> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.elationhealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Patient Forms Guide - Sending forms to patients
## Content
* [Overview](#overview)
* [Who can receive Patient Forms?](#qualifications)
* [How do I send forms to patients?](#send_forms)
* [Setup](#setup)
* [Creating & managing Patient Forms](#creating_forms)
* [Linking Patient Forms to specific Appointment Types to be sent with appointments](#link_to_appointments)
* [Unlinking forms from Appointment Types](#unlink_forms)
* [Workflow Instructions](#workflow_instructions)
* [Send Patient Forms via appointments](#send_with_appointments)
* [Automate sending Patient Forms via appointments](#automate_with_appointments)
* [Manually sending Patient Forms via appointments](#manual_send_via_appointments)
* [Managing the status of automated forms](#manage_forms_status)
* [Sending Patient Forms from the patient’s chart](#send_forms_from_chart)
* [Following up on notifications about incomplete Patient Forms](#forms_notifications)
* [Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)](#faq)
## Overview
### Who can receive Patient Forms?
Patients can receive Patient Forms if:
1. They have a valid email address on file.
2. They book an appointment through the Booking Site and select an Appointment Type that has forms attached.
### How do I send forms to patients?
There are two ways to send forms to patients:
1. Automate sending forms to patients when they schedule an appointment. This includes appointments you add to your Elation Calendar and appointments added via the Booking Site.
2. Manually send forms to patients from their chart.
If multiple forms are sent at the same time, the patient will complete them one after the other in a single session.
## Setup
### Creating & managing Patient Forms
[Click here for step-by-step instructions about creating and managing Patient Forms.](/articles/Patient-Forms-Guide)
### Linking Patient Forms to specific Appointment Types to be sent with appointments
To automate sending Patient Forms to patients when they schedule an appointment, attach the forms you want patients to receive to each applicable appointment type.
| **1** | Go to **Settings** -> **Calendar and Booking** -> **Appointments** . |
| - | - |
| **2** | Find the Appointment Type you are linking forms to and click **Edit** . |
| **3** | In the dialog's left-hand navigation, click **Patient forms**. Under the **Linked Forms** section, click the dropdown menu and select the form you want to link. You can link multiple forms. • Use the Grid icon to reorder the forms and control the order in which they appear to the patient. |
| **4** | Under **Sending Forms**, specify when you want the forms to be automatically delivered to your patient. **immediately upon booking** - forms will be delivered when an appointment is created. • **days before appointment** - forms will be delivered ahead of the appointment based on the number of days specified in the numbers box that appears. |
| **5** | Click **Save** . |
#### Unlinking forms from Appointment Types
| **1** | Go to Settings -> **Calendar and Booking** -> **Appointments** . |
| - | - |
| **2** | Find the Appointment Type you are unlinking forms from and click **Edit** . |
| **3** | In the dialog's left-hand navigation, click **Patient forms**. Under the **Linked Forms** section, locate the form you want to unlink. |
| **4** | Click **X** to unlink the form. |
| **5** | Click **Save** . |
Once a form is unlinked, it will no longer be sent to patients for any future forms requests for that type of appointment.
## Workflow Instructions
### Send Patient Forms via appointments
#### Automate sending Patient Forms via appointments
If you attach Patient Forms to specific [Appointment Types](/articles/calendar-and-booking-settings#Appointment_Types), Elation will automatically send the Patient Forms to the patient via email if they have an appointment for the corresponding Appointment Type. When the forms are sent will depend on which timing preference you selected when attaching Patient Forms to Appointment Types.
| **1** | Go to your Calendar & add an appointment to the calendar. Choose the Appointment Type that has Patient Forms attached. |
| - | - |
| **2** | Once the appointment is saved, the Patient Forms will be delivered to the patient based on the timing preferences that you defined under the Appointment Type Settings page. |
Patient Forms sent automatically based on Appointment Type do **not** create a Patient Forms request item in the patient's Chronological Record, Requiring Action, or Outstanding Items queue. Track the status of these forms from the appointment itself — see [Managing the status of automated forms](#managing-the-status-of-automated-forms) below. Once a patient submits a form, the completed form appears as a report under **Outstanding Items** in the patient's chart, and is filed into the Chronological Record once it is signed off. See [Reviewing and exporting responses to the chart](/articles/Managing-forms-responses#reviewing-and-exporting-responses-to-the-chart).
