Every form is organized into blocks and questions. A block is a section of your form (like “Personal Info” or “Medical History”), and inside each block you add the questions patients answer. This page is a reference for everything you can use when building a form.
Save time with automatic record updates: When you use Demographics, Insurance, Medical History, or Payment Methods blocks, the patient’s answers automatically update their record in Decoda. For example, if a patient enters their address on the form, it’s saved to their chart — no manual data entry needed. See Patient Data Mapping below for the full list of fields that can auto-update. Block Types
A block is a named section within a form. Each block has a type that determines its behavior:
| Block Type | Purpose | When to Use |
|---|
| Dynamic | Standard section with custom questions you define. | Most blocks — use this for any custom intake questions, consent acknowledgments, or assessment questionnaires. |
| Demographics | Collects patient information (name, DOB, address, etc.) and saves it to the patient’s record automatically. | New patient intake — saves front desk staff from manually entering demographics. |
| Insurance | Collects primary and secondary insurance details. Answers create or update insurance coverage records. | Insurance-based practices that need to verify coverage before appointments. |
| Payment Methods | Collects credit card information securely within the form. | Collecting a card on file during intake so it’s ready at checkout. |
| Medical History | Collects health information (allergies, medications, family history, etc.) and saves it to the patient’s medical history. | Clinical intake — information flows into the patient’s chart for provider review. |
Use Demographics, Insurance, Medical History, and Payment Methods blocks when you want form answers to automatically update patient records. Use Dynamic blocks for everything else — custom questions, consent language, screening tools, etc.
Question Types
Forms support these question types:
| Type | What the Patient Sees |
|---|
| Text | A single-line text field |
| Text Area | A larger, multi-line text field |
| Number | A field that only accepts numbers |
| Date | A date picker (can be limited to a specific date range) |
| Single Select | A list where the patient picks one option |
| Radial Single Select | A set of choices where the patient picks one (shown as round buttons) |
| Multi Select | A list where the patient can pick multiple options |
| Radial Multi Select | A set of choices where the patient can check multiple boxes |
| Toggle | An on/off switch (e.g., “Do you have allergies? Yes/No”) |
| Address | A full address form (street, city, state, ZIP, country) |
| Phone Number | A phone number field |
| Email | An email address field |
| Signature | A signature pad where the patient signs with their finger or mouse |
| File Upload | A file upload area (e.g., for ID photos, insurance cards). You can set allowed file types, max file size, and how many files are allowed. |
| Tag | A field where the patient can type and add multiple items one by one (e.g., listing allergies) |
| Disclaimer | Read-only legal or informational text the patient reads and acknowledges |
| Statement | A list of points the patient reads (used for consent statements) |
| Document | An embedded PDF shown within the form (e.g., a policy document) |
| Height (Feet/Inches) | A field for entering height |
| Weight (Pounds) | A field for entering weight |
| Calculated Score | An auto-calculated total based on the patient’s other answers (used for clinical assessments like PHQ-9) |
| Medications | A field for listing current medications |
| Payment Method | A credit card entry field connected to the payment processor |
Conditional Logic
You can set up questions that only appear when the patient gives a specific answer to another question. This keeps forms short and relevant — patients only see what applies to them.
How to set it up: Each condition has three parts:
- Dependent Question — The earlier question whose answer controls visibility.
- Operator — How to compare the answer:
- Equals / Not Equals — The answer matches (or doesn’t match) a specific value.
- Contains — The answer includes a specific value. Useful when the patient can pick multiple options.
- Years Ago Minimum / Years Ago Maximum — For date questions. For example, “Years Ago Minimum = 18” would check if the date entered is at least 18 years ago — useful for verifying a patient is 18 or older.
- Sum — Used with calculated score questions. For example, show a follow-up question if the patient’s assessment score is above a certain number.
- Value — The specific answer to compare against.
You can add multiple conditions to a single question to create more complex rules (all conditions must be true for the question to appear).
Example: You have a “Do you have any allergies?” on/off switch. When the patient answers Yes, a follow-up “Please list your allergies” question appears. The condition would be: Dependent Question = “Do you have any allergies?”, Operator = Equals, Value = Yes.
Example: You have a “Date of Birth” question and want to show a parental consent question only for patients under 18. The condition would be: Dependent Question = “Date of Birth”, Operator = Years Ago Maximum, Value = 18.
Patient Data Mapping
When building a form, you can link questions to specific fields on the patient’s record. When the patient submits the form, their answers automatically update those fields — no manual data entry required. This means a single intake form can fill in a patient’s demographics, insurance, medical history, and payment method all at once.
Available fields that can auto-update:
Demographics:
- First name, last name, email, phone number, date of birth, gender
- Full address (street, city, state, ZIP, country)
Measurements:
Medical History:
- Allergies, medications, family history, medical history, prescriptions
- Surgical history, social history, autoimmune disorders, skin conditions, neurological conditions
Insurance:
- Primary and secondary insurer name, member ID, group ID, policy holder name, policy holder DOB, phone number
Payment:
- Credit card / payment method
