- This guide is for COOs and VPs of Patient Access at multi-location groups with 10 or more providers, where intake runs differently at every site and errors at check-in show up later as denials.
- Patient intake software captures demographics, insurance, consent, and history before the visit. The strongest platforms also handle the intake that arrives by fax and referral, not just the patient's own forms.
- The 10 platforms below are ranked for multi-location groups, starting with Confido Health, and judged on data accuracy, EHR write-back, multi-location fit, and how many intake channels they cover.
- For how intake connects to coverage checks, see our guide to insurance verification and prior authorization.
Introduction
A COO at a 25-location group reviews quarterly patient survey results across a dozen service lines. The top complaint is not about care. It is about re-entering the same demographic and insurance details on a clipboard that the group already had on file from a visit 6 months earlier at a different site.
Behind the front desk, the problem is bigger. Referrals arrive by fax and sit in a queue until someone keys them in. Two acquired locations still run a different PMS. A wrong member ID typed at check-in turns into a denial 30 days later. Intake is the first data entry point in the care and revenue cycle, and at group scale, every error made there travels downstream.
This guide covers what drives intake investment for multi-location groups, what to look for in patient intake software, a comparison of 10 platforms, and how to roll intake out across sites.
What Is Driving Intake Investment for Multi-Location Groups
Patients expect digital access
According to a 2024 data brief from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, more than 3 in 4 individuals report being offered online access to their medical records, and nearly 2 in 3 use it. Patients who manage their records online expect intake to work the same way.
Cost estimates depend on accurate intake data
Under the No Surprises Act, providers must give uninsured and self-pay patients a good faith estimate of expected charges. That estimate is only as accurate as the coverage and demographic data captured at intake.
Referrals still arrive by fax
Much of a specialty group's new patient volume starts as a faxed referral. Each one has to be sorted, read, keyed into the chart, and checked for missing insurance or a missing reason for referral before the patient can be scheduled.
Each service line needs different questions
A cardiology visit, a dermatology visit, and an orthopedic follow-up need different intake questions. One generic form either misses what a specialty needs or buries patients in questions that do not apply.
Growth brings mixed systems
Groups that grow through acquisition often run several PMS and EHR systems at once. Intake software has to work across all of them.
Manual entry creates downstream errors
Every re-keyed field is a chance for a transcription error that surfaces later in scheduling, billing, or a denied claim.
What to Look for in Patient Intake Software
- Data accuracy. Whether the platform reduces manual entry through structured capture and validation, not just a paper form moved onto a screen.
- EHR and PMS write-back. Whether completed intake writes to the chart without staff transferring it.
- Forms by service line. Whether questions change by visit type, specialty, and location.
- Fax and referral intake. Whether the platform reads, classifies, and files incoming referrals, not just patient-completed forms.
- Channel coverage. Whether patients can complete intake by mobile, by kiosk, or by phone conversation.
- Insurance capture and verification. Whether coverage is verified during intake rather than in a separate step.
- Multi-location and multi-system fit. Whether intake holds up across sites running different systems.
- Security and compliance. HIPAA compliance and a Business Associate Agreement.
Comparison Table: Top Patient Intake Software at a Glance
Top 10 Patient Intake Software Solutions
1. Confido Health
Overview
Confido Health is the AI system of action for healthcare operations. Its AI Teammates handle every channel intake arrives through, inside the EHR, PMS, and phone systems a group already runs. Patient intake starts on the call: AI Teammates collect and confirm demographics and insurance while scheduling, confirming, or recalling a patient, then send intake forms after booking and write completed responses to the chart. Referral intake arrives by fax: AI Teammates classify each document, extract structured data, flag missing fields such as insurance or reason for referral, and file it to the right patient. Coverage gets verified during intake, and patients with missing or expired insurance hear from an AI Teammate before the visit. Staff step in when a document is unreadable or a case needs judgment.
Intake Capabilities
- Intake form delivery after booking, with completed responses written to the chart
- Demographic and insurance collection during scheduling, confirmation, and recall calls
- Fax and referral intake: classification, data extraction, missing field detection, and filing to the patient record
- Eligibility, copay, and deductible verification during intake, written to the patient chart
- Outreach to patients with missing or expired coverage before the visit
- Intake in 20+ languages, by phone, text, or email
- Intake questions and rules set by service line and location
Customer Results
Formé Medical Center, a primary care, urgent care, and women's health practice running eClinicalWorks, routes patients across 12 to 15+ appointment types and serves Spanish-speaking patients in their own language, with live write-back to eClinicalWorks.
Key Integrations
Two-way integrations across 40+ EHR, PMS, and phone systems, including Epic, athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, NextGen, ModMed, and Veradigm, plus phone systems such as RingCentral, 3CX, and Mango Voice.
