With this Dentrix Ascend release, an all-new, enhanced form builder is available. Once you create and publish forms and enable the new patient forms features in Dentrix Ascend, you can send requests to patients to have them complete the forms that are due, similar to how you requested forms previously.
Some highlights of the new forms include the following:
- Completely customizable forms.
- Targeted questions with conditional logic.
- Patients can upload their drivers ID and insurance cards.
- Multi-site organizations can set up a form and publish it to many locations at once.
- Forms can include a list of medical conditions and allergies that you specify from your Dentrix Ascend database.
- Demographic information, medical conditions, and allergies that a patient enters on an online form can synchronize with that patient’s record in Dentrix Ascend automatically, so the amount of manual adjudication of completed forms that is done by office staff to update patient records might be greatly reduced or even eliminated.
If your organization has been using the legacy patient forms, check out the new patient forms. You can create forms using the new form builder (see “Creating New Patient Forms” below) and then enable the new forms features (see “Enabling New Patient Forms” below).
Important: Before you switch to the new patient forms, you should understand the following:
- You must re-create all forms that you have been using with the legacy patient forms. At this time, there is not a tool to migrate the legacy forms to the new forms.
- Some workflows are different and may require time for adjustment, including the following:
- A copy of a completed form is saved in the patient’s Document Manager as a .pdf file.
- The demographics and medical conditions/allergies entered on a completed form can be updated in the patient’s record automatically.
- Several features are not available yet, including the following:
- Multi-lingual forms.
- Provider editing/signing of forms.
- Push-to-kiosk is no longer available, but a QR code is available for scanning with an office-owned device.
Creating New Patient Forms
To start creating new patient forms before enabling the new patient forms features in Dentrix Ascend, do the following:
1. On the Settings menu, select Patient Forms.
The Patient Forms page opens.
2. Click Try New Forms.
The Try New Forms dialog box appears.
3. Click Set Up Forms.
The Patient Forms page opens on a new browser tab.
Note: You can create forms for new patients and patients of record.
4. Complete the following steps for each form that you want to create:
a. Click Create Form.
The All Templates options appear. You can create a form, starting from scratch or using a template.
b. Click Blank, New Patient Registration, or Health History.
The Form Builder page opens.
The panel on the left contains all available elements that you can add to the form.
Sync
These standard elements correspond to patient information that can update data in your Dentrix Ascend database.
Currently, the following demographics on a form can update a patient’s record:
- Preferred name.
- Address.
- Email address.
- Phone number:
– If a mobile phone number does not exist for the patient, the one entered on the form is added to the beginning of the patient’s list of phone numbers.
– If a mobile phone number does exist for the patient, and it matches the mobile phone number on the form, it is moved to the beginning of the patient’s list of phone numbers (if it is not already the first).
Note: Duplicate phone numbers are allowed in Dentrix Ascend only if they are assigned different types (such as Home and Mobile). - Title.
- Suffix.
Notes:
- The ID Scan element allows a patient to use the camera on his/her mobile device to take a picture of a driver’s license to populate some patient information on the form automatically.
- The Insurance Scan element allows a patient to use the camera on his/her mobile device to take a picture of an insurance card to populate some insurance information on the form automatically.
The medical conditions and allergies on a form (see “Including Medical Alerts on Forms”) can update a patient’s record. Currently, only the “positive” responses (such as when it is indicated that the patient has asthma) can update the patient’s record. The “negative” responses (such as when it is indicated that the patient no longer has a particular condition) do not update the patient’s record.
- If a medical alert does not exist for the patient, and that medical alert on the form has a positive response (the condition or allergy is active), it is added to the patient’s list of medical alerts. An expired medical alert is considered not to be an existing medical alert in the patient’s record.
- If a medical alert does exist for the patient, it is not expired, and that medical alert on the form has a positive response (the condition or allergy is active), it remains in the patient’s list of medical alerts.
Notes:
- For a medical alert that has been added to the patient’s record, a note is included and contains the text “Indicated by patient via forms” and the date. Also, the default status of the “Show alert” and “Is permanent” switches for the medical alert assigned to the patient are based on the status of those switches for that medical alert in the medical alerts library, and the default value of the “Severity” grade for the medical alert assigned to the patient is “Select a grade,” which indicates that the severity has not yet been specified by office staff.
- For a medical alert that already exists in the patient’s record and has been verified, the text “Indicated by patient via forms” and the date are appended to any existing note text.
Fields
These custom elements correspond to information that cannot update data in your Dentrix Ascend database.
Static
These static elements are for the presentation and functionality of the form. You can add text, such as headings and paragraphs. You can add images. You can add buttons, such as a reset button and a submit button.
Layout
These layout elements are for laying out the form. You can add tabs and steps to break up the form into smaller chunks instead of having one long form page to scroll through. You can add a container to group elements visually. You can add columns and lists.
The center area is the form preview area. You drag elements from the left to the preview area and arrange those elements as desired.
