5 Ways Digital Forms Create Efficiency

Digital forms are a very powerful tool for dental and oral surgery practices. With many practices dealing with ongoing effects of staffing shortages, finding efficient, useful tools is key to keeping practices in business.

In this blog, we explore 5 ways that digital forms can help practices continue to offer exceptional patient experiences — and to grow their practice.

#1: Streamline office workflows

There are three main ways that digital forms can make for more efficient office workflows:

• Greatly reducing, or eliminating, paperwork
• Reducing administrative tasks
• Streamlining patient processing 

By transitioning to digital forms, practices significantly cut down on the time-consuming process of managing paper documents. While it has the benefit of freeing up valuable storage space, the main benefit is that it can effectively eliminate the risk of misplacing important files. With digital forms, patient information is entered once and can be easily accessed and updated in the practice’s system. This cuts down on the extra labor created by lost documents — or even simply information retrieval.

Administrative tasks such as patient intake, consent form collection, and medical history updates can be completed quickly with digital forms. Patients can complete forms before their appointments, reducing wait times and ensuring the staff has all necessary information in advance. This can also allow for real-time updates and automatic data syncing, making daily workflows that much easier on staff.

Digital forms also integrate with practice management software, allowing dental and oral practices to operate more efficiently. When a patient fills out a digital form, information such as their personal details, medical history, and insurance information can be automatically populated into their digital record within the system. This automation eliminates the need for staff to manually transfer data, helping records stay up-to-date.

#2: Reduce errors

Digital forms bring considerable error-reducing benefits to dental practices. This can happen in a few different ways. Primarily, however, it happens through features like auto-population and built-in validation. 

Auto-population allows for certain patient information, such as contact details and insurance data, to be automatically filled in based on previously entered information. This reduces the need for patients or staff to re-enter data repeatedly, which saves time. But, importantly, it also lowers the risk of inconsistent or incorrect entries. For example, if a patient’s information changes, it can be updated across the entire system instantly, ensuring all records are current. Having the correct information sets your practice up for quick patient identification, insurance claims, and billing.

#3: Patients come prepared

We’ve talked a little bit about how digital forms can be filled out by patients before their appointments. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Filling out information from the comfort of home allows patients to come to their appointments more prepared. They can take their time to provide accurate information for intake forms, medical histories, and consent documents at their convenience before their appointment. This reduces the stress of arriving early to fill out paperwork. But that’s not the only benefit — filling out digital forms at home also reduces wait times! When forms are completed digitally ahead of time, dental staff can review patient information in advance. This doesn’t just ensure that all necessary details are ready for the appointment. It also leads to a smoother, faster check-in process, which is great for patients and staff alike.

#4: Retain more patients 

Connecting digital forms with automation offers a significant efficiency increase and helps retain patients. By connecting digital forms with automated systems, practices can set up reminders that notify patients when it’s time for routine check-ups, cleanings, or follow-up treatments — with all the essential forms attached! This has benefits for both the patient and the practice.

• For patients: Patients appreciate the convenience and proactive reminders, which helps them stay on top of their oral health without needing to remember specific dates. 
• For the practice: Digital forms with automated reminders translate to fuller schedules and improved appointment adherence, leading to higher revenue and operational efficiency. Regular follow-ups also boost patient retention, as patients who attend regular visits are more likely to continue with the practice long-term.

#5: Reduce costs with less paperwork

Efficiency isn’t just about time! Cost efficiency is also a key part of overall efficiency. Think about the expenses that you can reduce related to printing, paper, and physical storage. Printing costs, which include ink, paper, and printer maintenance, can add up substantially over time. Digital forms eliminate these recurring costs, saving the practice money on both materials and equipment upkeep. 

As we’ve talked about already, storing paper records requires dedicated filing space and often needs off-site storage solutions for long-term record retention. By going digital, practices can reduce or eliminate the need for physical storage, creating a more efficient use of space at the office. 

Digital Forms in Action

Let’s follow a patient’s journey through a dental appointment to see how digital forms streamline every step, from check-in to post-visit feedback. 

Upon scheduling their appointment, the patient receives a digital form link, allowing them to complete intake paperwork, provide medical history, and update insurance details from home. This saves time at the front desk and reduces stress for the patient, who can arrive without needing to fill out paperwork in the waiting room.

At check-in, the patient’s digital forms are already on file, enabling staff to confirm details quickly and without needing manual data entry. The dentist and hygienist have immediate access to the patient’s updated information, ensuring accurate and timely care without delays to retrieve or review paper records. During the visit, any new treatments or prescriptions are noted directly in the patient’s digital record, which automatically syncs with the practice’s system for seamless billing and insurance processing.

After the appointment, the patient receives an automated follow-up form for feedback or further instructions, encouraging them to engage with the practice and providing the office with insights for continued improvement. By the time they leave, every part of the process — from check-in to follow-up — is smoother and more efficient, providing a better overall experience for the patient and a more productive workflow for the practice.

How Intiveo Helps

Our clients have provided positive feedback on how digital forms have impacted their practice. The office manager at Graft Periodontics reports that, “It’s always a relief to open the schedule and see that the majority of appointments have already been confirmed, pre-screened, and have questionnaires completed prior to the patient setting foot inside our office,” showing how helpful it can be to send digital forms in advance of an appointment. 

When it comes to staffing shortages — which we discuss in our recent guide — finding the right tools is key to supporting the staff you have. This is where digital forms, and other solutions, are so important.

Intiveo offers a number of resources to dental and oral surgery practices across Canada and the United States, including this blog and our podcast, The Patient Experience Blueprint.

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