Online Patient Intake Forms: Making Chiropractors Efficient

When you have a new practice, you’re most likely looking for ways to more easily set up everything. One popular way to do so is with digital management software. It’s not only practitioners who want this type of system: patients are also clamoring for it. A recent survey found that 93% of patients expected doctors to use online patient intake forms and other forms of digital management, and 97 percent wanted online scheduling. It just makes sense to invest in such a system. Here’s what the best digital management systems will do for you.

Intake forms are usually made up of several different pages detailing the patient’s medical history. When they are in paper form, they must be filled out separately, but online patient intake forms can automatically fill out the information in all the forms at once if it is entered in one form, saving the patient time.

But most systems do more than just provide online patient intake forms. The best ones enable you to automate various forms. Online patient intake forms can be combined and the information in them duplicated to other forms that are needed. They can also be combined with scheduling systems. This saves paperwork, streamlines the experience with the patient, and gives the practitioner information about the patient before they even see them for the first time. Patients will be happy that their chiropractor knows all this information ahead of time, and you’ll spend less time on forms and more time with patients—a win-win for both sides. Combined with scheduling forms, intake forms can be matched in the system with the appointment, allowing them to be brought up simultaneously.

Even if you’re not opening an entire new practice, digital management systems can still be beneficial to you. Suppose that you’re starting a new branch of your practice across town. You want to make sure patients can see you at either location. If the system that you’re working with is cloud-based, all the online patient intake forms and other forms connected to those can be accessed from either office, without the need to transfer files from one hard drive to another. Patients can register at one practice online and be seen at any of them. Having more options gives patients more flexibility and increases their satisfaction.

Another advantage of online patient intake forms is that they increase accuracy. Trying to figure out either the patient’s or another provider’s handwriting can take time and might not even be correct in the first place. Having to later change that information, even if you’ve entered it into a digital system, takes time. Not surprisingly, patients don’t appreciate that sort of delay. Any inaccuracies, if they go into the system, can create further headaches. Forms filled in advance by the patient that are automatically added to the database can prevent these sorts of problems.

Online patient intake forms can also be tied to appointment reminders. The system can note when you haven’t seen a patient in a while and can remind you to send them an appointment notice, or you can send the notice directly to the patient.

If you can incorporate all these features into one software program at your practice, everyone will benefit. Patients will appreciate the shorter wait times and connected information, you’ll have fewer errors and more time to spend with patients, and the environment will benefit from less paperwork.

ChiroSpring is an all-in-one practice management and EHR system built specifically for chiropractors to help them regain face-time with patients, spend less time on back-office tasks, maintain a limited staff, and save operational costs.

To see how ChiroSpring can help you simplify how you manage your practice, reach out to one of our specialists today!