Requesting patient forms

Dentrix Ascend provides an online portal where patients can complete forms prior to or during their visits.

You can send requests for patient forms to be completed using the following methods:

• Bulk automated appointment reminders - Each appointment reminder that Dentrix Ascend sends out automatically by email and text message can include a button (with email messages) or a link (with text messages) that a patient can use to open the portal where he or she can complete online forms.

• Individual manual request - You can manually send an email or text message with a link to a patient, such as when a patient accidentally deletes the text message for his or her appointment reminder. You can also have a patient complete forms in your office on a mobile device connected to the patient's online portal, such as when a patient shows up at the office without having completed the necessary forms.

Note: The Web address for a patient's online portal is unique to a given patient. Each patient must open the online portal using the link (or button) that is specific to his or her record.

To send bulk requests

As part of your patient communication campaign for appointment reminders, create an Appt confirmed appointment reminder, which is based on the Appointment Confirmed Date event.

An email message will have a button for each related patient on that reminder. A text message will have a link for each related patient on that reminder.

To request patient forms manually

1. Do one of the following:

   • How to get there

     1. If the correct patient is not already selected, use the Patient Search box to access the patient's record.

        Note: You can include inactive patients in the search results by setting the Include inactive patients switch to On.

     2. On the Patient menu, under General, click (or tap) Overview.

        The patient's Overview page opens.

     On a patient's Overview page, the Patient Forms box displays the patient forms that have been completed and those that are due. Click (or tap) Request Forms.

     

   • How to get there

     1. If the correct patient is not already selected, use the Patient Search box to access the patient's record.

        Note: You can include inactive patients in the search results by setting the Include inactive patients switch to On.

     2. On the Patient menu, under General, click (or tap) Overview.

        The patient's Overview page opens.

     3. Click (or tap) the top of, or a white space within, the Patient Forms box.

        

        The Patient Forms tab of the patient's record opens.

     On the Patient Forms tab of a patient's record, the patient forms that have been completed and those that are due appear. Click (or tap) Request Forms.

     

   • How to get there

     1. On the Schedule menu, click (or tap) Calendar.

        The Calendar page opens.

     2. Click (or tap) an appointment.

        The Appointment Information panel opens.

     While viewing a patient's appointment, position your pointer over (or tap) Forms. The pop-up box that appears displays the patient forms that have been completed and those that are due. Click (or tap) either a form that has a Due Now status or Request Forms.

     

   • How to get there

     1. On the Schedule menu, click (or tap) Unconfirmed Appointments.

        The Unconfirmed Appts page opens.

     While confirming a patient's appointment, position your pointer over (or tap) Forms. The pop-up box that appears displays the patient forms that have been completed and those that are due. Click (or tap) either a form that has a Due Now status or Request Forms.

     

   Notes:

   • The published forms that have been created using the new form builder appear, and you can send requests for patients to complete any of those forms. You cannot send requests for patients to complete any forms that were created using the legacy patient forms tool; however, any of those forms that were completed by patients remain associated with the respective patient records.

   • Outstanding form requests from the legacy system will still work for the two weeks that those links are valid.

   The Request Forms for [Patient Name] dialog box appears.

   

   Note: You can no longer register kiosk devices or push requests to those devices. However, patients can still complete forms on a practice-owned mobile device.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To send the portal link to a mobile phone number, select the desired number from the list, and then click (or tap) Text Link. This button is available only if the patient has a mobile phone number entered in his or her record. The mobile phone numbers of the patient and his or her primary contact are available for selection.

   • To send the portal link to an email address, select the desired address from the list, and then click (or tap) Email Link. This button is available only if the patient has an email address entered in his or her record. The email addresses of the patient and his or her primary contact are available for selection.

   • To copy the portal link to the Window Clipboard, click (or tap) Copy Link. You can then paste the link in a document or email message for the patient

   • To open the patient's portal on another tab of your Web browser (for instance, if you are opening it on a practice-owned mobile device that the patient can use to complete forms in the office; be sure to close any other Dentrix Ascend tabs before giving the device to the patient), you can click (or tap) the Open forms in new tab link.

   • To access the patient's portal link on a mobile device, use the camera on that device to scan the QR code, and then tap the link that appears on the mobile device.

     Important:

     • Since using a mobile device to scan a QR Code to open a patient's portal registers that mobile device with Dentrix Ascend, you should use a mobile device that is owned by your practice.

     • Using a QR code requires that your mobile device meet the following specifications: for an Apple device, iOS 11 and the Safari browser; or for an Android device, Android 4 or newer and the Chrome browser.

   Note: The link will expire two weeks from the date that it was generated (the date you opened the Request Forms for [Patient Name] dialog box). After that, you must generate a new link if the patient still has not used the original link that you provided.