Best Online Form Builders for Patient Intake

Patient intake is broken. You know the drill: patients arrive 15 minutes early to fill out the same clipboard full of forms they’ve completed a dozen times. They’re juggling a pen, their insurance card, and trying to remember their medical history while sitting in an uncomfortable waiting room chair.

Meanwhile, your staff spends precious time manually entering this information into your system, dealing with illegible handwriting, and chasing down incomplete forms.

But here’s what forward-thinking practices are realizing:

Digital patient intake isn’t just about convenience, it’s about efficiency, accuracy, and compliance.

The best online form builders for patient intake help you do exactly that:

• Collect complete, accurate patient information before appointments
• Ensure HIPAA compliance with proper encryption and business associate agreements
• Reduce administrative burden on your staff
• Improve patient satisfaction with a modern, streamlined experience

These are the three tools that medical practices are using to transform their patient intake process in 2025.

The best part?

Each tool is specifically designed for healthcare’s unique requirements. No generic form builders that don’t understand patient privacy or medical workflows.

My Top 3 Online Form Builders for Patient Intake

1. FormDr: Healthcare-specific platform with deep EHR integrations and patient engagement features
2. HIPAAtizer: Developer-friendly solution with unlimited customization and free PDF conversion
3. Cognito Forms: Enterprise-grade platform with advanced calculations and workflow automation

FormDr

Best for medical practices wanting a complete patient engagement platform designed specifically for healthcare

FormDr isn’t just another form builder trying to work for healthcare, it was built from day one for medical practices that need to streamline their entire patient intake and engagement process.

The platform gives your practice everything needed to easily send and receive HIPAA compliant forms online, but it goes much deeper than basic form collection.

Healthcare-First Design and Templates

FormDr was designed primarily for healthcare practices, offering specialized templates that cover every aspect of patient intake.

You can set up practice-specific forms for:

• Medical, dental, chiropractic, and optometry intake
• Mental health and counseling assessments
• Physical therapy and psychiatric evaluations
• Insurance verification and consent forms

The forms are mobile-friendly and work perfectly on any device, so patients can complete them at their leisure from their phone, tablet, or computer.

FormDr also offers specialized features like having patients take photos of their insurance and ID cards directly within the form, automatically uploading this information so you can verify it before the appointment.

Seamless EHR Integration and Workflow

Here’s where FormDr really shines for busy practices: deep integration with your existing healthcare systems.

The platform connects to all of your favorite HIPAA compliant applications, including:

• Epic, eClinicalWorks, and other major EHR systems
• Practice management systems via API integrations
• HL7 data transfer for automatic chart uploads

This means completed intake forms automatically upload into your patients’ charts rather than requiring manual data entry. As one user put it: “FormDr makes paperwork seamless and saves a ton of time and money by allowing us to upload to patients EMR rather than print, fill out, scan, and then attach.

Advanced Patient Engagement Features

FormDr has evolved into a complete patient engagement platform beyond just forms.

The system includes:

• Two-way texting for appointment reminders and patient communication
• Online scheduling so patients can book, cancel, and reschedule appointments
• Automated reminders to ensure patients complete forms before visits
• Custom care pipelines to track patient progress through treatment

This approach means FormDr can replace multiple point solutions with a single, integrated platform.

Smart Form Features

FormDr includes sophisticated form functionality designed for healthcare workflows:

• Conditional logic to show only relevant questions based on patient responses
• Form packets that combine multiple forms (medical history, consent, demographics) into one submission
• Electronic signatures that work seamlessly on any device
• Save and continue functionality for longer forms
• Required field validation to ensure you never get incomplete submissions

Pros & Cons

FormDr Alternative: SimplePractice

SimplePractice offers similar healthcare-focused forms and patient engagement but is primarily designed for mental health practitioners. FormDr provides broader medical specialty support and more comprehensive EHR integrations.

