Send an intake form
Create the intake template, send it once, and have clients fill it in before they walk in. Plus how to reuse, share, and pre-fill with their existing data.
- A client to send the form to (lesson 2.1)
Why intake should run before the first session
Sessions are short, and paperwork eats into the first one. A well-built intake form, sent before the appointment, gets you the history, consent, and context you need, in your client's own words and their own time.
The session starts from a richer baseline, and reception runs more smoothly.
Create an intake template
- Open Templates and click + New template. To keep intake forms together, use the arrow next to it to create a New folder first, for example 'New client intake'.
- Give the template a title.
- Click the + in the editor toolbar to add fields: text, paragraph, email, phone, dropdowns, date pickers.
- Type / in the editor for the quick-insert menu: lists, images, headings, AI prompts.
- Save.
Pre-fill with client data
There's no need to ask clients for their name and email when you already have them. Use smart data chips: in the editor, click + → Add smart data chips, or type / and look under Smartchips.
Drop a chip in and Carepatron pre-fills it from the client's profile when the form is shared.
Send it to a client
- Open the client's record and choose More actions → Send intake.
- Pick the forms and agreements to send. If you've connected Stripe, you can also ask the client to add a payment method.
- Check the email, then send it.
The client gets an email with access to their portal, fills the form in any browser and submits it. The completed form saves to their record as a note. Only templates saved in your workspace show up here, so copy any Community template to your workspace first. To send the same forms to every new client automatically, put them in your Intake folder and turn on the Send intake workflow, which we'll do in Lesson 2.5.
Tick these off in your own workspace before moving on.
Five intake forms to start from.
Copy the structure, swap the questions to fit your practice.
PHQ-9 + GAD-7 + 'what brings you in today?' (paragraph). Three pages.
Body chart, pain scale (0 to 10), injury date, mechanism, prior imaging, goals. One page.
Allergies, current medications, family history, smoking and alcohol screens. Two pages.
Medical history, last cleaning date, anxiety screen, anaesthesia history, insurance details.
Goal (single choice), constraints (paragraph), schedule availability (multi-choice), success metrics in your own words.
How do I create an intake form?
Templates → + New template, give it a title, click + in the editor toolbar to add fields, then save. Type / in the editor for quick-insert (lists, headings, images, AI prompts).
Can I pre-fill a client's name and contact details?
Yes, use smart data chips. In the editor, click + → Add smart data chips, or type / and look under Smartchips, then pick the profile field to pull from. The chip fills in from the client's profile when the form is sent.
How do I send the same intake to multiple clients?
Send it from each client's record with More actions → Send intake, or put the form in your Intake folder and turn on the Send intake workflow (Lesson 2.5) so every new client gets it. Each client gets their own copy.
Can I share a single form without sending an intake?
Yes. Open the template, click Share, pick the client and mark them as Responder. If you share one template with several people this way, they all edit the same document, so use Send intake when each client needs their own copy.
What happens when a client submits the form?
The completed form saves to the client's record as a note, so you and your team can review it before the session.
Can clients fill an intake form on their phone?
Yes, the email link opens in any browser. They don't need to install anything.
Can I require certain fields?
Yes. When you add a form field, switch on Required in its field options. Clients are asked to fill those in before they submit.