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Digital Forms with New Writeback: A Better Way to Manage Intake

Callie Norton
December 12, 2022
5
min read

Key Takeaways

  • Make Patient Intake Digital: Paper forms slow down workflows and frustrate patients. Doctible's Digital Forms offer convenience and efficiency.
  • Writeback Streamlines Data: Completed forms "write back" to your system, updating patient records and reducing manual entry errors.
  • Improved Patient Experience: Patients prefer online forms and appreciate the ability to correct mistakes with writeback quickly.
  • Increased Staff Efficiency: Eliminate filing and manual data entry with digital forms, freeing staff for patient care.
  • Practice Growth: Streamlined intake attracts new patients, improves retention, and boosts practice revenue.

Doctible's Digital Forms with New Writeback Offers Advanced Tech for Easier Patient Intake

As healthcare providers coexist with fast-developing technology, which has broadly impacted their industry with the introduction of data-analyzing AI, it's vital to acknowledge the benefits of tech at the practice level. Given today's standards, digitizing processes is a crucial step that every practice owner must take to stay relevant and keep patients engaged.  

Today, practices must automate as many workflow tasks as possible to increase office efficiencies and accommodate patients' digital expectations. As such, a technology-forward approach can help solve problems surrounding your patient lifecycle.

If your intake process still involves printing the same stack of papers and a filing cabinet, you should be aware of one simple solution: digital intake forms with writeback functionality. This software duo helps you implement the technology your patients want while streamlining your overall workflow.

Why Digitization Matters for Healthcare Practices

Anywhere you look, you'll see many processes transformed and improved by technology, from ordering takeout on an app to scheduling your child's first dentist appointment. Technology makes life convenient, and convenience is a top priority in a busy world.  

The pandemic changed life for anyone who lived through it, making many remarkable differences for businesses worldwide. According to a survey distributed to C-suite and technology executives, "63% of leaders say COVID-19 made their organizations embrace digital transformation sooner than they had expected and were making greater investments in technology as a result."  

Unsurprisingly, given the steady prevalence of telehealth services and AI-driven access to essential data (like infection rates), the healthcare industry is no different.  

As healthcare facilities become increasingly more receptive to technology, your practice can get lost in a fog of competition and push prospects in the wrong direction. But digitizing processes—such as those involving paper—and making them more convenient invites patients down a more straightforward path to your practice.  

The Importance of Optimizing Patient Intake Forms  

If you've decided to work towards creating a more inviting path for your patients, remember that your intake process is the gate that either welcomes them or bars them from entering. By eliminating paper and switching to online forms, you're swinging your practice's gate wide open:  

  • Your staff won't have to enter or file paper intake forms, saving valuable time they could spend caring for patients.  
  • Pre-appointment online intake forms allow patients to fill out their information in advance, which is convenient for them, and let them know you respect their time.  
  • With a more manageable process, patients are more likely to come back, increasing your retention rate.  
  • You'll have a better lifetime value with additional revenue from the influx of new patients you'll receive and retain.    

Without digital forms in your practice, you're limiting your patient acquisition growth and actively damaging your practice. You risk higher staff labor costs for the time spent filing and data entry. Moreover, you could end up with a poor reputation due to slower patient processing, lost dollars for paper supplies and storage, and potentially misplaced patient records.  

It's simple: Going digital saves you both time and money.

Digital Forms with Writeback Accelerate Patient Intake

Doctible's Digital Forms optimize intake, opening your practice's gate to invite more patients. The software allows you to reap all of the benefits of digital patient processing with modern features that optimize productivity in your practice:  

  • Whether they're questionnaires or consent forms, you can customize your digital paperwork depending on your practice's needs.  
  • You can bundle forms together and send them to the patient however they prefer, either through text or email.  
  • Watch patients fill out forms in real-time to know exactly when they're completed.  

In addition to these features, a new upgrade in the software offers writeback functionality so that they're easier to manage. If you're wondering what writeback is, you should know that it's remarkably beneficial to your practice's digital form process.  

What Is Data Writeback in a Practice Management System?

Here's a simple explanation of writeback: When data "writes back" into your database, file, or system, it's safely stored but still editable.  

Once patients complete their forms with an e-signature, your staff stores them in your practice management system. Then, if necessary, the forms can be updated. If your team notices any errors within these forms, they can re-submit them to patients with comments and instructions to ensure they make the proper corrections. Or, if a patient notices a mistake, such as forgetting to list an allergy, they'll have the reassurance that they can fix it.  

Writeback enhances Doctible's Digital Forms because it dramatically reduces pain points that prevent productivity in your practice. You'll have the most accurate chart information, which can help your appointments run more smoothly. You'll also make patients more comfortable and increase patient retention over longer periods of time.

With Doctible's Digital Forms, Your Practice is Limitless

Today, you need modern solutions to succeed in an era of digital advancement. Doctible's software with new writeback capabilities can help eliminate the barriers to your practice's success.  

By allowing patients the flexibility they want to submit and edit forms before their appointments, you're making their lives easier and keeping them engaged. Equally as important, your practice will save time and money without tedious filing processes and costs you'd spend on staff and supplies. With Doctible, you can maintain an intake process that guides patients to your practice and keeps them returning.

References

Cassio. (2021a, July 13). What you need to know about digital intake forms and the patient experience. IntakeQ Blog; intakeQ. https://blog.intakeq.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-digital-intake-forms-and-the-patient-experience/  

Cassio. (2021b, September 28). How to use technology to measure and maximize retention. IntakeQ Blog; intakeQ. https://blog.intakeq.com/how-to-use-tec hnol ogy-to-measure-and-maximize-retention/  

Celerity. (n.d.). Download Digital transformation report PDF. Celerity. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.celerity.com/digital-transformation-report

Marr, B. (2020, September 14). The 5 Biggest Technology Trends In 2021 Everyone Must Get Ready For Now. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2020/09/14/the-5-biggest-technology-trends-in-2021-everyone-must-get-ready-for-now/?sh=772477371b82

Write-Back. (n.d.). Insightsoftware. https://insightsoftware.com/encyclopedia/write-back/

Callie Norton
January 25, 2024

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