There are SO many things to worry about in your practice; it’s no wonder that no one pays attention to how bad your HIPAA Release form and other new patient intake forms look. They’ve been photocopied about two hundred times since you started using them. And, come to think of it, cell phones weren’t even a thing back then.
But there’s a big reason why you should care; first impressions are EXTREMELY important. New patients spend several minutes with your patient intake forms before they ever meet your doctors, nurses, or MAs. Bad forms get you off on the wrong foot. Think of your patient forms as a way to continue marketing your practice to existing patients. If your forms are messy, unorganized, blurry, and redundant, those things will reflect poorly on yourself, your practice, and your brand.
It is pretty easy to fix bad forms. Assign the task to your most junior admin staffer, explaining to them why it’s important. They’ll love the new responsibility, and they haven’t been around long enough to think, “who cares?”. Have your assigned person look over your intake forms (things like new patient info, financial responsibilities, HIPAA Release form, etc.) once every year. Pick a memorable date that is NOT January first (which tends to be a busy time). I’d suggest Valentine’s Day; a good reminder is that you love your patients too much to subject them to an ugly and clumsy first impression.
Look over the forms to see if the info is current or outdated, if you’re asking the patient to give you information multiple times, and if they look clean and professional. You can create new “originals” by typing them up in MS Word or Publisher, or pay a couple bucks to have your print vendor typeset them for you. Then, whenever you need more of them, print them from your electronic original so you don’t end up with ugly re-copied forms a couple years down the road.
I know it seems like a silly detail, but winning the hearts and minds of new patients is important work, and the devil is in the details! If you need help designing and printing professional patient intake forms, contact King Medical today.