#### Manually sending Patient Forms via appointments
If for any reason you need to resend forms to a scheduled patient, click into the white space of the appointment to open the appointment popover and then click **Resend** in the **Forms** section.
#### Managing the status of automated forms
You will see a forms status indicator on appointments that have forms. Click into the appointment details to view specifically which forms are complete versus outstanding.
* A **clock** icon indicates there are forms that are incomplete
* A **green check mark** icon indicates all forms are completed.
If any forms were submitted to your practice outside of Elation (e.g., faxed or via paper), you can manually mark the form as completed by following these steps:
| **1** | Click into the white space of the appointment to open the appointment popover. |
| - | - |
| **2** | Click **Edit** . |
| **3** | Go to the **Forms** section. |
| **4** | Check off the form(s) that were completed. |
| **5** | Click **Save** . |
### Sending Patient Forms from the patient’s chart
If you want to send Patient Forms independent of a patient appointment, you can use the **Forms** feature at the top of the patient’s chart.
To send Patient Forms from the patient’s chart:
| **1** | Open the patient’s chart. |
| - | - |
| **2** | Click the **Forms** button in the gray navigation bar. |
| **3** | Verify the email you are sending the forms to, if applicable. Click **Update** to update the patient’s email if needed as it is required to send forms. |
| **4** | Under **Select Forms** , click the **+Add Forms** to select which forms you want to send to the patient. |
| **5** | Under **Notify Me if Incomplete**, choose if and when you want to be alerted when a patient hasn’t completed the Patient Forms you sent by a certain date or within a set timeframe. Patients will still have access to their forms after the notification date. |
| **6** | Click the **Send** button to immediately send the selected Patient Forms to the patient. |
When you send Patient Forms from the patient's chart, a Patient Forms request item is added to the patient's chart and remains visible until either all sent Patient Forms are completed by the patient or the request is removed. Once the patient submits the forms, the request item is automatically removed and each completed form appears as a report under **Outstanding Items** for review and sign-off.
The Patient Forms request item described here is only created when forms are sent manually from the patient's chart. Forms that are sent automatically via Appointment Type do not generate a request item in the chart — track those from the appointment itself.
You can also take the following actions on the request:
* **Copy URL** - Copy the URL of the Patient Forms and share it with the patient via alternative means such as Patient Passport.
* **Resend** - Send the Patient Forms to the patient again. You will be able to select new notifications preferences when resending Patient Forms.
* **Remove Request** - Delete the Patient Forms request.
Deleting Patient Forms requests will make the request inactive for the patient. Delete Patient Forms requests with caution.
#### Following up on notifications about incomplete Patient Forms
Once Patient Forms are sent from the Patient Chart and the due date is reached
* The notification will appear in the **Requiring Action** section of the patient chart and Practice Home for the sender once it reaches the due date.
* The notification will appear in the **Outstanding Items** section of the patient chart for all other users (besides the sender).
From these reminders, users can take one of the following actions:
* **Copy URL** - Copy the URL of the Patient Forms and share it with the patient via alternative means such as Patient Passport.
* **Resend** - Send the Patient Forms to the patient again. You will be able to select new notifications preferences when resending Patient Forms.
* **Remove Request** - Delete the Patient Forms request.
Deleting Patient Forms requests will make the request inactive for the patient. Delete Patient Forms requests with caution.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### Sending Patient Forms
#### Does the patient need to have a Patient Passport account in order to receive and fill out forms?
The patient doesn't need to have a Patient Passport to receive forms. They only need to have their email address saved in Elation.
#### Will the patient be invited to Patient Passport when we send them their forms?
The patient will not be invited to Patient Passport when Elation sends them the forms.
#### Do I need to enable the booking site to send forms?
The Booking Site does not need to be enabled.
#### Can you send forms without scheduling a visit for the patient?
Currently, an appointment must be created to send forms to a patient.
