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How often U.S. hospitals send records by mail or fax

Reported frequent use of mail or fax to send summaries of care outside the hospital system.

40%

Often sent by mail or fax in 2025

ChartData

Key findings

  1. Frequent use fell to 30% in 2023 and rose to 40% in 2025, matching the 2018 level.
  2. Another 34% reported sometimes using mail or fax to send records in 2025.
  3. A hospital can use several channels. These figures describe reported use, not the share of documents sent.

Methodology

Values reproduce the “often” row for mail or fax from the AHA Information Technology Supplement as published by ASTP. The 2020 survey was fielded in 2021. The questionnaire combines postal mail and fax, so their individual shares cannot be inferred.

Coverage

2018, 2021, 2023 and 2025. U.S. non-federal acute care hospitals. The 2025 survey had 2,351 responding hospitals.

Data source

ASTP / AHA

Health IT Quick Stat #70 · Send table · Mail or fax · Often

Chart by Fax · Reviewed

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Five channels hospitals reported using often to receive summaries of care in 2025.

U.S. hospital eFax use through electronic health records

Sending and receiving summaries of care by eFax through an EHR in the 2021 survey.

How U.S. office-based physicians shared outside records

A 2019 baseline for electronic exchange and exclusive use of fax, mail or eFax.