How Flex Smart Forms Automate Open Dental Patient Intake

As an Open Dental user, you already have a powerful practice management system at your fingertips. From scheduling to billing, Open Dental is a robust engine for your practice. But what about the very first step of the patient journey? For many practices, the intake process remains a frustrating, manual, and very paper-heavy workflow.

The good news is you don't have to choose between your trusted Open Dental system and a paperless intake. Thanks to Flex Dental Solutions and their certified integration with Open Dental, you can have both.

Let’s look at the "before and after" of patient intake and see how Flex's Smart Forms transform the process.

The "Before": The Paperwork Grind

Imagine a new patient, Maria, walking into your office. The first thing she’s handed is a clipboard with a stack of paper forms: patient information, medical history, HIPAA consent, and a list of questions that seem to go on forever.

While Maria is filling out the forms, your front office team is busy. But their work is about to get even more manual. Once Maria hands over the completed paperwork, a staff member will have to meticulously enter every single piece of data into her chart in Open Dental. This process is slow and introduces a high risk of human error. A misspelled name, a transposed number, or a forgotten field can create a ripple effect of issues later on with billing or patient communication.

At the end of the day, your team is left with a pile of paper files to organize and store. It’s a workflow that creates friction, wastes valuable time, and can leave patients feeling like they’ve stepped back in time.

The "After": The Automated Flow

With Flex Dental's Smart Web Forms, the intake process is completely automated, creating a seamless experience for both Maria and your team.

Here's how it works:

1. Before Her Visit: After Maria books her appointment, she receives an automated text or email with a link to her patient forms. She can fill them out on her phone, tablet, or computer from the comfort of her home. The forms are intelligent, adapting based on her answers, so she only sees what’s relevant.
2. Instant Integration: The moment Maria hits "submit," all her information automatically syncs and populates in or to her chart in Open Dental. Your front desk team is instantly notified that her forms are complete.
3. A Friction-Free Arrival: When Maria arrives at the office, she can simply use a Self-Check-in Kiosk to let you know she's there. Since her forms are already in Open Dental, there's no waiting or data entry needed. She can be taken back for her appointment almost immediately.

This streamlined, paperless process frees your team from the tedious task of manual data entry. It reduces errors, saves time, and most importantly, it shows your patients that your practice is modern, efficient, and respects their time. It's the kind of experience that builds trust and loyalty from the very first interaction.

Ready to unlock the full power of Open Dental with a paperless intake?