#### Can I change the timing of when forms are automatically sent to the patient?
Yes, under **Calendar and Booking > Appointment Types**, click **Edit** for the Appointment Type you'd like to customize. In the dialog, click **Patient forms** in the left-hand navigation to configure forms to be sent to the patient upon creating their appointment, or X number of days prior to the appointment.
#### Can the same form be sent to the patient more than once?
Yes, patients can receive the same form multiple times via different appointments. Patients will be able to fill out patient forms each time they receive them.
#### If two patients have the same email, will they both be able to receive patient forms?
Yes, if multiple patient charts share the same email, each **chart** will receive a copy of any patient forms attached to corresponding appointments they are scheduled for.
#### If we schedule patients through our Practice Management System (PMS), can we still send forms to patients?
As long as the appointment created in your PMS synchronizes to the Elation calendar, the patient will receive the forms that are linked to the appointment type. Please check that any Elation appointment types with forms are mapped to the appointment types in your PMS.
#### Can the forms link be sent to the patient via SMS?
Not at this time — forms are only delivered via email.
#### Can you send a form to a patient if the form hasn't been added to the appointment type of their scheduled appointment?
Right now, only the forms that are associated with the appointment type can be delivered to the patient.
#### If an appointment is canceled, will the forms link become invalid?
Yes, if an appointment is canceled/deleted from Elation, the patient will no longer be able to fill out forms for that encounter.
#### Does the Patient Forms request appear in the Chronological Record when forms are sent automatically via Appointment Type?
No. Forms that are sent automatically based on Appointment Type do **not** create a Patient Forms request item in the Chronological Record, Requiring Action, or Outstanding Items queue. Track the status of these forms directly from the appointment. A Patient Forms request item is only created when forms are sent manually from the patient's chart, and that item is removed once the patient submits the forms.
#### Where do completed forms appear regardless of how they were sent?
Once a patient submits a form, it appears as a report under **Outstanding Items** in the patient's chart for review, export, and sign-off. After sign-off, the completed form is filed into the patient's Chronological Record.
#### Is there a practice-wide notification or queue when a patient completes a form?
No, there is currently no email or in-app notification triggered when a patient completes a form, and completed forms do not appear in any Practice Home queue. Check the individual patient's chart under **Outstanding Items** (see above) to see whether a form has been completed.
#### Can I send a Patient Form that requires a signature to all patients at once?
No. Each **Patient Signature** question generates a unique, patient-specific link, so forms that require a signature must be sent individually or automated through an Appointment Type — they cannot be shared as a single bulk link or message. To reach your full patient panel with an informational update instead (for example, notifying patients that a form has changed), send a [Bulk Letter](/articles/introduction-to-bulk-letters) and have patients complete the signature form individually at their next appointment.
### Patient Forms and the Booking Site
#### Can we list just the URL for the Telehealth appointment scheduling on our websites?
Yes, you can use the direct URL for the telemedicine appointment type and your patients will be directed right to this appointment type.
#### Does the patient information have to match when booking the appointment?
The information goes through a matching algorithm to identify whether or not the patient exists in our system or is a new patient. If the information entered passes our checks as existing patient, we'll add the appointment to that chart. If the patient information does not pass our check, but looks like it could be a duplicate, we'll create a new chart and notify you that it could be a duplicate. If the patient information entered does not match, we'll create a new chart.
#### Can you tell if an appointment was self-scheduled or scheduled by the practice?
The appointments will appear identical on your Elation Calendar, but you can turn on a setting that will send you an email each time an appointment is booked through the Booking Site. Please find this under **Settings > Calendar & Booking > Booking Site**, and scroll down to **Preferences**.
## Related Articles
* [Patient Forms Introduction](/articles/Getting-Started-with-Patient-Forms)
* [Patient Forms Guide - Creating and managing Patient Forms](/articles/Patient-Forms-Guide)
* [Patient Forms Guide - Managing forms responses](/articles/Managing-forms-responses)
* [Patient Forms Guide - Receiving and filling out forms as a patient](/articles/Receiving-and-filling-out-forms-as-a-patient)