Are you anxious about the switch to new practice management software? This post has you covered. Once your data has been imported to Jane, there are just three things you need to get set up before you start seeing patients: your schedule, your intake forms, and your payments. With these in place, you’ll hit the ground running on a tight system, no need to play catch-up later.

💡 Before you get started…
If you’re switching to Jane from another practice management software, this article assumes you’ve already imported your patient data into Jane. Haven’t done that yet? Start with our article on transitioning to Jane first, then come back here.

Start by building your schedule before your first appointment

Getting your schedule live before anything else means patients can book as soon as you’re ready, and you won’t be manually slotting appointments while your old system is still running.

We asked Sarah from Jane’s Onboarding Team why scheduling is so important. Here’s how she put it: “Your schedule is what connects you to your patients and to your care. So that’s the first thing we want to make sure we get right.” Here’s how you can get your schedule going with confidence:

• Set up your treatments: build the services or appointments you want to offer. These are what patients will actually choose when booking with you.
• Build availability in bulk using Manage Shifts: create custom schedules for yourself and other staff members if needed. You can also control how far in advance patients can book with rolling availability.
• Block your breaks before your schedule fills up: protect your lunch time now, not in week three. That way, when things get busy, you’ve already saved time for yourself.
• Run a test booking: see how it’s all working with Jane’s built-in test patient. It lets you preview exactly what patients will see when they book online.

Those four areas will get you to a nice place in terms of customizing your schedule to your clinic’s needs. It’s enough for many practitioners to get their schedule organized, but if you have multiple locations, you’ll also want to check out our guide on adding a location.

Next, set up your intake forms to collect what you need automatically

A digital, automated intake form means that patient information arrives well in advance of the appointment. No chasing, no clipboards or paper, and no admin pile-up on your end.

As Sarah puts it: “Intake forms, I would say, are one of the most underused tools in Jane for new clinics. A well-built intake form does a lot of the work before the client appointment actually happens.” One form can collect a lot, like health history, consents, credit card details, and insurance information. Plus, you can set forms to send automatically the moment a booking is made.

You don’t need to build your forms from scratch, either. With Jane’s template library, you can browse a collection of intake forms by discipline that were created and shared by practitioners like you. Sarah’s advice is to find a template that’s about 80% of the way there, then make it your own by editing, adding, or deleting content. The consent tab comes pre-loaded with common consent options, including information-sharing consent, all of which are fully customizable.

To find a starting point for what you need, browse Jane’s intake form template library and see what other practitioners in the Jane Community have shared.

Then, set up your payment system so you’re never chasing money

Setting up Jane Payments before your first patient books means billing runs automatically. No manual invoicing, no end-of-day scramble to reconcile what came in.

Jane Payments is built into your account, so there isn’t a third-party integration you have to figure out. You can get started in your account settings, and from there you can collect a card on file for every patient. After that, Payments will sync automatically with an invoice. You can also require a credit card or deposit at the time of online booking. Practitioners find this helps reduce no-shows or late cancellations.

One thing to keep in mind: billing data, including invoices and payments, don’t transfer on import from your previous system. This is due to the complex and different ways financial information can be stored. Jane Payments starts fresh.

Does your clinic accept payments in person? The Jane Payments Terminal can help make front desk checkout simple and connected.

Where should you head from here?

Your schedule is live, your intake forms are running, and your payments are configured. The next step is letting your patients know that you’re ready for them. In Jane, you can send a Mass Welcome Email to announce that you’re open for bookings.

FAQ

Can I import my patient data after I’ve already started setting up?

When moving over from a previous practice management software, we always recommend getting your import going in the early days. Check out our post on your very first two weeks when you switch Jane. It covers creating your account, exploring our getting started video series, booking your account setup call, and importing your data.

Can I control how far out patients can book online?

Yes. You can set rolling availability to limit how far ahead patients can book. Jane’s onboarding team recommends about three months out as a starting point. You can adjust this at any time in your schedule settings.

Can I require a credit card for existing patients, not just new ones?

Yes. When you switch to Jane, existing patients are treated as new to your paperwork, so they’ll receive your intake form on their first booking. If your intake form includes a card collection field, it applies to everyone booking for the first time in Jane.

Do I need to set everything up at once, or can I come back to intake forms and payments later?

Your schedule is the priority because patients can’t book you without it. Intake forms and payments can follow without causing problems. That said, it’s worth getting all three in place before you start seeing patients: without intake forms, you’ll be collecting information manually at the appointment; without payments configured, billing will need to be handled outside Jane until it’s set up.