Like many businesses across a wide spectrum of industries, your dental practice has had to adjust its routines and policies as our society deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. While the initial shock of the coronavirus has passed, now is the time to plan for a post-COVID dental practice. Consider streamlining your process by making the transition to online forms, which provide a hands-free way of gathering important patient information before appointments.
The Digital Difference
A new patient walks into your office, and you hand them several sheets of paper affixed to a clipboard to fill out before their appointment. Or, maybe you’re mailing those forms to your new patient to be brought in when they arrive for their visit. There’s a simpler, quicker, more productive way to collect patient information—and it starts by using online forms.
We live in a digital age. And with social distancing underway as part of our society-wide effort to “flatten the curve,” digital interactions are at an all-time high. Even before that, research showed that patients preferred to interact with healthcare providers online for some of the duties such as booking appointments. One recent consumer survey found that 63 percent of respondents based their choice of provider on a strong online presence.
Five reasons why your practice should start using online forms
Reason 1: Efficient Process
By switching to a secure online form that is integrated into your website, new patient information can be input directly into practice management software. That means less time your front-office team has to spend recording patient information and then entering it into your system—a process that is laborious and also runs a higher risk of data entry errors.
Reason 2: Streamline Operations
By directing new patients to input forms they fill out online before arriving for their appointment, you can get some of the pre-appointment work done ahead of time. Namely, downloading new patient charts and verifying insurance eligibility. The latter greatly reduces the risk of a denial of a claim at the time of the appointment.
Reason 3: Digital Signatures
Consider accepting digital signatures on your important documents, such as consent forms and HIPAA releases. Switching to digital signatures can make a huge difference in terms of efficiency; the government of Vermont saw contract approval time diminish by a whopping 75 percent when they made the switch to digital signatures. You also avoid the waste of printing and scanning documents just for a signature.
Reason 4: Secure Access
You want your online forms to be easy to navigate. You want them to be accessible across a wide variety of devices—not just computers, but phones and tablets as well. Most of all, though, you want your forms to be secure. You’re handling all kinds of sensitive information: your new patients’ Social Security numbers, copies of their driver’s licenses, and their insurance information.
Reason 5: Eliminating Redundancy
Online forms are faster and more convenient for your patients. For example, in a digital form, if someone selects “male” as their gender, the digital form automatically can skip any questions related to pregnancy or other aspects of female health. Nowadays, patients are looking to save time just as much as they’re looking to save money or protect their teeth.
Making the Transition to Digital Forms
Switching to online patient forms means adhering to HIPAA guidelines. That’s why you want to reach out to experts like the dental industry professionals at Bryant Consultants. We’re ready and waiting to help. Just call (877) 768-4799, and be sure to ask about our complimentary one-hour consultation. To ensure that you receive the latest updates, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
