Smart form automation brings form requests and form reminders and appointment reminders into the same sequence.

A new smart command, APPOINTMENT_REGISTRATION, is present in the Reminders template, causing NexHealth to look at a patient's appointment as well as any form requests and combine both into a single communication sequence.

How does smart form automation work? Watch this video for an overview of setting up form automation rules.

1. Navigate to Forms → Manage Forms

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2. Click on the ellipses to the right of the desired form, and select Edit details.

3. The form builder will open with the configurable rules in the panel on the right.

‍4. Toggle on Send automatically, then select the rules to fit the patients you want to reach. For example, your HIPAA form might go to Any patient, every 12 months, while your Financial policy form might go to New patients just one time. You might also have forms that only apply to children under 18. The form automation rules allow you to specify exactly which audiences will receive each form.

5. Be sure to Save after selecting each rule, then, choose Save and exit at the top.

6. Repeat for each form you want to send via your Reminders.

The form(s) will automatically be sent to patients who fit the selected rules as part of your regular Reminder sequence. No other work is needed! Patients will receive the appointment reminder with the request to confirm their appointment. Once they confirm, they will receive a second request to complete outstanding forms. If they have already confirmed but did not complete their forms, they will only receive the reminder for the form request.

Q: What if I want to send a whole packet of forms to a New Patient?

A: With form automation, packets are only necessary when you need to manually send a patient forms. Configure the rules for each form you want to send to patients. Select ‘New patients only’ for forms specific to them, or ‘New and existing patients’ for forms (such as HIPAA) that go to both. NexHealth will take care of ensuring the right patient gets the right forms at the right time!

Q: How does NexHealth determine the due date for the Frequency rule? Does this only start once they have completed a med history form in NexHealth?

A: Patients will need to have completed a form in NexHealth at least once for NexHealth to apply the frequency rule. For example: a patient will have to have one completed NexHealth Medical History form for the system to know when to send the next.

Q: The reminder sequence now asks patients to do two things. Are we sure they will do both?

A: The reminder sequence is two distinct messages, the first asking the patient to confirm if they are coming to the appointment, and THEN a second reminding them to complete their forms. If a patient does NOT confirm their appointment, they will NOT receive the reminder to complete the form.

Q: Where do forms synced from the Reminders template end up in the health record system?

A: Forms synced into your PMS via form automation rules work the same way as any of our other forms do. You can direct each form to a specific folder, and every field we support to the correct field in Open Dental. This includes patient names, addresses, medical alerts, etc.

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Q: Is it possible to configure the new form sending rules with procedure codes so that mapping anything with EHR mapping (appointment journeys) is unnecessary?

A: YES! The form automation rules make it simple to send specific forms based on the procedure codes in a patient’s appointment. There may still be a need to setup an appointment journey is specific messaging is desired, so the EHR maps will still be functional with Appointment Journeys.

Q: Can I set up rules to automate packets, or do patients receive individual form requests for each form?

A: Patients receive a single link that takes them to all of their relevant forms, not individual form links. The new rules allow multiple forms to be linked to different procedure codes and other rules which allows you to create more diverse sets of forms than the current singular packet setup does. Packets can still be maintained to send to patients manually when needed, but the form automation rules eliminate the need for packets in the reminders.

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Q: Will a patient receive multiple forms if they fit multiple rules? For example, if they are a new patient AND also need Spanish forms as opposed to ONLY a new patient, will they get both?

A: Forms automation allows more granular targeting of patients, so a patient will receive the forms that meet the conditions of the rules that apply to them. If they are New AND need Spanish forms, they will get the correct combo. The form rules are AND statements.

Q: To automate consent forms, does the appointment status have to be “checked in”?

A: Consent forms sent via form automation rules are automated through Reminders (meaning they will be sent before the appointment), so the appointment status does not affect them.

Q: If forms are only sent via the Reminder template after an appointment has been confirmed, how can I automate forms that need to be sent after the appointment begins (consent forms) or ends (post-op instructions)?

A: Consent forms should be sent manually after the patient has arrived, and post-op instructions should still use appointment journeys.

Q: Does form automation work with all practice management systems?

A: Form automation works with all systems that have NexHealth-integrated forms. The ability to configure rules based on procedure codes and PMS appointment types will vary depending on the PMS.

Q: For patients with previous health histories that have been completed in NexHealth, will form automation rules send updates that are pre-filled (e.g. patients only have to click on things that need updating)?

A: Form automation will send a pre-filled Medical History form when a patient has a previously completed NexHealth Medical History form and the rules are configured to do so. The form will pre-fill their previous results, so patients will only need to make changes to any of their alerts. You only need to set up the form rules once to make this form go to patients automatically.

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Q: When patients update information on forms sent via form automation does NexHealth overwrite existing information in the practice management system or add to it?

A: NexHealth will overwrite data from synced forms into the fields that we support (patient name, address, email, DOB, and phone #).