Send forms automatically

Form automation decides when the forms attached to an appointment type are sent to the patient. You set one timing for consent forms and questionnaires, and another for aftercare.

Before you start

• You need to be the clinic owner.
• Attach forms to your appointment types first: see Link forms to appointment types. Automation only sends forms that are attached, or (for consent forms and questionnaires) marked to go with every booking.
• Both timings start as Never, so nothing is sent until you choose otherwise.

Steps

1. From the account menu at the bottom of the sidebar, go to Clinic settings > Clinic > Form automation.
2. Under Medical questionnaires & consent forms, choose one:
   • Never: not sent automatically.
   • Upon booking: sent as soon as the appointment is booked.
   • Scheduled before appointment: enter how many days before the appointment to send them.
3. Under Aftercare forms, choose one:
   • Never.
   • Scheduled after appointment: enter a number and choose hours or days. 0 hours sends them when the appointment is marked completed.
   • Prior to appointment: sent alongside the consent forms and questionnaires, before the appointment.
4. Select Save changes in the Unsaved changes bar.

What happens next

When forms are due, the patient gets an email asking them to complete them in the patient portal, with a button to Complete your forms. The email says how many forms there are but never names them, because a form title can reveal the treatment. The forms then appear under To complete on the patient’s Your forms page.

Aftercare sent after the appointment arrives as an email headed Your aftercare advice. It includes when to contact the clinic straight away, because that advice can’t wait for someone to sign in.

Resend forms for a booking

If a patient hasn’t completed their forms, or a form wasn’t sent, open the booking from Bookings and select Send forms again in the Forms section. This sends anything that should have gone and hasn’t, or reminds the patient about forms still outstanding. It tells you what happened, for example “No outstanding forms to send.” Forms the patient already completed are never sent again.

Good to know

• Form emails are email only. They aren’t sent by text message.
• Emails asking a patient to complete forms before an appointment are sent even if the patient has turned off other messages, because the forms are needed for their treatment. Aftercare emails follow the patient’s email preference.
• Scheduled after appointment only starts counting when the appointment is marked completed. See Appointment statuses.
• Scheduled sends are checked every half hour, so a form can arrive a little after the exact time.
• A patient receives each form only once per appointment.
• Only your clinic’s own published, active forms are sent. A form that’s deactivated, deleted or has no published version is never sent automatically, even if it’s still attached to an appointment type, and Send forms again neither sends it nor reminds the patient about it. Form templates are never sent.