Why US Hospitals Still Fax Records in 2026 — and What a Fix Would Require

Despite nearly 95% of US hospitals using electronic health record systems, most still cannot seamlessly share patient data with other facilities. Only 55% of hospitals can locate a patient's records electronically from an outside organization, and fewer than 40% can import that data without manual re-entry. The core problem is that 'digitized' and 'interoperable' proved to be two very different achievements, with decades of incompatible vendor systems and inconsistent data standards creating a fragmented landscape. Each hospital historically chose its own software long before modern interoperability standards existed, making replacement costly and disruptive. As a result, faxing often remains the path of least resistance for sharing patient information across town in 2026.