The panel on the right provides options for the form (if no element is selected) or a selected element on the form.
c. With the form container selected (not an element on the form), under Properties, enter a Name for the form.
d. Perform any of the following tasks to build/modify the form.
You can drag a Layout element, such as Steps, to the form.
You can drag a Sync element, such as Patient Basic Information, to the form.
To view a different step, select it.
Then, you can drag another element, such as Responsible Party, to that step of the form.
To add a step, click the Add icon (plus sign).
Add other steps and elements as needed.
Notice that, with tabs and steps, a Finish button is included automatically for the last item.
If you do not use steps or tabs, you must add a Submit button manually. Drag it from the Static elements list to the form.
Important: If the form includes steps or tabs, a Submit button is added automatically to the form. However, if the form does not include steps or tabs, and you do not add a Submit button manually, patients will not be able to submit the form after completing it, so remember to include this element.
To change the label of an element, such as a step, select it, and then change the Label.
Here are some examples of changes you can make to elements:
Type and Content (for a heading).
Align (centered on form).
Required (a response is required).
List of selections (in this example, only one option can be selected). For the first option, enter a value and a label; for each subsequent option, click Add option, and then enter a value and a label.
Text, On label, and Off label (for toggle/switch)
To resize an element, drag its edge to the left or right.
To remove an element, select it, and then click the Remove button (trash can icon).
The vertical toolbar to the left of the preview area allows you to switch from editing the form to previewing the final look and functionality of the form.
e. Click Settings.
f. Specify a frequency and the locations of your organization that this form is available in.
g. Click Save & Close to return to the Form Builder page.
h. Click Finish.
You are returned to the Patient Forms page, and the form you created appears in the Forms list.
Note: By default, the Status of the form is “Unpublished.”
i. To publish the form, in the Actions column, click the corresponding ellipsis (…) to view a menu, and then select Publish.
The Actions menu also provides options to edit, unpublish, delete a form; duplicate a form if you want to create another form based on the existing form, and change a form’s settings.
To edit a form, in the Actions column, click the corresponding ellipsis (…) to view a menu, and then select Edit Form.
Note: After you edit a published form, its status becomes “Unpublished,” so you must re-publish it to make the form available to patients.
Including Medical Alerts on Forms
You can now flag the problems and allergies that you want to have appear on any form that includes the “Medical Conditions” and “Allergies” elements. Only the medical alerts you have flagged in Dentrix Ascend will be available for a patient to select on forms.
To edit a medical alert
1. On the Settings menu, under Patient Care, click (or tap) Medical Alerts Library.
2. Select a medical alert.
3. Set the Include on patient medial history form(s) switch to Yes.
4. Click Save.
Enabling New Patient Forms
Caution: Enabling the new patient forms for a location CANNOT BE UNDONE. Make sure that you understand the repercussions of enabling them before proceeding.
To enable the new patient forms features in Dentrix Ascend for the location that you are logged into, do the following:
1. On the Settings menu, select Patient Forms.
The Patient Forms page opens.
2. Click Try New Forms.
The Try New Forms dialog box appears.
3. Click Upgrade Now.
Note: After you enable the new patient forms features, to manage forms, you select the Form Builder option on the Settings menu.
Manual Requests to Complete Forms
As with previous versions of Dentrix Ascend, 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.
To manually request patient forms, do the following (this is patient specific):
In Dentrix Ascend, open a patient’s Overview page, and then click Request Form in the upper-right corner of the Patient Forms box.
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 old 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 old system will still work for the two weeks that those links are valid.
The Request Forms dialog box appears.
The dialog box looks different from before, but functions similarly.
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.
Do one of the following:
- Request By Text – 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.
- Request By Email – 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.
- Direct Link – Do one of the following:
- To copy the portal link to the clipboard, click (or tap) Copy Link. You can then paste the link in a document or email message for the patient.
Note: The link will expire two weeks from the date that it was generated (the date you opened the Request Forms dialog box). After that, you must generate a new link if the patient still has not used the original link that you provided.
- 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), click the Open forms in a new tab link.
- To copy the portal link to the clipboard, click (or tap) Copy Link. You can then paste the link in a document or email message for the patient.
- QR Code – To access the 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.
The new patient portal opens and lists the forms that are due for that patient.
The patient clicks Begin to complete the forms.
Audit Log
If a form submission triggers an update of a patient’s demographics, applicable entries appear in the Audit Log. The Details column contains “Form Write-back” and what information was written to the database.
If a form submission triggers a medical alert to be added to a patient’s record, an applicable entry appears in the Audit Log. The Details column contains information regarding the added medical alert (current functionality) and “indicated by patient via forms.”
If a form submission triggers a medical alert in a patient’s record to be updated (text is appended to the note of an existing medical alert), an applicable entry appears in the Audit Log. The Details column contains information regarding the updated medical alert (current functionality) and “indicated by patient via forms.”
Additional Information
To watch an introductory video and read about quickly getting started with patient forms, visit the Dentrix Ascend Forms page.