Patient Forms Guide - Creating and managing Patient Forms

Overview

Does Elation have pre-built Patient Forms and questions?

Yes, Elation has the following pre-built Patient Forms templates:

New Patient Medical History
Follow-up Medical History
Demographics
Insurance Information
COVID-19 Screening
Medicare AWV

Each template is associated with a set of pre-built questions. You can customize any of the templates to fit your needs and create your own personalized versions of these forms.

How do I create my own Patient Forms?

Use the Patient Forms builder to create your own Patient Forms. You can build forms in several ways:

Use pre-built templates, sections, and questions.
Create your own questions and sections from scratch.
Covert a PDF or image of a form into a structured form.

See below for step-by-step instructions.

Anatomy of a Patient Form

Here are the core components of a Patient Form as it’s being built.

Patient Form builder showing labeled components: Form Name (A), sign-off checkbox (B), patient-visible Title and Description (C, D), a Demographics section with Section Title (F), Exports to HPI setting (G), Intro Text (I), a Free Text Question with Answer Helper Text (K, L), a Checkbox List Question with settings toggles (O), and Add question (R), Add section (S), Add predefined section (T), and Save changes (U) buttons.

Letter	Name	Description	Visible to patients?
A	Form Name	Internal name of the form.	No
B	Sign-off permission indicator	Enables Staff Level Users to sign off on patient responses.	No
C	Title (What patient sees)	External name of the form.	Yes
D	Form Description	Description of the form.	Yes
E	Section	Organizes related questions together. Each form can have multiple sections. To move the section to a new location in the form, click and hold the Grid icon, drag the section to its new location and then let go of your cursor.	Yes Each section is separated by a horizontal line.
F	Section Title	Internal title of the section.	No
G	Exports to preference	Defines where responses from this section can be exported to in the patient’s chart.	No
H	Section shortcut (delete)	Deletes the section.	No
I	Intro Text (What patient sees)	Provides context or explanation for the upcoming question(s).	Yes
J	Question	The item that asks for specific information or a response from the patient. Each section can have multiple questions. To move the question to a new location in the section, click and hold the Grid icon, drag the question to its new location and then let go of your cursor.	Yes
K	Question Text	The prompt that you want the patient to answer.	Yes
L	Answer Helper Text	Example(s) of what the patient can input as an answer. E.g. If you want the patient to enter their Date of Birth as a two digit month, two digit date and four digit year, enter the Answer Help Text as MM/DD/YYYY.	Yes
M	Question type description	Describes the answer format for the question.	No
N	Question shortcuts (copy & delete)	Options to duplicate the question to create a similar question or delete the question.	No
O	Question settings	Specify additional preferences for the question format. (Only available for the Checkbox List Question format.)	No
P	Delete icon	Deletes the answer option.	No
Q	Add answer option icon	Adds an answer option.	No
R	Add question	Adds a new question to that section.	No
S	Add section	Adds a new section.	No
T	Add predefined section	Add a predefined section to the form.	No
U	Save changes	Save form edits.	No
V	Back	Return to the Patient Forms list.	No

Setup

Specifying who can create or edit forms

By default, anyone in the practice can create or edit Patient Forms. If preferred, you can set it so that only Admin Level Users can configure patient forms by following these steps:

1	Go to Settings -> Patient Forms .
2	Click the Admin only toggle until it turns green (ON).

Changes to this setting will be applied immediately.

Specifying who can sign off on completed forms

By default, only Provider Level Users can sign off on forms responses. For each Patient Form, Admin Level Users can enable a setting that allows Staff Level Users to sign off on its form responses. This feature is ideal for forms that generally do not require provider oversight such as forms for demographics or insurance collection. To allow staff to sign off on a specific patient form, check the box labeled This form does not require provider sign-off when editing that form.

Workflow Instructions

Generating a Patient Form draft from a PDF or image

1	Go to Settings -> Patient Forms .
2	Click Create from PDF or Image .
3	Select the PDF or image of your form from your device and click Open. Supported languages are English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
4	A new browser tab will open to generate a draft of the form.Do not close this tab until the draft is complete, or the form will not be generated.
5	Once the draft is generated, review the internal Form Name in the upper lefthand corner. This name will only be seen by members of your practice.
6	(Admin Level User Only) Specify whether the completed form requires sign-off from a Provider Level User by checking or unchecking the This form does not require provider sign-off box. Click here for information about this setting.
7	Review the external Title and Form Description. These will be visible to your patients while they fill out the form.
8	Review each section and make adjustments as needed. Adjust the section title as needed. • Adjust where you want the section responses to export to, if allowed. • Add question(s) to the section, see step #9 below. Each section must have at least one question.
9	Review each question and make adjustments as needed. Add a custom question by clicking + Add question.
10	Click Save form to save any changes.
11	Click the back arrow to return to the main Settings page.