HIPAAtizer

Best for practices working with web developers or agencies who want unlimited customization and design flexibility

HIPAAtizer takes a unique approach to HIPAA-compliant forms: it’s “created by developers, for developers and covered entities.” This makes it incredibly powerful for practices that want complete control over their form design and website integration.

Free PDF and Form Conversion

One of HIPAAtizer’s standout features is their free form conversion service.

Already have paper forms, PDFs, or Word documents that you’re currently using? Simply upload them and HIPAAtizer will convert them to fully responsive, HIPAA-compliant online forms that match your existing design.

This is incredibly valuable for practices that have spent time developing their intake forms and don’t want to start from scratch. The converted forms maintain your exact formatting while adding digital functionality like electronic signatures, conditional logic, and secure submission.

Unlimited Design Customization

HIPAAtizer gives you complete control over form appearance and functionality.

The platform includes:

• 30+ form components in a drag-and-drop builder
• CSS customization to match your website’s exact branding
• WordPress, Wix, and Webflow integrations for seamless website embedding
• White-label options for agencies managing multiple healthcare clients

This flexibility means your forms can look and feel like a natural part of your website, not like a generic third-party form.

Developer-Friendly Architecture

HIPAAtizer was built with developers in mind, offering features that technical teams love:

• Free sandbox environment to build and test unlimited forms
• REST API for custom integrations
• Webhook support for real-time data transfer
• No hosting requirements – forms are served from HIPAAtizer’s compliant infrastructure

For agencies working with multiple healthcare clients, HIPAAtizer offers centralized billing and partnership programs that make it easy to scale across multiple practices.

Always HIPAA Compliant

Unlike generic form builders that offer HIPAA compliance as an add-on, HIPAAtizer’s forms are ONLY functional in an exclusively HIPAA-compliant environment.

The platform has completed all 5 required HIPAA audits:

• Privacy Policy Audit
• Security Standards Audit
• HITECH Act Subtitle D, IT Security Risk Analysis
• Asset & Device Audit
• Physical Site Audit

This means there’s no guesswork, every form is automatically HIPAA compliant with proper encryption, access controls, and audit logging.

Advanced Form Features

HIPAAtizer includes sophisticated functionality for complex healthcare forms:

• Conditional logic to create dynamic, personalized form experiences
• Multi-participant workflows for forms requiring multiple signatures
• Save and continue functionality for longer assessments
• Form workflows to link multiple forms together in a sequence
• Payment integration with Stripe and PayPal for collecting fees

Pros & Cons

HIPAAtizer Alternative: Jotform

Jotform offers similar form building capabilities with HIPAA compliance, but requires their expensive Enterprise plan and doesn’t offer the same level of customization or free conversion services that HIPAAtizer provides.

Cognito Forms

Best for larger practices or health systems needing advanced calculations, workflow automation, and enterprise-grade features

Cognito Forms offers a sophisticated platform designed for organizations that need advanced form functionality beyond basic patient intake. While it requires their Enterprise plan for HIPAA compliance, it provides powerful features for complex healthcare workflows.

Advanced Calculations and Logic

Cognito Forms excels at handling complex calculations and data processing that other form builders struggle with.

The platform can automatically:

• Calculate health assessment scores like GAD-7 or PHQ-9 depression screenings
• Process insurance co-pays and fee calculations based on selected services
• Handle complex conditional logic with multiple branching scenarios
• Generate automatic reports with patient responses formatted for EHR upload

This makes it ideal for practices that use standardized assessment tools or need automated scoring and reporting.

Enterprise-Grade Security and Compliance

Cognito Forms takes security seriously with features designed for large healthcare organizations:

• Encryption at rest for all form data and file uploads
• Role-based access controls to ensure staff only see relevant information
• Two-factor authentication for administrative accounts
• Automatic 1-hour timeouts to prevent unauthorized access
• Protected data fields with additional encryption layers

The platform is designed to comply with HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA regulations, making it suitable for international healthcare organizations.

