role you configured; for example, referrals to Dr. Lee.
- 4Send from the desktop or portalEnter the destination number, attach the file, toggle a cover page with subject and note, and send. Progress shows Dialing, page counts and Delivered.
- 5Receipt savedA delivery receipt with time, pages and destination is attached to the Sent record and to the audit log.
- 6Keep the old machine if you mustA Grandstream HT802 analog telephone adapter connects an existing fax machine to the service and relays its faxes over T.38 at up to 14.4 kbps.
What makes it different from a fax machine or email-to-fax
A fax machine needs its own phone line, paper and someone to walk to the tray. Email-to-fax services remove the paper but often not the risk.
| Capability | Fax machine or basic email-to-fax | ZentryVoice Compliance eFax |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery | Paper in a tray; or a PDF in a general mailbox | PDF in a secure inbox and by email, routed to the right person |
| Protocol | Analog line, or audio fax over VoIP that drops pages | ITU-T T.38 fax over IP with G.711 fallback |
| Where it is filed | Scan, name, file by hand | In the patient timeline next to calls and texts |
| Who sees it | Whoever walks past the tray | Access-controlled; every view is in the audit log |
| Business Associate Agreement | Often missing for consumer fax services | One BAA, countersigned at signup |
| Cover page and receipt | Printed separately; receipt on thermal paper | Cover page generated; delivery receipt saved automatically |
| Cost | A phone line plus toner plus the machine | $15 per practice per month |
Compliance notes: HIPAA fax rules
Faxing PHI is permitted under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. HHS FAQ 356 confirms that a physician’s office may fax patient information to another provider for treatment, provided reasonable safeguards are in place (45 CFR 164.530(c)): confirm the destination number, and keep the receiving machine where unauthorized people cannot read the output. Compliance eFax turns those safeguards into defaults: the destination is shown and formatted before sending, there is no paper tray, and the PDF is only visible to users who have access to the practice account.
The Security Rule applies once the fax is stored electronically. Under 45 CFR 164.312, ZentryVoice applies access control, audit controls and transmission security to the archive, encrypts PDFs at rest and keeps an immutable per-practice audit log of every view, send and routing change. A misdirected fax may be a reportable breach of unsecured PHI; a fax archived as an encrypted PDF with a confirmed destination and receipt is far easier to investigate than a thermal-paper log.
Use the cover page. A subject line such as “Patient referral” and a note asking a wrong-number recipient to destroy the pages and call you is the standard safeguard regulators look for.
Pricing and plan facts
Compliance eFax is $15 per practice per month and includes a dedicated fax number, T.38, the PDF archive, auto-tagging and routing, cover pages and delivery receipts. Fax is sent and received from the desktop app on macOS and Windows and from the practice portal. Month-to-month, 30-day trial, free port-out of your fax number.
Frequently asked questions
What is T.38 fax?
T.38 is the ITU-T standard for sending Group 3 faxes in real time over IP networks. It packages the fax data rather than the audio tones, with error correction, so faxes over the internet do not fail the way fax-over-voice calls do.
Is eFax HIPAA compliant?
Electronic fax can be HIPAA compliant when the service encrypts documents in transit and at rest, controls access, logs activity and signs a Business Associate Agreement. ZentryVoice Compliance eFax does all four.
Can I keep my existing fax number?
Yes. Fax numbers port like voice numbers, typically in 5–10 business days. ZentryVoice files and tracks the port.
Can I keep using my fax machine with VoIP?
Yes. A Grandstream HT802 analog telephone adapter connects the machine to ZentryVoice and relays faxes over T.38, with G.711 pass-through as a fallback.
How do I send a fax from my computer?
In the ZentryVoice desktop app or portal, open Fax, enter the destination number, attach a PDF, DOCX or image (up to 25 MB), add a cover page if you want one, and send. A delivery receipt is saved automatically.
Do faxes arrive as PDFs?
Yes. Every inbound fax is stored as a PDF in the encrypted archive and delivered to the Fax inbox and by email, tagged and routed to the right person.
Why does faxing over VoIP fail?
Ordinary VoIP compresses audio and tolerates packet loss, which breaks fax tones. T.38 avoids that by transmitting fax data as packets with error recovery, which is why ZentryVoice enables it on every fax number.
Sources
- ITU-T T.38 — Procedures for real-time Group 3 facsimile communication over IP networks· ITU-T(2015)
- Fax API — secure FoIP faxing over T.38 or G.711 pass-through· Telnyx
- Getting started with Telnyx Programmable Fax (media_url, webhooks)· Telnyx
- FAQ 356 — Can a physician’s office fax patient medical information to another physician’s office?· HHS Office for Civil Rights(2023)
- 45 CFR 164.312 — Technical safeguards (HIPAA Security Rule)· eCFR (Office of the Federal Register)
- HT802 analog telephone adapter (T.38 fax relay, G.711 pass-through)· Grandstream Networks