Strengths
Confido Health covers more intake channels than a forms platform: the patient's own forms, the details collected on a call, and the referrals that arrive by fax. All of it lands in one chart, already verified for coverage. Patients who would rather talk than fill out a form can finish intake by phone. Confido Health is HIPAA compliant and SOC 2 Type II certified.
Considerations
Confido Health is a full operations platform. Groups that only want a digital form builder, with no conversational intake, fax processing, or eligibility, may find the scope larger than they need.
Best For
Multi-location groups with 10+ providers that want patient forms, conversational intake, fax and referral intake, and eligibility in one connected workflow.
2. Phreesia
Overview
Phreesia offers registration, intake, and payment tools used by more than 4,700 healthcare organizations, according to the company.
Intake Capabilities
- Pre-visit digital registration and consent, with forms that change by visit type, location, and demographics
- Mobile self check-in and in-office devices
- Eligibility checks before appointments
Key Integrations
Bidirectional integrations with major EHRs, including Epic, athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, MEDITECH, and Oracle Health.
Strengths
Large scale and broad EHR coverage for digital registration.
Considerations
Phreesia centers on patient-completed forms and check-in. Faxed referrals and patients who will not complete a form still fall to staff.
Best For
Large organizations wanting high-volume digital registration and check-in.
3. Relatient
Overview
Relatient's Dash platform is a mobile-first registration and check-in product built to capture insurance before the patient reaches the front desk.
Intake Capabilities
- Mobile history and consent forms with e-signatures, by appointment type or specialty
- Insurance card and photo ID capture by mobile or kiosk
- Mobile checkout without app downloads
- Posting to practice management and EHR systems
Key Integrations
athenahealth, Epic, Oracle Health, NextGen, eClinicalWorks, ModMed, Greenway Health, and Veradigm.
Strengths
Broad integration list for groups running several EHRs across acquired locations.
Considerations
Relatient focuses on patient self-service, so referral intake and phone-based intake need another solution.
Best For
Groups wanting mobile-first registration across a mix of EHR systems.
4. Experian Health
Overview
Experian Health's Registration Accelerator focuses on registration accuracy and reducing manual entry at intake.
Intake Capabilities
- Text-to-mobile registration links
- Insurance card scanning
- Pre-service cost estimates
Key Integrations
Works alongside Experian Health's patient access suite.
Strengths
Strong focus on registration accuracy and cost estimates.
Considerations
Its value is tied to the broader Experian suite, so confirm what is included as a standalone product.
Best For
Organizations wanting intake tied to registration accuracy and cost estimates.
5. Notable Health
Overview
Notable Health's patient access platform includes pre-registration and intake alongside scheduling, referral management, and fax processing.
Intake Capabilities
- Digital pre-registration and intake
- Fax order transcription
- Patient outreach by voice and text
Key Integrations
Epic, Oracle Health, athenahealth, HL7, and SFTP connections.
Strengths
Notable reports a 97% reduction in fax processing turnaround time.
Considerations
Built primarily for health systems, so groups should confirm pricing and scope at their size.
Best For
Health systems wanting intake bundled with broader access and referral workflows.
6. Artera
Overview
Artera's Intake and Payments solution replaces paper registration with a digital workflow across pre-visit, point-of-service, and post-visit messaging.
Intake Capabilities
- Pre-visit messages that capture forms, insurance, and payments
- Point-of-service digital forms with insurance checks
- Post-visit messaging into billing
Key Integrations
Integrates with EHRs to keep patient data consistent across touchpoints.
Strengths
Artera reports an 85% shorter check-in time compared with manual processes.
Considerations
Intake is one feature in a broader messaging platform, so confirm depth against your registration workflow.
Best For
Groups wanting intake and payments in one patient messaging thread.
7. Interlace Health
Overview
Interlace Health provides digital intake and pre-registration across ambulatory, acute, specialty, imaging, and behavioral health settings.
Intake Capabilities
- Self check-in from the patient's phone without an app
- Start at home and finish on-site by QR code
- Signature capture across devices
- Insurance card and ID imaging
Key Integrations
EHR-agnostic through HL7, FHIR, and APIs, including Epic, MEDITECH, and Cerner.
Strengths
Flexible check-in across home, mobile, and facility.
Considerations
Serves many care settings, so confirm multi-specialty configuration depth.
Best For
Organizations wanting intake across home, mobile, and in-facility check-in.
8. NextGen Healthcare
Overview
NextGen's Patient Intake is built into its Patient Experience Platform for organizations running NextGen as their EHR and PMS.
Intake Capabilities
- Intake forms by appointment type
- Population of intake data into the NextGen EHR and PMS
- Multilingual support across 33+ languages
- Scanning of paper forms
Key Integrations
Native to the NextGen ecosystem.