Workflow Automation and Approvals

For larger practices with complex approval processes, Cognito Forms offers sophisticated workflow capabilities:

• Automated notifications to different staff members based on form responses
• Approval workflows for internal processes like equipment requests or incident reports
• Custom user roles that determine who can access which forms and data
• Integration with external systems via Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate, or webhooks

Healthcare Form Types

Cognito Forms supports a wide range of healthcare use cases:

• Patient intake and registration with conditional logic for relevant questions
• Appointment scheduling and referrals with automatic staff notifications
• Health assessments and questionnaires with automatic scoring
• Patient satisfaction surveys with customizable filtering and analysis
• Internal processes like event sign-ups, inventory tracking, and incident reports

Advanced Features for Complex Organizations

Cognito Forms includes enterprise features that smaller practices might not need:

• Repeating sections for patients to list multiple medications or allergies
• File upload capabilities for secure document collection
• Payment processing with PCI-compliant integrations
• Advanced analytics and custom reporting
• API access for custom integrations

Pros & Cons

Cognito Forms Alternative: Formstack

Formstack offers similar enterprise-grade features with HIPAA compliance, but typically costs more than Cognito Forms and requires custom pricing consultations for healthcare implementations.

What Every Practice Must Know

Before implementing any patient intake form solution, understand these critical requirements:

Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is Non-Negotiable

Any form builder that collects protected health information (PHI) must sign a Business Associate Agreement with your practice. This legally binding contract ensures they meet HIPAA requirements for:

• Data encryption in transit and at rest
• Access controls and audit logging
• Breach notification procedures
• Staff training and compliance monitoring

All three tools above provide signed BAAs, but many generic form builders do not.

What Counts as Protected Health Information

PHI isn’t just medical records. It includes any combination of:

• Personal identifiers (name, email, phone, address)
• Health conditions or symptoms
• Treatment information
• Payment details for medical services
• Appointment scheduling information

This means even basic contact forms on medical websites may require HIPAA compliance.

Security Features You Must Have

HIPAA-compliant patient intake forms require:

• End-to-end encryption for data transmission
• Encryption at rest for stored information
• Access controls limiting who can view submissions
• Audit logging to track who accessed what data
• Automatic timeouts to prevent unauthorized access

Implementation Best Practices

Start with Your Current Forms

Don’t reinvent your entire intake process. Instead:

1. Audit your existing paper forms to identify what information you actually need
2. Prioritize the most important forms like new patient intake and consent forms
3. Test with a small group of tech-savvy patients before full rollout
4. Train your staff on the new system before launch

Design for Patient Success

Remember, the goal is making intake easier for patients:

• Keep forms mobile-friendly since many patients will complete them on phones
• Use clear, simple language and avoid medical jargon where possible
• Include progress indicators so patients know how much is left to complete
• Provide clear instructions for any complex sections

Plan Your Data Workflow

Consider how form data will flow into your existing systems:

• EHR integration to automatically populate patient charts
• Staff notification when forms are completed
• Follow-up processes for incomplete or problematic submissions
• Backup plans in case patients can’t complete forms digitally

Modernize Your Patient Intake?

The practices winning with digital intake in 2025 aren’t just digitizing their old paper forms, they’re rethinking the entire patient experience.

Choose the platform that matches your practice’s needs and technical capabilities:

• FormDr for healthcare-specific features and comprehensive patient engagement
• HIPAAtizer for unlimited customization and seamless website integration
• Cognito Forms for enterprise-grade features and complex workflow automation

The best form builder is the one your patients will actually use and your staff can manage effectively.

Start with your highest-impact forms, typically new patient intake and consent forms, and expand from there. Your patients will appreciate the convenience, your staff will save time on data entry, and your practice will operate more efficiently.

Your next patient is probably filling out forms on their phone right now. Make sure it’s a smooth experience that sets the right tone for their care.