The form a patient (the party) completes before or at a visit, covering contact details, insurance, history and consents. Completing intake ahead of arrival shortens time at the check-in desk.
See also: Check-in desk, Waiver, New patient
Intake form
The form a patient (the party) completes before or at a visit, covering contact details, insurance, history and consents. Completing intake ahead of arrival shortens time at the check-in desk.
Nov 8, 2026
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Urgent care
A clinic that treats illnesses and injuries that need same-day care but are not emergencies, such as sprains, minor cuts and infections. Urgent care centers take walk-ins and often let patients hold a place in the queue before arriving.
Walk-in clinic
A clinic that sees patients without an appointment, in order of arrival or need. Walk-in clinics often sit in pharmacies or retail stores and treat routine conditions, vaccinations and minor illnesses.
Triage level
A rating clinical staff give each arriving patient for how urgently they need care. Emergency departments commonly use a five-level scale such as the Emergency Severity Index, where level 1 is most urgent; patients are seen by level, then by arrival.
Check-in desk
The front desk where patients arrive for a visit: staff confirm identity and the appointment, collect insurance and copays and mark the patient as arrived so clinical staff know who is waiting.
Telehealth
Health care delivered remotely by video, phone or messaging instead of in person. A telehealth visit is scheduled on a provider's calendar like an office visit, with a virtual waiting room in place of the lobby.