Patient intake management

Introduction

In today’s high demanding healthcare environment, the efficiency of patient intake processes is more crucial than ever. At Linear Health, we know that providing good healthcare starts new patient registration and intake paperwork once you get a referral or an initial appointment request.

That’s why we worked on improving how patients check in using our tool for creating forms in English or Spanish and sharing with patients via an SMS link to fill in on their phone before the appointment. Although the HIPAA compliant form builder can be used to create any form, one of the main use cases is patient registration and intake forms (also called new patient paperwork in some clinics). This post will discuss the importance of digital patient intake solutions and how they can improve the way you manage the patient intake process. Digital patient intake solutions are important for mental health clinics and if they are integrated with your other tools like patient communication, they can bring positive changes to how you run your clinic and help save staff time.

What is patient intake?

Patient intake is a phrase used in healthcare organizations to refer to the process of collecting information from patients before their appointment. The information is usually either collected via digital intake forms or physical patient paperwork on a clipboard in more traditional clinic settings. The information collected can include patient demographics, insurance details to verify eligibility and collecting copays, copy of ID, medical history, PCP details and any other key information to ensure that the visit (in-person or telehealth) happens seamlessly. The entire process is usually owned and executed by clinical staff running the day-to-day operations to support the providers.

Although the above is a basic version of the regular pieces of information patient intake coordinators collect, patient intake forms also help collate other relevant information like social history, patient-reported outcomes data, payment cards on file, consent forms, especially for minors and telehealth consent to treatment. In most cases, this is done on paper or fragmented patient intake software solutions and somehow through manual human-in-the-loop workflows gets added to the EHR system to form part of the patient’s health record.

Why do clinics need a patient intake software solution?

Administrative mistakes account for 86% of all errors in healthcare, leading to avoidable medical mishaps that are responsible for nearly 400,000 deaths annually—a significantly overlooked issue in the US.

HIPAA privacy laws in the US apply to all healthcare organizations in some shape or form since they’re dealing with PHI, as a result, there’s a significant level of compliance risk smaller clinics carry due to a lack of resources to focus on compliance, paper forms become overwhelming to manage, patient intake software removes this burden from the clinics as it can deal with HIPAA, data accuracy and security and other requirements out of the box since most clinics don’t have expertise or the time to deal with that, so using can streamline their patient intake process.

The shift to digital patient intake forms

The transition from paper-based to digital patient intake forms marks a significant change in healthcare technology. Although, most people assume this is the norm now, there are many clinics around the country, especially rural areas of some states that still rely on manual paperwork, scanning and uploading documents to their EHR. Linear Health provides digital patient intake solutions that are simple and easy to include in your current process. These solutions make it easier to collect and manage patient data in a simple and user-friendly way. Here are some key benefits:

• Digital forms expedite the intake process by eliminating manual data entry and reducing paperwork, no scanning, no manual downloading or uploading so staff can allocate more time to patient care rather than manual tasks.
• Digital solutions minimize human errors and enhance data accuracy. They also ensure compliance with healthcare regulations by securing patient data through advanced encryption and access controls.
• Patients can fill out digital forms with user-friendly interfaces on their phone, tablet or computer from the comfort of their own home before their visit. This not only speeds up the intake process but also improves the overall patient experience.
• Reducing paper use in clinics not only cuts costs but also supports environmental sustainability initiatives.

Advantages of digital intake forms

Switching to digital patient intake forms, such as those provided by Linear Health, offers multiple benefits:

• Digital forms save time by removing the need for manual data entry and streamlining the intake process for practices. The benefit for the practice is to allow staff to concentrate on patient care rather than manual paperwork.
• Electronic data capture minimizes errors associated with handwritten forms and ensures that patient data is accurate and up-to-date.
• Digital forms improve patient engagement by facilitating easier communication and faster processing, enhancing the overall patient experience.
• Turns documents to data. We store all form data as structured data, so if you needed specific information like medical history from the form to go straight to your EHR, we can work with you to implement custom features like that

Patient intake software

The best patient intake software is not yet another point solution, it offers an integrated solution that works seamlessly with the rest of your tools like EHR, patient communication using templates to automate and simplify repetitive task. It is purpose built for healthcare. There are lots of HIPAA compliant eForm solutions on the market, but after operating mental health clinics, we realised there was none purpose built to behavioral health that combines patient communication, patient registration and intake, mental health screeners and more. This is why we started Linear Health, designed and built from the ground up to solve this specifically for mental health clinics.

Implementing digital patient intake

Integrating digital patient intake forms into your practice involves some planning and implementation effort. Here’s how to ensure a smooth transition:

• Firstly, start with understanding your current workflow end-to-end and identify areas where something like this can make the most impact, maybe your process is already perfect and it’s not a good fit.
• Choose the best software for patient intake. The software should be user friendly, HIPAA compliant, and customizable to fit your staff’s needs. Consider if it can handle Spanish if your clinic serves both English and Spanish speaking patients. Make sure it is compatible with your existing systems like your EHR and any other tools you’re using.
• Work with the software vendor to ensure that all team members are proficient in using the new system. Adequate training reduces resistance and enables your staff to assist patients effectively.
• After implementation, collect feedback from both patients and staff. This will help you identify any issues and make necessary adjustments to not only optimize the patient intake process but also ensure you’re getting the most value from the tool.

Leveraging tech for better patient care

The use of digital patient intake forms is just one aspect of patient intake management. Patient intake software and digital platforms can improve the process by connecting with electronic health records (EHRs) and other practice management solutions. This allows for instant data updates and improves communication between patients and healthcare providers. Depending on the state, you maybe subject to legislation around sharing patient data and could be in breach if your current systems don’t allow you to do that.

Multilingual forms and accessibility

Addressing the needs of a diverse patient base is crucial for inclusive healthcare. Digital tools offer forms in various languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and others, to assist non-English speakers in completing the intake process effortlessly. This feature enhances accessibility and compliance with regulations for all users and makes it easier for everyone to access and follow the rules.

Data security and privacy

Protecting patient information is paramount. Digital patient intake systems must adhere to stringent security standards to safeguard sensitive data. Employing encrypted data transmission, secure servers, and compliance with state level and federal data protection regulations which are essential measures for all healthcare IT.

The future of patient intake

As technology advances, patient intake in the future looks promising with AI, machine learning, and blockchain technologies. These new ideas can make the intake process easier and more secure. Although the expectation is that it’ll make life even easier, we are yet to see solutions that have traction and credibility within healthcare.

Using digital tools for patient check-in is not just an improvement. It also helps improve healthcare and leads to better results for patients. Join us at Linear Health to discover how our tools can enhance your clinics processes, save your staff time and increase your patient satisfaction scores. Having said that, you can also use our form builder solution to create patient satisfaction surveys.