Understanding the Patient Intake Process: A Complete Guide

Every admission matters for skilled nursing facilities — which is why the patient intake process is so important.

In many cases, the patient intake process is the difference between achieving healthy census levels and seeing occupancy levels plummet.

When the intake process is slow or disconnected, beds stay empty longer than they should. At the same time, staff is forced to absorb more manual administrative work than needed — which puts a strain on already burned-out workers.

The good news is that, by streamlining the patient admissions process, skilled nursing facilities can reduce delays between referral and admission, keeping beds full while reducing the burden on staff.

What Is the Patient Intake Process?

The patient intake process is a structured process skilled nursing facilities use to admit new residents.

It kicks off when hospitals, physicians, or care coordinators refer patients, requiring admissions staff to review clinical data to figure out whether the facility is a good match for meeting the individual’s needs.

From verifying insurance to collecting documentation, there are several steps in the process. Once completed, patients are formally admitted into the facility, beginning their tenure as residents.

What Are the Key Steps in the Patient Intake Process?

Before patients are admitted to skilled nursing facilities, staff must perform a series of coordinated steps.

Step #1: The Hospital or Case Manager Refers a Patient

Using referral portals — like EPIC, Altera (formerly Allscripts), Ensocare, and NaviHealth — eFax, and, in some cases email, care managers refer patients to skilled nursing facilities hoping to find the best fit.

Step #2: Staff Logs Into Referral Portals to Find Referrals and Communicate with Case Managers

Administrators and liaisons have to continually log in to portals, over and over again, to receive new patient referrals, make updates, collect information, and clarify details.

Step #3: The Admissions Team Reviews Clinical Paperwork for Key Items

Staff then reviews key items — like care type, medication needs, and equipment needs — to determine whether the facility can meet the patient’s needs.

This data is cross-referenced with facility guidelines, such as medication costs, what’s considered a high-cost medication, what medications need authorization from insurance, what type of equipment and care is needed and whether the facility can offer it, and more.

Step #4: The Admissions Team Conducts Insurance Eligibility and Background Checks

Since different insurance providers might use different portals, staff need to navigate multiple portals and submissions to confirm insurance eligibility and sex offender status.

Step #5: The Admissions Team does a Tour and Sends Admission Paperwork for Signature

At this point, the admissions team sends admission paperwork for signature.

It’s either signed with a pen and paper, which then has to be scanned and uploaded, or with a digital service like DocuSign, which creates a digital record that then needs to be stored with the referral record.

Step #6: The Admissions Team Checks for Bed Availability, Pay Mix in the Facility, and Bandwidth for Taking Referrals

In many cases, bedboard and census is handled with a spreadsheet that’s separated from other tools, requiring staff to manage the process manually. To ensure data stays up to date, these spreadsheets need to be reviewed and updated regularly.

Step #7: The Patient’s Data Is Entered Into an EHR System

When a patient is admitted, staff must gather all relevant information and input it into the electronic health record (EHR) system manually in what’s a difficult, frustrating, and time-consuming process.

Step #8: Staff Continues to Check Insurance Authorization and Census for Availability

Once a patient becomes a resident, staff must continually monitor insurance authorization to confirm continued stay approval. They also need to track bedboard and census to keep tabs on availability while ensuring optimal payer mix.

What Are the Most Common Challenges in Healthcare Intake Workflows?

Healthcare intake workflows are often impeded by unnecessary challenges that create delays, impact operational efficiency, and make work more difficult for skilled nursing staff.

1. Manual Processes

Facilities that rely on outdated processes and tools collect critical information through paper forms, faxes, and phone calls. Once collected, staff must enter this data manually across multiple systems.

Not only does this slow down the intake process, it also increases risk of errors and missing information. Staff spend more time on administrative tasks instead of focusing on patient care.

2. System Fragmentation

Without a central system in place, data lives in multiple platforms — like EHRs, billing systems, referral platforms, and scheduling solutions. Staff spend unnecessary time hopping from one system to the next to gather and update information.

3. Inefficient Patient Verification and Eligibility Checks

Without modern tools, admissions staff handle the insurance verification and authorization processes the old-fashioned way: by hand.

This makes it longer to confirm coverage and benefits — and obtain approvals. It also increases the chances of incomplete or inaccurate patient information.

How Can Health Organizations Improve and Streamline the Patient Intake Process?

The easiest way to streamline the patient admissions process is by investing in purpose-built patient intake management software.

By doing so, skilled nursing facilities enjoy these key benefits.

1. Digitize and Automate Intake Forms

By replacing paper-based intake processes with digital forms, patients can send over information ahead of time. Not only does this speed up the admissions process, it also reduces the likelihood of data entry errors.

2. Integrate Systems to Enable Seamless Data Flows

Patient intake management software enables skilled nursing facilities to share data in real time across EHR, referral, scheduling, and billing systems. This provides a complete view of each potential patient, accelerating intake processes.

3. Automate Eligibility and Documentation Checks

The right patient admissions solution automates key workflows — like insurance verification and authorization — which makes it easier to confirm coverage and ensure the facility can quickly confirm whether they’re able to meet the unique requirements of each patient.

What Does a Technology-Driven Patient Intake Process Look Like?

Patient intake management software transforms the patient intake process, bringing unrivaled speed and efficiency to operations.

Here’s what the intake process looks like when it’s powered by purpose-built software.

Step #1: Referrals Are Centralized in One Platform

Instead of having to proactively seek them out, referrals are updated automatically and staff receive real-time notifications.

Step #2: AI-Driven Clinical and Financial Review Builds the Referral and Identifies Risks

AI-enabled patient intake management software can identify risks, like high-cost medications, equipment, and type of care. The software can also catch duplicates or referrals who already have a history with your facility.

Step #3: Communicate With Internal Teams and Hospitals from One Location

By centralizing messaging across staff and referral partners, facilities can reduce miscommunication and speed up coordination, further streamlining admission decisions.

Step #4: One-Click Sex Offender and Insurance Eligibility Done in the Platform

Admissions staff can instantly run background and insurance eligibility checks in one place, eliminating manual work and reducing intake delays.

Step #5: Digital Admissions Packets Are eSigned or Signed at Bedside

Patient intake management software enables patients and caregivers to sign forms digitally from wherever they are. This speeds up the admissions process while reducing paperwork errors and administrative work.

Step #6: Manual Work Is Minimized With EHR Integration

The right solution automatically syncs patient data with EHR systems, helping facilities maintain a single source of truth without any heavy manual lifting.

Step #7: View Real-Time Census and Bed Availability Data

The right tools give staff real-time access to occupancy and open beds, which improves placement decisions and boosts operational efficiency — again, all without manual sleuthing.

Step #8: Get Detailed Reports and Insights into Facility Performance and operations

Staff can also access admissions, occupancy, and performance trends in a few clicks or taps, making it easier to identify bottlenecks and further optimize operations.

Supercharge Your Patient Intake Process with Careflow

If you’re still relying on old-school admissions processes, your facility can’t reach its full potential.

It’s that simple. There’s good news: Careflow was designed to help facilities like yours streamline the patient admissions process while making life easier for both staff and residents — and boosting your bottom line.