Do not allow existing clients to create duplicate accounts | Voters

Do not allow existing clients to create duplicate accounts

Camille Scent

I do not understand how this happens, but existing clients are able to make duplicate accounts WAY too easily. PLEASE change this so that existing clients CANNOT create duplicate accounts in the system. It is confusing to them and to me and disruptive to account management. When a client uses the SAME email address as an existing account has, then they should be redirected to that account; why doesn't this happen?

March 3, 2023

Brian Knowlton

fix it!

David Russell NP

This problem is a side effect of allowing people to fill out forms without signing in. Support has mentioned in an article that patients have been frustrated with not remembering their user name and password, which is why they just need a name and email. 
There is a way to fix the problem through mapped fields in your public forms. You just have to create some automations that stop people in their tracks at the beginning of a form when they are using a new email. For example, start a form off with a mapped question like, does your email show in the question above, if no, then kindly remind them to use the email they signed up with. If they are too dumb to do that then kindly tell them to enter the new email address they would like to continue using for this program. 
People are dumb but they know how to bug us with complaints. You have to create workarounds for their stupidity so they don't drag you into it as well.

Tali Ganir

David Russell NP: I don’t have public forms. I have clients who self book using a nickname (Jen for Jennifer) and it sets them up with a new ID

David Russell NP

Tali Ganir: I think that if IntakeQ fixes this problem by making a "Returning Patients" only booking option that requires an existing account then the dumb patients will just not book until they get live help from clinic staff. The solution just created another problem. It may be easier to just let patients continue to mess it up and fix it as it happens. It is frustrating.

Tina Nalda

I also find this happening mostly on public forms, we get duplicates. even if the email and name are spelled exactly the same. Driving us crazy, and not sure how to fix?!

Tina Nalda

Is there any fix to this yet?

Barbara Hoefener

yes!!

Ryan Engstrom, D.C.

I’m guessing that this is happening for you, as it does for me, with public forms. The public forms are great because they don’t require that someone log into their email, copy a password, click a link and then copy that password into the password field of the page that opens (This setup makes me wonder why even have a password - just create a one-click link that takes you directly to the form). Instead, someone can simply put in their first and last name and their email address or (if you’ve enabled it) their phone number and they’re into the form. As others have mentioned, all it takes is a name being misspelled, a single character change or digit change to create a whole new profile. I’m wondering if, when it comes to public forms specifically, there would be a way to at least notify us via the system that a new profile has been created via a public form and give us the option to merge it with an existing profile. The BIGGER problem though, at least in our case, is that once you merge profiles, the pinned note gets all jacked up and the only way to fix it after a merge is to update the pinned notes for THE ENTIRE SYSTEM! This can take several minutes to perform for each of the two pinned note updates that need to be performed. So…it would also be great to have a smart merge function where the profiles get merged and then intake data from the errantly created profile that would update the pinned note under normal circumstances gets integrated into the pinned not as if it had been created in the original profile without having to process all intakes for the entire database.

Tali Ganir

Ryan Engstrom, D.C.: this happens when a client self books an appt. If you had John Smith in the system and now that person books as Johnathan Smith, regardless of using same email address and phone number, it will be a new id number and is identifies in the system as a new patient.

Ryan Engstrom, D.C.

Tali Ganir: Indeed, this is true! The typical scenario that shows up for me is with public forms. Either way, the ability to restrict the ability for a patient to “create” a new profile depending on the scenario (i.e. if the system doesn’t allow for a form to be submitted if it’s not an existing patient or allow someone to book a certain type of visit unless they are already an existing patient) would be great.

Heather Hutton

Agree!

Jennifer Van Hoose

I stopped this by turning off the name mapping on the intakes. Also, if the client fills out the form on a tablet in office, I enter the name and phone number before handing it to them, that way I know it's the same as what we have in our system.

Gina Croft

Could not agree more...I am merging clients at least 2x/week

Angie C. Cortizo

I agree completely, this is a very disrupting thing for patient care. 
What I have found is that if they spell their name differently, like for example the don't put their middle name and we have them with a middle name in the system, or if they use their NICKNAME, it does not matter if the email is the same, it will create a duplicate profile. 
I usually just merge them. 
The MOST common cause of the duplicates I find though is that they use a different email address, that FOR SURE will create a duplicate.

Emily DelConte

I agree completely, I am surprised the system can even let this happen.

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