Checklist template

Patient registration and front desk for medical clinics

A ready-to-use checklist with 119 items in 6 sections, covering Greeting, Registration, Insurance and payment, Privacy, Wait times, Desk organization. Use it as-is in Bindy, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 119 Items
  • 101 Yes / No checks
  • 6 Scored ratings
  • 131 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Greeting 18 items

  1. A sign at the entrance tells patients where to check in Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The check-in window or glass partition is open during posted clinic hours Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Each patient arriving during the observation was acknowledged within 1 minute Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Front desk employees wear a name badge showing their first name and role Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The employee looked at the patient before turning to the screen Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Phone calls are put on hold or passed to a colleague when a patient is standing at the desk Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Self check-in kiosks or tablets are powered on and working Yes / No 1 pt
  8. An employee offers help to patients who hesitate at the kiosk Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Patients with visible difficulty standing are offered a seat while they are registered Yes / No 1 pt
  10. A sign asks patients with fever, cough or rash to tell the front desk on arrival Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Masks are offered at the desk to patients who are coughing Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The interpreter service phone number or video tablet is within reach of the front desk Yes / No 1 pt
  13. An employee asked could explain how to reach an interpreter for a patient who does not speak English Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Patients are told which provider they will see today when check-in is complete Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Patients arriving late are told at the desk whether they will be seen, worked in or rescheduled, per the clinic's late-arrival policy Yes / No 1 pt
  16. No employee was seen using a personal phone at the check-in desk during the observation Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Patients observed being greeted during the visit Number
  18. Greeting of arriving patients Rating
    • Every patient acknowledged promptly and courteously 5 pts
    • Some patients waited unacknowledged 3 pts
    • Patients ignored or greeted without looking up 1 pt

2. Registration 20 items

  1. Each patient is asked to state their full name and date of birth at check-in Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Photo identification is checked for new patients, per company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The patient's address is confirmed at each visit Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The patient's phone number is confirmed at each visit Yes / No 1 pt
  5. An emergency contact is on file or asked for at this visit Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The preferred pharmacy is confirmed at each visit Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The preferred language is recorded in the patient record Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The primary care or referring provider is recorded for new patients Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The system is searched by name and date of birth before a new patient record is created Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Duplicate patient records found are reported to the person designated to merge them Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The consent to treat is signed and dated in 5 new patient records sampled Yes / No 1 pt
  12. For a minor, the relationship of the accompanying adult is recorded Yes / No 1 pt
  13. New patient history forms are complete before the patient is called to an exam room Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Patients who registered online before arriving are not asked to fill out the same forms on paper Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Paper forms completed at the desk are scanned to the patient record the same day Yes / No 1 pt
  16. The reason for visit entered at check-in matches the appointment type booked Yes / No 1 pt
  17. The arrival time is entered in the system when the patient checks in, not afterward Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Patient records sampled for registration accuracy Number
  19. Records sampled with a missing or outdated phone number, address or emergency contact Number
  20. Accuracy of registration data in the records sampled Rating
    • Complete and current in every record 5 pts
    • One or two records with gaps 3 pts
    • Gaps in most records 1 pt

3. Insurance and payment 22 items

  1. The insurance card is asked for at every visit Yes / No 1 pt
  2. A new or changed insurance card is scanned front and back to the patient record Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Patients are asked at each visit whether they have a second insurance plan Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Eligibility for scheduled patients is verified at least one business day before the appointment Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Eligibility for walk-in patients is verified before they are called to an exam room Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The eligibility response is saved in the patient record Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Patients whose coverage shows as inactive are told before they are seen Yes / No 1 pt
  8. A self-pay fee schedule or estimate is available at the desk for patients without coverage Yes / No 1 pt
  9. A referral or prior authorization required for today's visit is confirmed to be on file at check-in Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Work injury and auto accident visits are identified at check-in, with the claim number recorded Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The co-pay amount is taken from the eligibility response or the card, not from memory Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Co-pays are collected at check-in, per company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  13. A receipt is given for every payment taken Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Outstanding balances are shown to the patient on paper or on screen rather than said aloud Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The financial responsibility agreement on file is signed within the last 12 months in 5 records sampled Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Patients enter their own card at the payment terminal Yes / No 1 pt
  17. When the patient is not the policyholder, the subscriber's name and date of birth are recorded with the insurance Yes / No 1 pt
  18. The insurance plan selected in the system matches the scanned card in 5 records sampled Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Patients are told at check-in when the eligibility response shows the provider as out of network Yes / No 1 pt
  20. A patient told that a service may not be covered signs the non-coverage notice before the service, per company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  21. Co-pays collected at the time of service last month (% of co-pays due) Number
  22. Insurance verification before the visit Rating
    • Verified for every scheduled patient 5 pts
    • Verified for most, some at the desk on arrival 3 pts
    • Rarely verified ahead of the visit 1 pt

