Creating Forms and Waivers Manually in Practice Better

In this article:

• Overview
  • Using Practice Better's Form Builder
  • Upload Forms or Worksheets
• Creating a New Form
• Creating a Form or Waiver Using the Form Builder
• Form Questions and Elements
• Adding Elements from the Toolbox 
• Making Questions Mandatory
• Adding Pages to a Form
• Adding Signatures to a Form
• Using Conditional Flows to Show or Hide Elements
• Adding Grand Totals and Averages
• Previewing Forms
• Sending Forms to your Client to Complete
•  

Overview

Practice Better supports creating and using forms in a few ways:

Using Practice Better's Form Builder

You can build forms with a range of question types including multiple choice, tables, scale, and contact information. These forms can be signed and completed by your clients directly from the Client Portal or an email link, with no downloading or printing required.

🪄 Start from scratch or Create Forms and Waivers with Practice Better’s Automatic Form Builder → 

Upload Forms or Worksheets

You can upload your existing forms/worksheets (e.g., PDF, Word, Excel), which clients will be able to download, complete, and then upload/submit. Learn more →

We also provide pre-built templates that you can add to your account and modify to suit your needs. Templates from LEAP, IFM, IFNA, and That Clean Life. Learn more →

Creating a New Form

Go to My Practice > Forms & Waivers from the navigation menu.

If this is your first form, you'll see a list of options to get started. 

If you already have forms in your account, click the Create Form button near the top right, then select an option from the pop-up list.

Choose from:

• Use a template to select a pre-built template. Learn more →
• Automatic form builder to generate a form using AI. Learn more →
• Upload a form to upload an existing PDF or document. Learn more →
• Start from scratch to build a form or waiver from the ground up. Learn more →

📍 Note: Although forms can be created and edited on your tablet or mobile device, we recommend using a laptop/desktop as the editing process is optimized for larger screens.

Creating a Form or Waiver Using the Form Builder

If you've selected Start from scratch or chosen a pre-built template, you'll edit your form using the Form Builder.

Forms and waivers work similarly. The only difference is that when you select the waiver option, Practice Better automatically adds a text block and a signature field when you open the Form Builder.

The Create/Edit form page includes four tabs at the top:

• Form Builder: Add new questions and elements to your form.
• Conditional Flows: Manage questions that are hidden or visible based on client answers. Learn more →
• Totals & Averages: Manage grand totals and averages ("aggregates") based on numeric questions. Learn more →
• Additional Options: Add a URL redirect when the form is completed through a public link. Learn more →

Enter a name for your form and an optional description. You can use the description field to add general instructions for completing the form. Links can also be included in this text box if you need clients to refer to supporting materials when completing your form.

Form Questions and Elements

Questions and elements can be added from the Toolbox to the right of the main content area. Hover your mouse over an icon to see its name. You can also select Add element from the Fast Action Button in the bottom right corner.

📍 Note: Element numbers in the table reflect the order shown in the image. Hover over any icon in the toolbox in your portal to confirm its name.

	Element Type	Description
1	Personal Information	Collect name, contact information, and other personal details. Under the Personal Information element, Contact information is a field group containing Email address, Home phone, and Mobile phone. The checkbox controls all three fields together; individual fields within the group can't be toggled separately.
2	Signature / Consent	Add up to 3 required client signatures. Add your practitioner signature to pre-sign forms before sending them to clients to complete.
3	Section Title	Use Section Titles to divide groups of questions in your form. You can also use Section Titles as page breaks to split content onto multiple pages.
4	Text Block	Include informational content. Useful when creating consent forms and waivers. A text block does not allow a client to type a response; it is only for the practitioner to include written information. The text editor supports formatting, embedded images and videos, and placeholders that auto-fill with client data before the form is sent.
5	Short Response	Collect short free-form responses up to 140 characters.
6	Long Response	Collect free-form responses up to 5,000 characters.
7	Yes/No	Customize the labels for Yes/No questions and add one follow-up question based on the client's answer.
8	Checkboxes (multiple selection)	Use when you want clients to select multiple options from a list of possible answers.
9	Multiple Choice (single selection)	Use when you want clients to select a single choice from a list of possible answers.
10	Multiple Choice Grid	Allow clients to choose from a range of answers for a set of related questions. You can add scores and weights to each column to calculate totals.
11	Grid	Collect a set of text or numeric answers. Totals can be calculated as averages or sums.
12	Table	Collect responses for structured, table-based information. Add additional rows and columns as required. Columns can be set up as checkboxes, numeric, or free-form text entries. You can also give clients the option to add more rows.
13	Scale	Collect a rating or scale-based response from clients. Set the scale from a minimum of 0 or 1 to a maximum of 10.
14	Numeric	Collect a numeric answer (e.g., "How many hours do you work a day?").
15	Date/Time	Collect date-based answers (e.g., "What was the date of your last surgery?"). You can also give clients the option to add a time.
16	Time	Collect time-based answers (e.g., "What time do you typically wake up?").
17	Healthcare Provider	Collect contact information for a client's healthcare provider (e.g., doctor, dentist).
18	Health Insurance	Collect a client's insurance policy information.
19	Contact Person	Collect information about a client's family members or emergency contacts.
20	Medication History	Collect medication history with details like product name, date range, and dosage. Learn more →
21	Supplement History	Collect supplement history with details like product name, date range, and dosage. Learn more →
22	Credit Card	Collect a client's credit card information securely within a form. The card is saved to the client's billing profile once the form response is imported into their record. No charge is made at the time of form submission. See Collecting Client Credit Card Information Through a Form → for full details.
23	New Page / Page Break	Split content onto multiple pages. Useful for longer forms.

