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Collecting Demographics & Payment Info

Two intake options turn first-session admin into client homework: the demographics form (identity, contact, emergency contact, optionally insurance) and a separate credit card request. Both live in the same intake wizard step, and both flow back to the chart automatically.

Setting up the demographics form​

  1. Go to Settings → Documents → Intake Questionnaires — the Demographics form card sits at the top (it's a system form).
  2. Include in intake controls whether it's pre-checked when you send intakes.
  3. Edit chooses what the form asks: which optional fields appear (name they go by, gender identity, insurance) and which are required (legal name and email always are; phone, address, and birth date are up to you).

The insurance section is off by default — turn it on only if you bill insurance. When on, clients are asked for their payer, member ID, and photos of the front and back of their insurance card ("Optional — if you plan to use insurance…"), and only when they have no coverage on file yet, so a client's form can't overwrite coverage you've already verified.

Requesting a card on file​

Request credit card on file is its own checkbox in the intake wizard's Demographics & Credit Card section — it isn't part of the demographics form. When checked:

  • The client sees an Add Payment Method item in their portal to-do list (it appears alongside their forms — clients can do it first or skip it: "You can add a payment method later in Account Settings").
  • Card entry is handled by Stripe — numbers never touch your records.
  • For minors, the card saves to the guardian, who is the payer — see Minor clients.
  • The client's intake status card on their profile shows Payment ✓ or Payment Pending, so you know before the first session whether a card is on file for AutoPay.

Sending it​

Both options ride the standard intake workflow: check them in the wizard's Select Documents step (the demographics form is pre-checked when "Include in intake" is on) and send. The client completes everything in the portal.

What the client sees​

The portal's demographics form is pre-filled from the chart — "Please review and complete your information" — so returning clients correct rather than re-type. It covers client information (with consent checkboxes for email and text contact), emergency contact, and the insurance section when applicable. On submit: "Thank you — your information has been shared with your practice and your profile will be updated automatically."

How answers flow back​

  • Profile fields update automatically — and blank answers never erase data you've already entered, so a half-completed form can't damage the record.
  • Emergency contact answers create or update the contact on the chart.
  • Insurance details create the client's coverage (only when none exists), with the card photos attached — see Client coverage.
  • The completed form shows on the client's Files tab, and you're emailed when a client finishes the last of their intake forms.

FAQ​

The client says the form didn't ask about insurance. Two gates: the insurance section must be enabled on the Demographics form card, and the client must have no coverage on file already.

Why is the card request "pending" when their forms are done? The card step is separate from the forms and clients can skip it. Ask them to add it under Billing → Payment Methods in their portal, or take the card at the first session.

Can I require a card before booking? Not through intake — the card request is skippable by design. Card-on-file enforcement is a conversation, not a gate.