Back to blog home
In some context or another, we are all patients. We have all hurriedly completed paper forms in the waiting room just minutes before seeing a healthcare professional. This was likely a stressful experience for you, and left your provider with minimal time to review your chart.
Imagine a world where you are given the opportunity to complete online intake forms ahead of time. You don’t have to rush through important information, and your provider is able to review your forms on their own timeline.
Can online intake forms be customized for my practice’s needs?
Forms are a universal experience for healthcare experiences, but the information needed from patients is not. Intake forms should be tailored as specifically as possibly for your practice so your staff only needs to collect it once. Now your practice is more efficient and saving your patient time and hassle.
Foster a better patient experience
A recent study suggests that a large majority of patients will not remain with a healthcare provider if their online experience is unsatisfactory. In fact, online presence and reviews are major reasons why patients choose to visit one provider over another.
Online intake forms make completing paperwork easier and less taxing. Let’s be honest, completing paperwork is never a fun task. However, giving a prospective client the opportunity to complete your online intake forms on their terms makes the patient experience far more enjoyable.
Allowing patients to complete online intake forms when it is convenient for them also shows that you respect their time. Using online forms, patients won’t have to come in 10 minutes early for their appointment to fill out a paper intake form. Instead, patients are able to come in for their appointment at their scheduled time. The patient is able to relax knowing that they are prepared for their appointment before walking in the door.
Online intake forms also make the check-in process quick and easy. Patients are able to check in at the front desk and then find a seat. They won’t need a clipboard full of forms handpicked just for them. This will likely reduce any bottleneck effects you have when patients are coming en masse. Implementing new client online intake forms will also allow you to save time, both for yourself and for your patients.
Deliver better patient care
Delivering satisfactory care to your patients is of the utmost importance. Technology can make blowing patient expectations out of the water effortless and attainable.
If patients are completing online intake forms ahead of their appointment, you and your staff will have the opportunity to review paperwork according to your schedule. Over are the days of rushing to skim over past medical history and active medication lists before walking into the patient’s room. With online intake forms, you can evaluate forms with the attention they require.
Intake forms are also more likely to be accurate when patients have enough time to complete the forms thoroughly, on their own. Digital forms give patients the opportunity to take all the time they need to complete forms, without the pressure of staff or other patients being present. This means that right off the bat, you’re more likely to have all the information you need to best care for your patients.
Streamline workflows
The worst part about paper forms is ensuring forms are completed fully and submitted correctly. Inevitably, patients will miss a signature or even an entire page of forms when filling them out in the paper version. We’ve heard horror stories about patients having to drive all the way back to the doctor’s office because they forgot to sign a single form.
Not fun.
Online forms completely eliminate this issue as they will not allow patients to submit an incomplete form. Patients also generally have the ability to save and continue completing forms
Online intake forms also decrease the amount of administrative time dedicated to paperwork. Without online intake forms, staff spend valuable time verifying that forms are fully completed and entered in the EHR system. Electronic forms free up staff time so they can focus on bettering the patient experience and the intake process.
With online forms, you can also add conditional logic so that questions are only asked if a previous question meets the necessary criteria for a follow up question. This cuts down on the time a patient spends answering unnecessary questions and gives them a more personalized experience.
Integrate your forms platform and your EHR, and online intake forms completed by patients will automatically transfer into their medical records. This eliminates the need to drag and drop forms, as well as the risk of missing a form or putting it into the wrong patient records.
Protect PHI
Form tools that are easily synced with your EHR eradicate the risk of misplacing patient records through human error. The worry that patient information will fall into the wrong hands will virtually disappear.
Also important to note is the fact that digitized documents are easier to immediately secure. Patient information submitted online goes through fewer hands, and leaves no physical trail. Thus, the opportunity for identity theft decreases.
Reduce spending on paper goods
Online intake form software, like that offered by OhMD, eliminates the need to spend money on paper or ink to print forms. You will also be less likely to run into printer issues, and will therefore save money on printer maintenance. Yes, electronic form sites often have a monthly subscription fee. However, that fee is generally fixed and does not have surprise charges. Tech support is often included in that fee, as well.
Unlike with paper forms, you are able to text or email your patients a link to the electronic forms you need them to complete. Not only does this reduce the time it takes for patients to receive and return their forms, but it also saves you money because you will no longer need to buy envelopes, stamps, printer paper, or ink.
Making the shift to electronic forms is becoming increasingly more common. Given the rise in telehealth appointments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online intake forms are becoming the norm. These forms make patient centered care more attainable and they reduce some of the administrative workload that comes with paper forms. Make life easier and transition to online intake forms by contacting OhMD.