Adding Elements from the Toolbox

To add an element from the toolbox, either click the icon to add it to the bottom of the current page, or click and hold the icon from the toolbar and drag it to any position in the form content area.

Look for the divider between elements to position your new question above or below existing ones.

📍 Note: The toolbox may not be visible on smaller devices such as tablets and phones.

Making Questions Mandatory

You can set any question as required, making it mandatory for clients to complete before they can submit the form. Questions are not required by default when first added.

To make a question required, toggle the Required question setting at the bottom of the question element and click Done to save. 

To update a question you've already saved, hover over it in the Form Builder and click the Pencil icon to edit.

Adding Pages to a Form

For longer forms, splitting questions across multiple pages gives clients a better experience, both visually and in terms of performance. You can add a new page using a Page Break or a Section Title.

Adding Pages Using Page Breaks

Drag the Page Break icon from the toolbox into the form content area. You can also single-click the icon to start a new page after the last question or element on the current page.

Adding Pages Using Section Titles

Use Section Titles if you want to start a new page with a header. Select the Start section on new page checkbox to insert a page break before that element.

You can toggle between pages in your forms by using the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen:

Adding Signatures to a Form

You can collect up to 3 signatures for any form or waiver. Add a signer from the toolbox by clicking the Signature button in the top left corner.

From the pop-up, select the signer type (yourself or your client) and add an optional consent or acknowledgment text block.

📍 Note: If you add multiple signatures to your form, all signatures must be provided before the form can be submitted.

Pre-Signing forms

You can pre-sign forms by adding yourself as a signer from the Consent & Signature popup. Forms will be pre-signed with the signature saved to your account before being sent to clients.

To adjust your default signature for pre-signed forms, go to Settings & Preferences > Forms & Signature.

Learn more about Adding Signatures to Forms in Practice Better →

Using Conditional Flows to Show or Hide Elements

Conditional flows let you show or hide questions based on how clients answer earlier questions. This keeps forms focused and relevant for each client.

Manage conditional flows from the Conditional Flows tab at the top of the Form Builder. Learn more →

Adding Grand Totals and Averages

For forms that use numeric or scale questions, you can calculate totals and averages across responses. Manage these from the Totals & Averages tab at the top of the Form Builder. Learn more →

Previewing Forms

We recommend previewing your form before sending it to clients. The preview shows the form exactly as clients will see it, including any conditional flows and rules you've defined.

To preview a form:

1. Go to My Practice > Forms & Waivers.
    
2. Click the More Options menu (3 dots) next to the form.
    
3. Select Preview from the options.

From the More Options menu (3 dots), you can also download a PDF version of your form by selecting Preview as PDF.

Sending Forms to your Client to Complete

You can send forms to clients either from their client record, or from your main Forms & Waivers list. 

1. Go to My Practice > Forms & Waivers.
2. Click Send to client on the form you want to send.
   

The client will receive an email with a link to complete their form.

• If the client has an active Client Portal, the link will bring them to the Practice Better sign-in page. They can log in to complete and submit the form.
• If the client does not have an active Client Portal, the link will open the form in their browser. The form will autosave their responses, so they can return to the same link and complete it across multiple sittings.

📍 Note: Access to the form through the email link expires 24 hours after the form is completed.

You can also set up forms to be sent on daily, weekly, or monthly recurring schedules. Learn more →

You may also want to consider setting up automations to auto-send forms after a booking or package is confirmed.

Canceling a Client's Form

If a client has not yet completed their Form, you can cancel it on their behalf.

1. Go to the client record's Forms & Waivers section. 
    
2. Scroll to locate the Form you need to cancel. 
    
3. Click the Cancel Request button on the Form. 
   
    
4. Confirm your choice to cancel the Form. This action cannot be undone.
   

⚠️ Important: Your client won't be able to complete this form after you cancel the request. Your regulatory body may require you to keep a record of all documents and resources associated with your clients. This action can't be undone.

Re-Sending Forms for Edits

When you need your client to update their responses in a form they have already completed once, you can resend the form with their existing responses, with a request for them to complete the form again with updated answers. 

Learn more about Resending Forms and Sending Form Reminders to Clients →