Strengths
Tight fit for groups standardized on NextGen.
Considerations
A narrower fit for groups running other EHRs, or several at once.
Best For
Groups already on NextGen wanting intake built into their EHR.
9. Athena Health
Overview
athenahealth's Enhanced Self Check-In, part of athenaOne, replaces paper intake with a digital workflow inside its EHR.
Intake Capabilities
- Forms filtered by insurance type
- Practice-owned device check-in for patients without a smartphone
- Connection to athenahealth's patient app
Key Integrations
Native to athenaOne.
Strengths
Device options that extend digital intake to patients without smartphones.
Considerations
Built for athenaOne customers only.
Best For
Groups already on athenaOne wanting self check-in built into their EHR.
10. Solutionreach
Overview
Solutionreach offers digital intake forms inside its patient engagement platform, sent by email or text.
Intake Capabilities
- Custom intake forms sent to new patients
- Mobile forms with QR check-in and auto-fill
- Write-back to select PMS and EHR systems
Key Integrations
Write-back with select systems, varying by platform.
Strengths
Intake bundled with reminders, recall, and texting.
Considerations
Write-back is limited to select systems, which matters for groups on mixed EHRs.
Best For
Smaller practices wanting simple digital forms inside an engagement platform.
Rolling Out Intake Across a Multi-Location Group
- Map every intake channel. Count how many new patients start with a form, a phone call, or a faxed referral, by location. Most groups undercount fax.
- Build a base form plus service-line additions. 3 well-built forms with specialty add-ons beat 10 fully custom forms.
- Plan for patients who will not complete a form. Offer a phone option, so a patient without a smartphone or reliable data still finishes intake.
- Pilot in 1 or 2 service lines. Expand after the numbers hold.
- Track errors, not adoption. Measure insurance mismatches, incomplete demographics, missing consents, and intake-related denials by site.
Why Multi-Location Groups Choose Confido Health for Intake
Every intake channel in one workflow
Forms, phone calls, and faxed referrals all land in the same chart, so staff are not reconciling 3 intake sources.
Referrals filed, not stacked
AI Teammates read and file incoming referrals and flag what is missing, so new patients get scheduled instead of waiting in a fax queue.
Coverage verified before the visit
Insurance captured at intake is verified right away, and patients with gaps hear from an AI Teammate before they arrive.
Intake data that carries downstream
The same verified record feeds scheduling, eligibility, prior authorization, and billing, so an error made at check-in does not become a denial 30 days later.
Final Thoughts
The right patient intake software depends on how intake arrives at your group. Phreesia, Relatient, and Interlace Health lead on patient self-service. NextGen and athenahealth fit groups standardized on their EHR. Experian Health, Notable Health, Artera, and Solutionreach each bundle intake with a different core strength. Confido Health is built for multi-location groups that want every intake channel, forms, calls, and faxed referrals, verified and written to one chart.
Before you choose, count your intake by channel and location, decide how patients who will not use a form will finish intake, and ask each vendor to show a faxed referral and a phone intake landing in your own EHR.
See Where Your Intake Breaks
Running 10+ locations or providers? Send us your monthly new patient volume by channel and location, and we will show you which intake work Confido Health would take off your front desk first.
Book a demo or browse our specialty webinars.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is patient intake software?
Patient intake software captures demographics, insurance, consent, and history before the visit, so staff are not re-keying it at check-in. Confido Health also covers intake that arrives by phone and by faxed referral.
Does Confido Health send digital intake forms?
Yes. Confido Health sends intake forms after booking and writes completed responses to the chart. For patients who prefer to talk, AI Teammates collect the same details by phone.
How does Confido Health handle faxed referrals?
AI Teammates classify each incoming fax, extract structured data, flag missing fields such as insurance or reason for referral, and file it to the right patient record. Anything unreadable goes to staff.
Can intake questions differ by specialty and location?
Yes. Confido Health sets intake questions and rules by service line and location, so each specialty gets the questions it needs without a separate system.
What about patients who cannot complete a digital form?
Confido Health AI Teammates collect intake by phone in 20+ languages, so patients without a smartphone, reliable data, or comfort with forms still finish before the visit.
Does Confido Health verify insurance during intake?
Yes. Coverage, copay, and deductible are verified as insurance is captured, and patients with missing or expired coverage are contacted before the visit.
Which systems does Confido Health write intake data to?
Confido Health integrates with 40+ EHR, PMS, and phone systems, including Epic, athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, NextGen, ModMed, and Veradigm, and writes completed intake to the chart.
Is Confido Health HIPAA compliant?
Yes. Confido Health is HIPAA compliant, SOC 2 Type II certified, and signs a Business Associate Agreement with every customer.

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