The Impact of Online Patient Intake Forms
Posted: April 27, 2022 - By Health DevOnline patient intake forms have become essential for attracting new patients. The correct digital patient intake form can significantly impact the patient experience. Keep reading to learn why electronic patient intake forms are so important and what benefits they can provide for your patients.
What Are Online Patient Intake Forms?
An online patient intake form is an internet-based solution for streamlining your patient intake process. They are forms kept on a webpage or within a patient portal and contain fields where the patient can enter their relevant medical history. These forms collect the same information as a traditional paper intake form but with less effort.
A digital new patient intake form allows you to send forms to prospective patients in advance. They can fill it out at their leisure, ensuring they have all the correct details days before visiting your office.
There are three key features of an online patient intake form:
- Accessibility: Online intake forms should be accessible from multiple platforms, including PCs and mobile devices.
- Security: Well-designed online new patient intake forms need to have the same security features as anything else involving electronic health records (EHRs).
- Visibility: Patients should be able to follow up on their forms to confirm your practice has received them.
Improve the Patient Experience at Your Medical Practice
Implementing online patient intake forms is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to improve your medical practice’s patient experience. Using electronic forms instead of paper intake forms can help your practice make medical care more accessible and more organized. Here’s how.
Online Forms Save Valuable Time for Office Staff vs. Paper Forms
Paper forms create extra work for both your patients and your office staff. The average paper intake form can take significant time to complete. Prospective patients need to show up at your practice significantly before their appointment time to complete their registration forms. If they don’t have all their insurance card or other information they need, then the form remains incomplete, and you need to inconvenience them again by calling to get the rest of the details.
Once patients have turned in forms, your office staff must read their handwriting and enter their answers into your clinic’s EHRs. This can consume hours of staff time each week that could be better spent on more valuable tasks.
Replacing paper forms with online intake forms cuts out that wasted time entirely. Your patients don’t need to guess what parts of a form matter; they just need to type answers in the sections presented. Meanwhile, all your staff must do is quickly review the submitted forms for accuracy before approving them. Data entry is removed from the process entirely, saving your team valuable time.
Fully Integrate Digital Forms With Your Practice Management Software
Electronic forms are also an excellent way to directly integrate necessary medical forms into your practice management software. They allow you to route your patients’ form responses straight into your practice management software.
Whether patients complete a clinic-wide form to register for an appointment or request a prescription refill, the moment they submit the form, your management software will flag it. You and your office staff will immediately know that there’s something to review and the next steps to take. This prevents forms from getting lost in the shuffle and your patients from waiting for responses.
Track Patient Medical History and Other Electronic Records
Successful clinics and practices may have hundreds of patients on record. To provide consistent continuity of care, you need to carefully track every patient’s medical history and electronic records.
Online intake forms make this simple. When your patients fill out their original registration form, their responses are automatically uploaded to your practice’s electronic health records. There’s never any risk of one of your staff making a mistake during data entry, so the information you collect is guaranteed to be correct as the patient understands it.
Electronic forms also make it easier to reference your patients’ information at a glance. You can pull up their electronic records and refresh yourself on their medical history without having to locate a paper document or search through multiple databases. This speed and accuracy will significantly improve the quality of care you can provide your patients.
Use an Electronic Signature and Get a Completion of Forms Confirmation
One of the most valuable innovations in digital forms is the electronic signature. Your patients can sign and submit forms quickly and easily by using secure online patient intake forms. This can save them entire in-person trips to your office, making your practice the easiest and most convenient healthcare solution available.
With digital signatures, you can also send your patients confirmation that their forms have been officially completed and received. This ensures an easily accessible record of communication between your clients and your practice. Your patients will never have to guess whether your office has received their request. They can trust that they’ve accomplished their end of the process and that your practice is in the process of responding.
Use a Fully Integrated Solution for Online Patient Forms
You can start using online patient intake forms in your practice today with Demandforce. Demandforce’s patient portal service lets you create custom online intake forms that collect all the information you need conveniently in one place.
These online client intake forms are better for your patients and your practice. Prospective new clients can save time by filling out their registration forms long before coming to your office. Meanwhile, these electronic patient intake forms will improve your office efficiency by reducing paperwork and filing time. Learn more about how Demandforce’s patient portal can help you or sign up for the service today.