Creating a Patient Form from scratch or from a template

1	Go to Settings -> Patient Forms .
2	Choose how you want to build your form: To select a template from the dropdown to use a prebuilt form as a starting point., click Create from Template. • To start building from scratch, click Create a Blank Form.
3	Fill out the internal Form Name in the upper lefthand corner. This name will only be seen by members of your practice.
4	(Admin Level User Only) Specify whether the completed form requires sign-off from a Provider Level User by checking or unchecking the This form does not require provider sign-off box. Click here for information about this setting.
5	Give the form a Title and Form Description. Both are visible to the patient.
6	Customize the sections of your form. Templates come with certain predefined sections, predefined export to settings and pre-built questions. • A blank form will start you off with a blank section. • Click + Add section to add a custom section. Customization options include Adjusting the Section Title & Intro Text. • Selecting where the responses export to in the patient’s chart. • Adding questions (see step #7 below). Each section must have at least one question. • Changing the order in which the sections display in the form using the Grid icon.
7	Customize the questions of your form: Templates come with certain predefined sections, predefined export to settings and pre-built questions. • A blank form will start you off with a blank section where you must add at least one question. • Click + Add question to add a custom question to any section. To reorganize questions, click and hold the Grid icon, drag the question to its new location in the same section and then let go of your cursor. Questions cannot be moved across sections.
8	Click Save form to save any changes.
9	Click the back arrow to return to the main Settings page.

Using pre-defined sections

Each pre-defined section includes a title, default export settings for responses, and one or more pre-set questions. Each predefined section can only be added once to a patient form except for Other.

1	Click Add predefined section to add a predefined section.
2	Customize the Section Title & Intro Text .
3	When you use the Other section, choose where to export the section responses.
4	Review the pre-built questions that come with the predefined section. Add a custom question by clicking + Add question. • Copy a pre-built question to use it as a starting point for a similar question using the copy icon.

“Other” is a section, not an export destination. The Exports to dropdown only lists Clinical Profile sections (such as Habits, PMH, Family History, and Social History). There is no “Other” choice in that dropdown, and no dynamic macro adds one. What the Other predefined section does is let you choose which Clinical Profile section a response exports to—it is the only section whose export destination you can edit. Every other predefined section exports to a fixed destination.If you are building a form that doesn’t belong in the Clinical Profile at all—such as a consent form, terms of service, or financial policy—you don’t need to set an export destination. Once the patient submits, the completed form files into their chart as its own report; the Exports to setting only matters when you want a response copied into a Clinical Profile section.

Other customization options include:

To delete a predefined section, click the trash can icon.
To move the predefined section to a new location in the form, click and hold the Grid icon, drag the section to its new location and then let go of your cursor.

Using prebuilt questions

Prebuilt questions are designed to collect structured data that fits directly into areas of the chart like Demographics, Clinical Questionnaires, Medication Lists, and Health Maintenance. Each prebuilt question is formatted to suit the type of information being collected. For example, the Medical History question uses checkboxes so patients can easily select the conditions they have. Some prebuilt questions cannot be edited because they are either formatted for the areas they must export to (e.g. Demographics: Preferred Language) or they are standard instruments with pre-configured scoring (e.g. Depression (PHQ-2)). Responses to prebuilt questions will be exported to the located defined by the section it is in. You can’t edit the default export destination for prebuilt questions, except for those located in the Other predefined section.

Creating your own questions

Create custom questions to collect information that’s specific to your practice, workflows, or patient population. Responses to custom questions will be exported to the located defined by the section it is in. Click here to view sample use cases for Patient Forms. The question formats available are:

Question Format	Use Case	Example
Short answer	A single-line text field where the patient can type a brief, free-text response.	“What is the name and address of your preferred pharmacy?”
Patient signature	Allows patients to provide their electronic signature.	“Please sign below to consent to treatment.”
Dropdown Select	A list of options that appears when the patient clicks the dropdown menu. The patient can choose only one answer from the list.	“Select your primary language.”
Radio Select	A set of visible options displayed as circles. The patient can choose only one answer.	“What is your current smoking status?”
Checkbox	A list of options with checkboxes. The patient can choose one or more answers. You can also specify the following: Allow free-text input accompanying each option • Include a pre-defined Other choice	“Which symptoms are you experiencing?”
Free-text list	Allows patients to enter several responses, saved as individual items.	“List any supplements you’re currently taking.”

