Keywords: patient portal, questionnaire, health history, patient portal questionnaire, show on patient portal, to-do, document editor, single select, multi select, quantifier
Summary
This article reviews how to create a Patient Portal questionnaire in Cloud 9, using a Health History Form as an example. It explains question types, field sizing, quantified answers, To-Do setup, and how to link documents to the questionnaire.
Overview
Any document you want a patient to complete on the Patient Portal must be created as a questionnaire in Cloud 9. Unlike questionnaires completed by doctors or staff, Patient Portal questionnaires are completed by the patient or responsible party to provide information needed for their care. A Health History Form, (the example used in the screenshots below in this article), is the most common example, typically completed before the initial consultation, but the same setup applies to any document you want patients to complete on the portal.
Important: Access to the Patient Portal is granted only to patients who are already in your Cloud 9 system. A patient must be entered into Cloud 9 and receive a Patient Portal invite before they can access or complete any forms. The Patient Portal is not a way for brand new patients to submit forms before being entered into the system.
Note: Before building a Patient Portal questionnaire, first review the Cloud 9: Creating a Questionnaire here and Patient Portal article here.
Questionnaire Setup
Navigate to Edit > Setup > Questionnaires and click the blue + to begin, the same as any other questionnaire. The Patient Portal questionnaire has a few key differences to be aware of.
Name
Enter the name of the questionnaire.
Number of Columns
This is normally set to 1 for Patient Portal questionnaires.
Show on Patient Portal
Do not check this box until the questionnaire is completely finished and ready for patients to see. Every time you save while this box is checked, that portion of the questionnaire becomes visible on the Patient Portal. Check this box only as a final step once everything is complete and verified.
Type
The Type must be set to Patient for use on the Patient Portal.
Setting Up Questions
Click the blue + from the questionnaire screen to begin adding questions. For Patient Portal questionnaires, how each question type displays on the portal is especially important since patients are completing the form themselves. Here is how the most common types appear:
Header
Used to introduce a new section of the questionnaire. Headers display as a section label on the portal and help organize longer forms.
Date Picker
Used when you want the patient to select a specific date. Displays a calendar-style date selection field on the portal.
Single Line Text Box
Used for short answers such as a name, address, or phone number. The question field acts more like a label in this context. For example, entering “Patient’s Street Address” in the question field will display that as the field label on the portal. Set the Width field to control how wide the input box appears. A width of 250 works well for most short answer fields. The Height field is not needed for Single Line Text Box.
Multi Select List
Used when you want the patient to be able to select multiple answers from a list you provide. You can add a quantifier to any answer option to prompt a follow-up response. For example, if one of the answer options is “Measles,” adding a quantifier prompts the patient to provide additional detail such as when they had it. This helps gather complete information without requiring a separate question for every follow-up.
Single Select List
Used when you want the patient to choose only one answer from the options provided. The same quantifier approach applies here. For example, a question asking for the primary contact person might list Mother, Father, Grandmother, and Other. Adding a quantifier to the Other option prompts the patient to specify who that person is.
Category
The Category field is optional. Any categories available here are specific to your Cloud 9 URL.
Question
For Patient Portal questionnaires the question field functions more as a label or statement than a traditional question. For example, instead of asking “What is your street address?” you would simply enter “Patient’s Street Address” and the patient completes the field below it.
Tip: There is no maximum number of questions on a questionnaire. Repeat the process above for every piece of information you want the patient to provide. Remember to save your work frequently as you build it out.
Answer Box Sizing
The Width field controls how wide the input box appears on the portal. Setting it to 250 works well for most fields. If the patient enters more information than the box width allows, the box will expand automatically to accommodate it.
Patient Portal To-Dos
When a patient submits or updates information on the Patient Portal questionnaire, there is no automatic notification to the office unless a To-Do is configured. Without this setup, staff have no way of knowing the form has been completed or changed.
To add a To-Do, Navigate to Edit > Setup > Questionnaires, then click the blue + the To-Do section of the questionnaire.
Complete the following fields:
- Type: Select the type of To-Do, typically Reminder or Call.
- Employee: Select the employee who should receive the To-Do notification.
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Message: Enter a brief description of what triggered the To-Do and what the employee needs to do. Examples include: “New information has been added to the questionnaire on this patient’s portal" or "Reminder Next Visit as Needed."
This ensures staff are alerted when a patient updates their information so the chart can be reviewed and updated accordingly. For example, if a patient adds new insurance information or a new allergy, staff need to know so those updates can be reflected in the patient’s record before their next visit.
Linking Documents
Any documents that need to be sent from the office using information from this questionnaire must be added in the Documents section of the questionnaire. Each questionnaire must be linked to at least one document in order to pull the questionnaire information into a letter. You complete this by navigating to Edit > Setup > Questionnaires. Next, use the blue + under the Documents section to add a document.
The document must already exist in the Document Editor before it can be selected here. If you need help creating documents, see the Document Editor Introduction article here.
Final Steps Before Going Live
Once the questionnaire is complete and you are satisfied with how it looks, follow these steps before making it available to patients:
- Navigate to Edit > Setup > Questionnaires.
- Check the Show on Patient Portal box at the top of the questionnaire and save.
- Using yourself or a test patient, send a Patient Portal invite and complete the questionnaire as a patient would.
- Review the questionnaire on the portal to confirm it appears the way you intended.
- If any changes are needed, uncheck Show on Patient Portal, make the updates, then re-check it when ready.
As always, if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Cloud 9 Support by emailing us at cloud9support@planetdds.com, or chatting us online using the chat bubble on the lower right at https://cloud9support.planetdds.com/hc/en-us, or giving us a call during our business hours of 8:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST at the 1.800.394.6050 option 2.