Healthcare Fax and Referral Statistics

This page collects published U.S. research and survey findings about fax use, referral follow-through, and administrative work. Each number is tied to its study population and year. The studies use different populations and methods, so their results should not be combined or treated as estimates for every specialty practice. None of these figures describes Diagna customers or product performance.

Fax use and information exchange

89% of medical group leaders said their organization used a fax machine

MGMA Stat asked healthcare leaders whether their organization used a fax machine. The poll was conducted on November 5, 2019, and had 1,581 applicable responses. MGMA reported that referrals, record sharing, lab and test results, payer communication, and pharmacy communication were common reasons for fax use. Source: MGMA Stat, 2019 (1,581 applicable responses).

74% of hospitals often or sometimes used mail or fax to send summary-of-care records in 2025

This is the sum of 40% who said “often” and 34% who said “sometimes.” The 2025 American Hospital Association Information Technology Survey had 2,351 responding non-federal, general acute care hospitals in the United States and District of Columbia, with a 54.5% response rate. Source: ONC analysis of the 2025 AHA Information Technology Survey.

81% of hospitals often or sometimes received summary-of-care records by mail or fax in 2025

This is the sum of 35% who said “often” and 46% who said “sometimes,” among the same 2,351 responding hospitals. The survey asks about records exchanged with sources outside a hospital’s system. Source: ONC analysis of the 2025 AHA Information Technology Survey.

40% of hospitals often used mail or fax to send summary-of-care records in 2025

The 2025 AHA Information Technology Survey included 2,351 responding non-federal, general acute care hospitals; 34% more said they sometimes used this method. Source: ONC analysis of the 2025 AHA Information Technology Survey.

35% of hospitals often used mail or fax to receive summary-of-care records in 2025

Among the same 2,351 responding hospitals, another 46% said they sometimes used mail or fax to receive records from outside their system. Source: ONC analysis of the 2025 AHA Information Technology Survey.

35% of office-based physicians used only fax, mail, or e-fax for external information sharing in 2019

The estimate comes from 1,524 completed records in the 2019 National Electronic Health Records Survey, weighted to represent approximately 301,603 U.S. office-based physicians. “Only” refers to using these paper-based methods without electronic exchange in the measured sharing activities. Source: ONC, 2019 NEHRS data (1,524 completed records).

65% of office-based physicians engaged in some form of electronic information exchange in 2019

The survey counted sending, receiving, or querying information from outside the physician’s organization as electronic exchange. Results came from 1,524 completed 2019 NEHRS records weighted to approximately 301,603 office-based physicians. Source: ONC, 2019 NEHRS data (1,524 completed records).

71% of hospitals often or sometimes sent summary-of-care records by mail or fax in 2018

The 2018 AHA Information Technology Supplement had 2,864 responding non-federal acute care hospitals, a 64% response rate. This is a historical survey result and uses the survey’s “often” or “sometimes” answers. Source: ONC, 2018 AHA Information Technology Supplement.

76% of hospitals often or sometimes received summary-of-care records by mail or fax in 2018

This historical estimate comes from the same survey of 2,864 responding non-federal acute care hospitals (64% response rate). It describes receiving records from outside the hospital system. Source: ONC, 2018 AHA Information Technology Supplement.

Referral scheduling and completion

34.8% of referral scheduling attempts resulted in a documented completed appointment

A 2018 analysis reviewed 103,737 referral scheduling attempts in one large health system. “Completed” meant a documented completed appointment in that system; this is not a national estimate. Source: Patel et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2018 (103,737 scheduling attempts).

38.9% of scheduling attempts in the same study had no appointment date recorded

The authors reported that 38.9% of 103,737 referral scheduling attempts lacked appointment dates. The finding reflects documentation in one health system, not proof that every such referral was abandoned. Source: Patel et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2018 (103,737 scheduling attempts).

87% of referrals were scheduled in a 2017 pediatric primary-care study

Researchers reviewed 2,031 new patient referrals to 14 departments at Boston Children’s Hospital. This result applies to that pediatric specialty-care setting. Source: Rea et al., 2017 referral cohort (2,031 referrals).

84% of scheduled appointments were attended in that study

Among referrals scheduled in the Boston Children’s Hospital cohort, 84% of appointments were attended. The study included 2,031 referrals made to 14 departments during 2017. Source: Rea et al., 2017 referral cohort (2,031 referrals).

