Who can honestly say they enjoy filling out page after page of new patient forms when visiting a medical practice for the first time? I’m confident that if you surveyed a hundred people, their overwhelming response to this question would be, “NOT ME!” Yet patients continue to find themselves sitting in waiting room chairs, awkwardly filling out a clipboard, just so they can get to the reason why they scheduled the appointment in the first place.
The patient experience starts well before they walk into the office for their first visit. Asking patients to go online, print out a form, fill it out and bring it with them to their appointment not only creates a bad patient experience from day 1, it also prevents practices from being able to prepare ahead of time to present a personalized treatment plan based on the patient’s unique financial needs and treatment goals.
In today’s world, where most of us are always on a mobile device, we want things to be as convenient and user-friendly as possible. That’s why OrthoFi’s mobile-friendly new patient forms were designed to allow patients to complete their intake forms on the go. Whether they’re sitting on a light rain train commuting to work, waiting to get their oil changed, or attending their child’s soccer game, patients of OrthoFi practices are able to complete their forms prior to their exam, wherever and whenever it’s most convenient for them!
Creating Forms with the User in Mind
Our design and product teams spent countless hours researching how to remove friction for the user when it came to patients completing their intake forms. The information we ask for helps to ensure an awesome patient experience by providing the practice staff with a head start. The goal is for the patient to walk-in on the day of their appointment and head straight to their personalized treatment evaluation, rather than sitting in a waiting room filling out forms. This is achieved if we can collect the following information beforehand:
- Basic demographics
- Insurance
- Medical
- Financing
- Expectations
Why Gathering Insurance Information Before the Appointment is Important
By gathering a patient’s insurance information at least one business day prior to the exam date, our team of insurance eligibility experts can verify and calculate benefits prior to their appointment. If practices collect this information on behalf of the patient when scheduling the appointment, we can get started verifying this information even sooner. We’re also able to inform the patient that we have the insurance piece covered already when they start filling out their forms, which further improves patient engagement with the practice.
Constantly Improving Our Products
At OrthoFi, we know that technology changes rapidly and we strive to deliver world-class products that provide the best possible experience for our customers. More than 5 years ago, we partnered with a team of well-respected orthodontists to launch a solution that addressed the growing challenges to practice growth and scalability. Since then, we have grown rapidly, helping more than 400,000 patients access high-quality care in over 500 locations across the country. We will continue to be in front of the market as we develop products that make a positive impact on our customers and their patients!
This article was written by Marc Singer, Director of Product at OrthoFi. Marc has more than 17 years of experience working in technology at both large and smaller sized companies including msnbc.com, REI, Sesame Communications, Healthgrades and OrthoFi. His list of accomplishments include building a new story page experience on msnbc.com, rebuilding the suite of REI shopping apps on iOS and Android, creating an online scheduling platform for patients seeking treatment, and creating an online patient portal experience for orthodontic patients. Marc is passionate about using software to create great experiences for consumers to seek and receive treatment for the care they need.
