Forms are one of the biggest time sinks in any clinic — and one of the areas where a little Healthquest setup goes the furthest. Between templates, groups, and form management, you can go from checking off the same tests every time to generating five forms in the time it used to take to generate one.
Form Templates: Pre-Populate the Tests You Use Most
A form template is simply a base form (like a lab requisition) with your commonly-ordered tests already checked off.
To build one, go to Setup > Forms > Setup Form Templates, click New, and select the base form you’re working from. Give the template a specific name — for example, “First Prenatal Labs” instead of the generic form name — so it’s easy to find later. Check off the tests you want pre-populated, assign a provider if it’s specific to one (or leave it blank for all providers to use), and save.
From then on, that template shows up on the right-hand side of the form selection window in a patient’s chart, ready to generate with a click.
Form Groups: Generate Several Forms at Once
When a visit type routinely needs multiple forms — say, a full prenatal workup — form groups let you generate all of them together.
Go to Setup > Forms > Setup Form Groups, add a new group, give it a name, and click Add Form to build the list. You can mix pre-populated templates and blank forms in the same group and reorder them with the arrows, so they generate in whatever order makes sense for the chart.
Once it’s built, selecting that group from a patient chart generates every form in it — infectious disease panel, blood typing, routine labs, ultrasound requisition, prenatal record, whatever the group includes — in one step.
Form Management: Cleaning Up What You Don’t Use
With hundreds of forms available in Healthquest, it’s easy for a clinic form list to get cluttered with outdated versions or forms that don’t apply to your location. That’s what Form Management (under Setup > Forms) is for.
The form management shows every form that’s ever been added to your database. If you’ve got multiple versions of the same form, mark the outdated ones as Never — this removes them from the list without affecting historical records. The same goes for forms tied to a different location or specialty that don’t apply to your clinic.
It’s worth assigning one person to review new forms periodically (Healthquest will flag when new ones are added), rather than letting the list grow unchecked. Note that Healthquest can’t remove old forms on your behalf — this cleanup has to happen from your end — but a few minutes spent here means your commonly-used forms stay easy to find, and the rarely-used ones stay out of the way until someone checks “Show All Forms.”
The Combined Effect
Templates save clicks on individual forms. Groups save clicks across multiple forms at once. Form management keeps the whole list usable, so those first two tools actually stay efficient over time. Together, they turn one of the most repetitive parts of clinical documentation into one of the fastest.
FAQ
What’s the difference between a form template and a form group?
A form template pre-populates the tests on a single form. A form group generates several forms — templated or blank — together in one step.
Can I mix pre-populated and blank forms in the same group?
Yes. Form groups can include any combination of templated and blank forms, in whatever order you set.
Can Healthquest remove old or unused forms for me?
No — form cleanup has to be done from your end. Go to Setup > Forms > Form Management and mark outdated versions as Never so they no longer appear on patient charts.
Will marking a form as “Never” affect old records that already used it?
No. Marking a form as Never only removes it from future selection — it doesn’t touch historical records.
Next up: Employee permissions and program setup options — practical tips for clinic managers.