Workflow

Which questions belong in your pain intake script, and how the wording changes what you get back

Two pain clinics rarely want the same intake script. This page covers choosing the questions Katie asks new patients, the wording choices that matter clinically, and the case types such as workers' comp that need their own branch.

Start from the questions your providers actually ask: onset, location, prior treatments, and current medications
Word allergy questions separately from side effect questions, because the answers mean different things
Add a branch for workers' compensation and personal injury cases if your practice takes them
Decide which questions are asked of every caller and which depend on the reason for the visit
Offer the script in the languages your patient population actually speaks
Revise the question set once you have heard how real callers answer it

How it pays back

The script is configured, not inherited

Which questions Katie asks is set during onboarding based on your patient population and your providers' preferences, so your intake reflects how your clinic works rather than a generic template.

Wording decides the clinical value of the answer

Asking about an allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing separately from asking about medications that caused side effects produces two useful answers instead of one ambiguous one.

Case type can change the branch

Workers' compensation and personal injury callers need different fields, such as case type, date of injury, and attorney contact. A dedicated branch captures them and routes the summary to whoever handles those cases.

Language is part of the question design

A carefully worded question in a language the caller does not speak fluently gathers less than a plain one in their own. Katie can run the same intake in another language, and the structured summary still reaches your team.

Structured clinical intake

Pain history, priors, medications, and allergies captured and documented

New patient demographics synced

Name, DOB, phone, and contact info written to EMR automatically

Intake summary ready for staff

Clinical notes and allergy flags available before patient's first visit

Insurance details captured

Information recorded for staff verification and eligibility checking

Frequently asked questions

How do we decide which intake questions to include?

Start with the questions your providers ask at every new pain consultation and the ones they wish they had before the room. Those become the core script, and case-specific questions are added as branches rather than asked of everyone.

Should we ask about workers' comp and personal injury?

If your practice takes those cases, yes, and as a separate branch. Case type, date of injury, and attorney details are captured when relevant and routed in the summary so billing, clinical, and any legal hold are handled by the right people.

Why phrase allergy and side effect questions separately?

Because a rash or swelling and an upset stomach are different clinical facts that patients often report with the same word. Asking them as two questions keeps the distinction, and the summary documents each one clearly.

Can the same script run in more than one language?

Yes. You can configure a language option at the start of the call, and the same intake questions are asked in the caller's preferred language. The structured summary is available to your staff either way.

How do we handle a caller with a long and complicated history?

Open-ended follow-up questions and a narrative summary work better than a checklist here. The timeline is documented as the patient tells it, and for genuinely complex cases your nurse can call before the visit to clarify.