Creating Client Intake Forms: The Importance of a Template
Client intake forms are one of the most important tools you can use to help you best serve your clients. While it’s easy to create a basic form from scratch, using a template will save you time, keep your forms consistent and ensure that everything is for the client at their first appointment.
A good template will also allow you to easily collect information about your client’s health history and insurance information so that they don’t have to go through the process again when they come back for another appointment or need refills on their prescriptions. Additionally, they can help you determine what type of treatment plan will work best for them. Here’s what your client intake form template should include:
Contact information
Client intake forms are a vital part of any good business. They help you to keep track of your client’s information and ensure that you’re providing them with the best possible service. A well-designed template is essential for collecting data, as it helps to make sure that clients are getting accurate information from the get-go.
Having a template can also help you to streamline your business processes by reducing the need for time-consuming manual data entry into different systems, which is especially useful if you have employees who need access to their client databases but don’t have access rights to one system or another (e.g., when an employee leaves).
Basic demographic information
On your client intake form, you should ask for basic demographic information. This includes:
- The client’s name and address, phone number, and email address
- The client’s age, gender, marital status, and ethnicity
- Their employment status if they are an employee (or if they are self-employed)
- Any languages are spoken in addition to English that the client is fluent in. If they have a special need or concern that might require additional attention on the part of the massage therapist (for example diabetes or allergies), this should be noted as well.
Background, including history and family medical history
This section is all about the client’s background, including any previous surgeries, illnesses, or injuries. It also asks about family medical history, drug and alcohol use, mental health issues, and current medications.
Insurance information
As a massage therapist, you’re not required to take on out-of-network clients. However, if you do decide to accept them, it will be helpful for both parties if they know what their payment responsibilities are. For example, if your client comes in with an injury and needs additional sessions because they haven’t finished healing yet or they have other injuries that have arisen from this first one, how do you expect them to pay for those additional sessions? Insurance companies often do not pay for more than just the initial sessions. Therefore, it becomes important for both parties to know what exactly is covered by their policy and how much of their share of the costs will be covered by insurance.
Electronic signature field
The idea of a legally binding contract with an invalid email address sounds pretty scary. But rest assured that it’s not as bad as it seems. You’ve done all the hard work for yourself by creating templates that include only valid types of emails on your client intake forms. The only thing left for you to do is find out which type of email address your clients should be used to sign up.
Conclusion
A client intake form template is a great way to keep your business organized and ensure a smooth-running practice. It can also help you identify trends in your clients that might not be obvious at first glance. You’ll be able to see how many people have chronic illnesses, for example, or whether they need counseling services as well as treatment for pain management issues. By creating this document yourself instead of purchasing one off the shelf, you’ll be able to customize it according to the needs of patients who come through your doors daily.