4. Privacy 21 items

  1. The notice of privacy practices is posted in the registration area Yes / No 1 pt
  2. New patients are offered a copy of the notice of privacy practices Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The signed acknowledgment of the privacy notice is on file in 5 new patient records sampled Yes / No 1 pt
  4. A paper sign-in sheet, if used, asks only for name and arrival time Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Names on the sign-in sheet are covered or removed once the patient is registered Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Computer screens at the desk cannot be read from the patient side of the counter Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The patient's permission to leave a voicemail or text message is recorded at registration Yes / No 1 pt
  8. An employee leaving the desk during the observation locked the screen first Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The people the patient allows the clinic to speak with are named in the patient record Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Identification is checked before a patient portal access code is handed over at the desk Yes / No 1 pt
  11. A floor marker or sign keeps the next patient back from the patient being registered Yes / No 1 pt
  12. A conversation at the desk could not be followed from the nearest waiting room chair Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Patients are called from the waiting room by the method set by company policy (first name only, or number) Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The caller's identity is verified with two identifiers before patient information is given by phone Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Printers and fax machines that receive patient documents are out of reach of the public Yes / No 1 pt
  16. No patient documents were lying on the printer or fax machine at the time of the visit Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Patient labels printed at check-in are handed to the clinical team, not left on the counter Yes / No 1 pt
  18. A check of the regular trash at the desk found no patient labels or documents Yes / No 1 pt
  19. A signed authorization is on file before records are released to a third party, in 3 release requests sampled Yes / No 1 pt
  20. An employee asked could name the person to whom a privacy incident is reported Yes / No 1 pt
  21. Protection of patient information at the front desk Rating
    • No exposure seen or heard 5 pts
    • Minor exposure corrected on the spot 3 pts
    • Patient information visible or audible to others 1 pt

5. Wait times 18 items

  1. Patients are told the expected wait when they finish check-in Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Walk-in patients are told the estimated wait before they register Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The clinical team is alerted in the system or by flag as soon as a patient is checked in Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The front desk can see which providers are running behind schedule Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Waiting patients are told when a provider is running late beyond the delay set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Patients waiting beyond the limit set by company policy are offered the choice to reschedule Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The front desk reviews the list of waiting patients at set intervals for anyone waiting past their appointment time Yes / No 1 pt
  8. No more than 3 patients were standing in line at the desk at any time during the observation Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Every waiting patient had a seat at the time of the visit Yes / No 1 pt
  10. A list of symptoms requiring immediate notification of a nurse (chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding) is posted on the staff side of the desk Yes / No 1 pt
  11. An employee asked could describe what to do when a patient at the desk appears acutely unwell Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Patients who leave without being seen are recorded with the time and the reason given Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Average time from arrival to completed check-in for 3 patients timed (minutes) Number
  14. Longest time a patient spent in the waiting room during the observation (minutes) Number
  15. Patients in the waiting room at the time of the visit Number
  16. Front desk employees on duty at the time of the visit Number
  17. Patients who left without being seen last week Number
  18. Handling of waits at the front desk Rating
    • Patients kept informed, no long lines 5 pts
    • Waits occurred with partial information given 3 pts
    • Long waits with no information given 1 pt

6. Desk organization 20 items

  1. The counter on the patient side is free of staff food, drinks and personal items Yes / No 1 pt
  2. New patient packets, consent and records release forms are stocked in labeled trays Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The version date on 3 forms sampled matches the current master list Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The insurance card scanner works Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The label printer is loaded and prints legibly Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The electronic signature pad works Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Hand sanitizer is on the patient side of the counter Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Clean and used patient pens are kept in separate marked holders Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The list of extensions and the on-call provider is dated within the last 3 months Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Paper registration forms for a system outage are kept at the desk Yes / No 1 pt
  11. An employee asked could say where the outage forms are kept Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Incoming faxes and mail are date-stamped on the day they arrive Yes / No 1 pt
  13. No documents older than 2 business days are waiting in the scanning tray Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Opening hours are posted at the entrance Yes / No 1 pt
  15. After-hours instructions are posted at the entrance Yes / No 1 pt
  16. The panic button or duress alarm at the desk was tested within the period set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Date of the last panic button or duress alarm test Date
  18. Name of the front desk lead on duty Short text
  19. Overall standard of registration and front desk Rating
    • Accurate check-in with patient information protected 5 pts
    • Gaps in registration data or desk routines 3 pts
    • Gaps that expose patient information or delay care 1 pt
  20. Corrective actions required Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the Bindy template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In Bindy you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

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