HIPAA fax for psychiatrists

A solo psychiatrist who sends and receives 200 pages a month pays $4.99 a month on Fax Pigeon's Basic plan, billed annually, and the BAA is signed at signup. The same volume costs $10.70 a month on SRFax, $33.33 on eFax and $24.99 on iFax, billed annually.

What do psychiatrists fax, and to whom?

Psychiatrists fax prescriptions to pharmacies, send medication prior authorizations to payers, and exchange records with therapists and primary care physicians.

A prescription carries the patient's name, the drug and the dose, and a prior authorization carries the diagnosis and the clinical reasons for the medication. Each of these faxes is protected health information under HIPAA.

Records sent to a therapist or primary care physician for treatment fall outside the minimum necessary standard. For the prescription side, see whether a doctor can fax a prescription to a pharmacy. For the therapist side, see HIPAA fax for therapists.

A prescription photographed on a phone uploads as it is, and a cover sheet is optional.

Which HIPAA points apply to psychiatry fax?

Four HIPAA points shape psychiatry fax: the BAA with the fax service, the minimum necessary standard for prior authorizations, the stricter handling of psychotherapy notes, and a check of each recipient before any send.

A psychiatry practice that files claims electronically is a covered entity. Its fax service, which handles prescriptions and records, is therefore a business associate, and the BAA is signed before either goes through.

SRFax issues its BAA on request under the Healthcare plans and lists no price. On eFax the BAA is printed on the Business plan card, and iFax gives Plus and Pro subscribers one free. Fax Pigeon includes a signed BAA with every plan from signup.

The minimum necessary standard applies to prior authorization requests, which are disclosures for payment. Send the clinical pages the payer needs for the decision, and nothing else from the chart.

Psychotherapy notes, the notes a clinician keeps apart from the rest of the chart, generally need the patient's written authorization before they are disclosed. Keep them out of any fax that carries the general chart.

Records of substance use disorder treatment can fall under a separate, stricter federal rule than HIPAA, so check that rule before sending them.

Check the pharmacy's or payer's number before each send. A prescription faxed to the wrong pharmacy is an impermissible disclosure, and the practice has to decide whether it is a reportable breach.

Every delivered fax carries delivery proof, which lets a practice show when a prior authorization reached the payer. How to send a prior authorization request by fax gives the steps.

How much does HIPAA fax cost for a psychiatry practice?

A psychiatry practice with one clinician pays $4.99 a month on Fax Pigeon's Basic plan for 200 pages, or $9.99 a month on Standard for 500 pages, billed annually, and either plan includes unlimited people. Month to month, those plans cost $5.99 and $11.99 a month. On annual billing, Basic totals $59.88 a year and Standard totals $119.88 a year.

The table shows the cheapest plan with a BAA for one person, as a price a month, at 200 and 500 pages sent and received.

On annual billing for one person at 200 pages, SRFax costs $5.71 a month more than Fax Pigeon, or $68.52 a year. eFax costs $28.34 a month more, or $340.08 a year, and iFax costs $20.00 a month more, or $240.00 a year.

At 500 pages the premiums over Fax Pigeon are $3.66 a month at SRFax, $23.34 at eFax and $15.00 at iFax, or $43.92, $280.08 and $180.00 a year.

A second person raises only the iFax figure: iFax includes a single user license, so the pair is priced as Pro plus 1 team license, as the second table shows. eFax Business covers 5 users and SRFax Healthcare plans include multiple user accounts, so neither moves at two people.

Pages beyond the monthly plan cost 10 cents on Fax Pigeon Basic, 5 cents on Standard and 7 cents on eFax Business. iFax prints no overage rate; its Terms of Use add credits by default once usage reaches 95% of the plan limit, so iFax is priced on the plan that includes the pages.

The table shows the cheapest plan with a BAA for 2 people, as a price a month, at 200 and 500 pages sent and received.

At two people on 200 pages, iFax costs $45.00 a month more than Fax Pigeon on annual billing, or $540.00 a year. eFax costs $28.34 a month more, or $340.08 a year, and SRFax costs $5.71 a month more, or $68.52 a year.

At 500 pages for two people, the gaps on annual billing are $40.00 a month for iFax, $23.34 for eFax and $3.66 for SRFax, or $480.00, $280.08 and $43.92 a year.

Can a psychiatry practice share one fax number across the team?

Yes, one Fax Pigeon number can serve a psychiatrist and a second staff member, since every plan includes your own number and unlimited people. The Basic and Standard rows read the same in both tables, so the second person adds no cost.

Roles and assignment in the shared inbox send an incoming record from a therapist or primary care physician to the staff member who handles it.

A practice with an existing number can bring it to Fax Pigeon free. SRFax charges a one-time $25 to port a local number in, and eFax's agreement charges $40 per number.

Who should switch to Fax Pigeon?

A psychiatrist paying SRFax, eFax or iFax for 200 or 500 pages a month should switch, because Fax Pigeon's Basic and Standard prices are the lowest in both tables, alone or with a second person.

A practice on eFax Personal or iFax Basic has no BAA to rely on, since eFax Personal carries none and iFax Basic comes without HIPAA terms, so it needs another plan before prescriptions or records go out.

* Prices last verified October 12, 2026, at each provider's own site. iFax's Terms of Use were last verified October 19, 2026. Fax Pigeon is not affiliated with SRFax, eFax or iFax.