US · guidance
CMS Pub. 100-09, ch. 2, § 20.2.3
E-mail and Fax Responses to Complex Written Beneficiary
Inquiries
(Rev. 33, Issued: 10-02-15, Effective: 11-02-15, Implementation: 11-02-15)
In some cases, complex written beneficiary inquiries can be responded to by e-mail or
fax. Since both represent official correspondence with the public, it is paramount that
MACs use sound e-mail and fax practices and proper etiquette when communicating
electronically. MACs shall ensure that e-mail and fax responses follow the same
timeliness and quality guidelines that pertain to all written inquiries. Responses that
contain financial or PHI shall be transmitted in accordance with the “CMS Acceptable
Risk Safeguard Controls for Secure Communications” and not sent by e-mail. When
responding via fax, MACs shall first confirm the fax number with the intended recipient.
If the e-mail or fax response contains financial, or PHI, the response may be mailed in a
hardcopy format to the beneficiary or a telephone response may be used. E-mail content,
as well as attachments to e-mails, must be Section 508 compliant. (See
http://www.cms.gov/web/508/accessiblefiles/checklists.html for information about
Section 508 compliancy).
History
(Rev. 33, Issued: 10-02-15, Effective: 11-02-15, Implementation: 11-02-15)
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-25
- Edition
- iom-2026-08-25
- Content hash
de36b28eb2c185c963880142660ff2cad142f24b92f3d067ad9c1730877ed5e9
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