1	Add a new question by clicking + Add question .
2	Select the question format you want to use.
3	Customize the question and answer options. Add Answer Help Text as guidance for the patient if needed. (e.g. if you want the patient to enter their Date of Birth as a two digit month, two digit date and four digit year, enter the Answer Help Text as MM/DD/YYYY) • Click + to add additional answer options. • Click the trash can icon to delete unneeded answer options.
4	To reorder the questions, click and hold the Grid icon, drag the question to its new location and then let go of your cursor.
5	To copy a question to use it as a starting point for a similar question, click the copy icon.

Using a Patient Form Template

Templates come with predefined sections and questions to help you quickly create commonly used forms. To use a template simply click on the template name when creating a new form. For example

The Demographics Template allows you to collect information for certain demographics fields, such as the patient’s preferred pronouns or emergency contact information, to maintain the most up to date demographics for each patient.
- Only the sections and questions available in the Demographics Template can be exported to a patient’s demographics. You cannot create your own questions for exporting to patient demographics fields.
The Medicare AWV Template allows you to send patients a list of typical questions for a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. This way, you can collect responses before the appointment and reference them in the note, streamlining the visit.

Managing the Patient Forms List

Newly created forms will appear at the bottom of the Manage Forms list on the Patient Forms Settings page. To reorder your forms, click the Grid icon and drag and drop the form to a new location. Each form displays the following details:

Form title
Creator and creation date
Last modified by and last modified date
Linked Appointment Types, if the form is attached to any

This makes it easy to track form updates and understand how each form is being used in your workflow.

Editing Patient Forms

When you edit a form, any changes you make will automatically apply moving forward. Patients will see the updated version the next time they load the form.

1	Go to Settings -> Patient Forms .
2	Click Edit next to the form you want to edit.
3	Make your edits and then click Save form to save any changes.
4	Click the back arrow to return to the main Settings page.

Deleting Patient Forms

Deleted with caution as deleted forms cannot be restored. Deleting a form will immediately remove it from any linked appointment types. If the form was already sent to a patient, they may no longer be able to complete it—so make sure it’s no longer needed before deleting.

1	Go to Settings -> Patient Forms .
2	Click Delete next to the form you want to delete.
3	Click Delete again to confirm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click here to view frequently asked questions about Patient Forms.

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Patient Forms Guide - Creating and managing Patient Forms

Overview

Does Elation have pre-built Patient Forms and questions?

How do I create my own Patient Forms?

Anatomy of a Patient Form

Setup

Specifying who can create or edit forms

Specifying who can sign off on completed forms

Workflow Instructions

Generating a Patient Form draft from a PDF or image

Creating a Patient Form from scratch or from a template

Using pre-defined sections

Using prebuilt questions

Creating your own questions

Using a Patient Form Template

Managing the Patient Forms List

Editing Patient Forms

Deleting Patient Forms

Frequently Asked Questions

​Overview

​Does Elation have pre-built Patient Forms and questions?

​How do I create my own Patient Forms?

​Anatomy of a Patient Form

​Setup

​Specifying who can create or edit forms

​Specifying who can sign off on completed forms

​Workflow Instructions

​Generating a Patient Form draft from a PDF or image

​Creating a Patient Form from scratch or from a template

​Using pre-defined sections

​Using prebuilt questions

​Creating your own questions

​Using a Patient Form Template

​Managing the Patient Forms List

​Editing Patient Forms

​Deleting Patient Forms

​Frequently Asked Questions

​Related Articles

Overview

Does Elation have pre-built Patient Forms and questions?

How do I create my own Patient Forms?

Anatomy of a Patient Form

Setup

Specifying who can create or edit forms

Specifying who can sign off on completed forms

Workflow Instructions

Generating a Patient Form draft from a PDF or image

Creating a Patient Form from scratch or from a template

Using pre-defined sections

Using prebuilt questions

Creating your own questions

Using a Patient Form Template

Managing the Patient Forms List

Editing Patient Forms

Deleting Patient Forms

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Articles