The new-patient page: what to put on it

A new patient has questions before their first visit. Who will I see? How long will it take? What do I bring? What will it cost?

Your new patient page is where those answers live, in one place, before anyone has to call. A good one helps twice. Patients book with more confidence, and the front desk answers fewer of the same questions on the phone.

Who the page is for

Write for someone who has never been to your practice and is a little unsure. They may be nervous about the treatment. They may be comparing you with another practice. They're probably reading on a phone.

Keep it short and practical: plain words, short paragraphs, and headings that match the questions they're asking.

What to put on your new patient page

Who they'll see

Name the doctors who see new patients, with a photo of each. Add their training and credentials as the practice states them. If different doctors see different treatments, say which.

What happens at the first visit

Walk through the visit in order. A numbered list works well.

1. Arriving and checking in.
2. Meeting the doctor, and what you'll talk about.
3. Any exam, scans or photos, described in plain words.
4. What the patient leaves with: a plan, a quote, or a next appointment.

Give a rough length for the whole visit. "Plan for about an hour" helps a patient fit it around work.

What to bring

• Photo ID.
• A list of current medications, if the doctor needs one.
• An insurance card, if you accept insurance.
• Any referral letter or previous records the visit needs.
• A way to pay, if the first visit isn't free.

Keep the list to what you actually need on the day.

Forms

Say which forms are needed and when. The easiest option for everyone is a secure online intake form, sent through your patient portal or practice management system and filled in before the visit.

Don't collect medical history through a general website contact form. It isn't built for health information. PDFs to print, sign and bring in are the slowest option for patients and the front desk alike.

Payment and insurance

Say how payment works, plainly.

• What the first visit costs, or that it's free.
• Which payment methods and financing options you offer.
• Whether you accept insurance, and which plans. If you don't, say so.
• When payment is due: at the visit, before treatment, or in installments.

A cash-pay practice can be specific here without listing every price. What patients want most is to know there won't be surprises.

Booking, changing and cancelling

• How to book: the online booking link, the phone number, or both.
• How much notice you need to change or cancel.
• Any deposit or cancellation fee, and when it applies.

State the policy once, clearly and kindly. Said up front, it reads as fair rather than strict.

Getting there

• The address, with a map link that opens on a phone.
• Parking, the entrance, and the floor or suite.
• Opening hours.
• Step-free access, and anything else that helps a patient with access needs.

If you have more than one office, give each one its own short block.

Languages

If your team speaks other languages, say which ones. If you offer interpreters, say how to ask for one when booking.

What to leave off

• Clinical promises. Words like "painless" or "guaranteed results" don't belong here, or anywhere on the site.
• The practice's full history. Keep that for the About page.
• Anything out of date. An old price or a doctor who has left does more harm than a missing detail.
• Health questions. Leave those to the secure intake form.

Where to link it from

A new patient page only helps if patients find it.

• The main navigation, labelled "New patients".
• The homepage, near the booking button.
• Every booking confirmation email or text.
• Each treatment page, next to "Book a consultation".

Sending the page with the booking confirmation is the easiest win. The patient gets their answers before the visit, not at the front desk.

If patients can't find the basics before they get this far, start with what a new patient checks on your website before they call.

A checklist to build it from

• Who they'll see: names, photos and credentials as stated.
• The first visit, step by step, with a rough length.
• What to bring.
• Which forms, and how to fill them in online.
• What the first visit costs and how payment works.
• Insurance: the plans you accept, or a plain "we don't".
• How to book, change and cancel, and any deposit.
• Address, parking, entrance and hours for each office.
• Languages and access.
• One clear booking button.

Want to see how your new-patient information reads to someone who has never visited? Our free Patient Experience Audit walks through it as a new patient would.