73% of the original referrals were completed in that study

The 73% figure is the share of the original 2,031 referrals that were scheduled and attended in the Boston Children’s Hospital cohort. Source: Rea et al., 2017 referral cohort (2,031 referrals).

The mean wait from referral to appointment was 39.6 days

This was the mean wait in the 2017 Boston Children’s Hospital cohort of 2,031 referrals. Wait times and completion rates can differ by specialty, location, and patient group. Source: Rea et al., 2017 referral cohort (2,031 referrals).

62% of specialty referrals were scheduled in a pediatric cohort from 2019 to 2021

A retrospective study examined 38,334 specialty referrals to a large children’s hospital. The cohort included patients whose primary-care clinics were within five miles of the hospital; results should not be generalized to all U.S. practices. Source: Srinivasan et al., 2019–2021 referral cohort (38,334 referrals).

54% of referrals in that cohort were completed

The study reported a 54% completion rate among 38,334 referrals to the children’s hospital from March 2019 through March 2021. Source: Srinivasan et al., 2019–2021 referral cohort (38,334 referrals).

79.2% of referred patients had a specialist visit in an earlier primary-care study

This prospective cohort followed 776 referred patients in 81 practices across 30 states. Physicians reported a specialist visit within three months for 79.2%; patient self-report was 83.0%, illustrating that the denominator and reporting source matter. Source: Forrest et al., the ASPN Referral Study (776 patients, 81 practices, 30 states).

83.0% of patients self-reported completing a referral in that study

This was the patient-reported rate among 776 referred patients followed for three months in 81 practices across 30 states. It is not directly interchangeable with the physician-reported 79.2% in the same cohort. Source: Forrest et al., the ASPN Referral Study (776 patients).

Prior authorization and administrative burden

93% of physicians said prior authorization delays access to necessary care

The 2024 AMA survey asked 1,000 practicing U.S. physicians-400 in primary care and 600 specialists-how often prior authorization delays care. Responses included always, often, or sometimes. Source: AMA 2024 Prior Authorization Physician Survey (1,000 physicians).

82% said prior authorization can at least sometimes lead patients to abandon recommended treatment

This is physicians’ reported experience in the 2024 AMA survey of 1,000 practicing U.S. physicians; it is not a direct patient survey. Source: AMA 2024 Prior Authorization Physician Survey (1,000 physicians).

94% reported a negative impact on patient clinical outcomes

In the 2024 AMA survey, 94% of 1,000 practicing physicians described prior authorization’s overall impact on patient clinical outcomes as somewhat or significantly negative. Source: AMA 2024 Prior Authorization Physician Survey (1,000 physicians).

29% reported a serious adverse event for a patient in their care

Physicians in the 2024 AMA survey reported whether prior authorization had led to a serious adverse event. The survey sample was 1,000 practicing U.S. physicians; this is a physician-reported result. Source: AMA 2024 Prior Authorization Physician Survey (1,000 physicians).

Practices completed an average of 39 prior authorizations per physician each week

The 2024 AMA survey reported an average of 39 prior authorizations per physician per week. The sample comprised 1,000 practicing physicians who reported completing prior authorizations in a typical week. Source: AMA 2024 Prior Authorization Physician Survey (1,000 physicians).

Physicians and staff spent 13 hours per week completing prior authorizations

This was the average reported in the 2024 AMA survey of 1,000 practicing physicians. The figure describes physician and staff time, not physician time alone. Source: AMA 2024 Prior Authorization Physician Survey (1,000 physicians).

40% of physicians said they had staff working exclusively on prior authorization

This result comes from the 2024 AMA survey of 1,000 practicing physicians; “staff” means respondents reported personnel dedicated to prior-authorization work. Source: AMA 2024 Prior Authorization Physician Survey (1,000 physicians).

88% said prior authorization led to higher overall healthcare-resource use

This is a physician-reported result from the 2024 AMA survey of 1,000 practicing U.S. physicians, not a measured claims analysis. Source: AMA 2024 Prior Authorization Physician Survey (1,000 physicians).

How to cite this page

Cite the linked original study or survey for each figure, including its year and study population. Suggested page citation: Diagna, “Healthcare Fax and Referral Statistics,” last updated November 2, 2026. This collection summarizes published research; it does not estimate Diagna product outcomes.

Last updated: November 2, 2026.