Attaching new patients is meaningful work—but the admin load can be heavy. When requests arrive by phone, email, and paper, teams spend time chasing basic details instead of moving patients toward their first visit. In this post, we’ll look at why the attachment challenge is so urgent across Canada and a straightforward, single-clinic workflow using Ocean Self-Serve Forms to streamline intake.

Our primary care attachment problem

Across the country, the number of unattached patients remains significant. The CMA’s OurCare Survey 2025 estimates 5.9 million adults in Canada still don’t have reliable access to a regular family doctor, nurse practitioner, or primary care team.

The negative downstream impact of unattached patients, such as poorer health outcomes and ER overcrowding, are so critical that the Ontario government has committed $1.8 billion via the Primary Care Action Plan to attach all Ontarians by 2029. 

While the availability of doctors is obviously core to the challenge, for many clinics, accepting new patients can pose a real administrative burden as well. From managing inquiries by phone, email or paper forms, to following up for clarifications and corrections, patient intake and attachment efforts can quickly become a full-time job. Which is why reducing admin burden through digital tools is a pillar of Ontario’s Action Plan.

How Ocean enables patient intake workflows

Ocean Self-Serve Forms (website forms) let you publish a secure intake form online, collect structured information, and manage submissions in a consistent way—without relying on paper, fax, or long phone calls. If you’re looking for a simple starting point, this post on how to Streamline new patient intake with Ocean includes an approachable overview and real-world examples.

A good attachment form does two things well:

1. It captures what your clinic needs to decide “can we accept this patient?”
2. It sets expectations for what happens next.

For inspiration on form design patterns (logic, reducing admin effort, and patient-friendly structure), review 3 ways Self-Serve Forms can empower patients and reduce paperwork.

A simple workflow: from unattached to first appointment

Below is a clinic-friendly approach that keeps your team in control while reducing back-and-forth.

1. Publish one intake form where patients can find it
   Add the form link to your clinic website, and reuse the same link on QR codes, posters, and outreach materials. You can also create a short landing page that explains who the form is for, what information you’ll ask for, and what patients should expect after submitting.
2. Standardize review and triage
   Use consistent questions and a predictable internal review process, so staff don’t need to reinvent decision-making for each request. If you want more ideas on building repeatable, low-friction digital workflows, this overview of Top 5 Digital Health Tools for Primary Care in 2025 provides a helpful “what good looks like” lens.
3. Accept the patient and automatically create the chart (where supported)
   Once you decide to accept a patient, you can move quickly into onboarding. In many workflows, Ocean can support automatic chart creation so key demographics and intake details don’t need to be manually re-entered. For a deeper look at how clinics approach that step, read Three ways to simplify new patient registration.
4. Send a secure welcome message (and set expectations)
   After acceptance, a short secure message can reduce follow-up calls and clarify next steps. It’s also a natural place to send any additional roster forms or “before your first visit” questions. If you’re building this into a repeatable patient journey, Automating engagement: How clinics stay connected with Ocean walks through practical communication patterns before and after visits.
5. Share a booking link for the first appointment
   Once a patient is accepted, you can share an online booking link so they can choose a time that works—without phone tag. You can also send an online booking link for the first appointment (and, for more powerful workflows, Advanced Clinic Booking).

Make some noise!

Once your Ocean attachment form and workflows are setup, it’s time to let your community know. Whether that means adding a banner to your clinic website or running ads in your community, having an Ocean self-serve form means you won’t have to worry about your phones ringing off the hook. See below for some recent inspiration from Ocean users.

Closing thoughts

Patient attachment programs succeed when clinics can move quickly without overwhelming staff. A well-designed Self-Serve Form is often the simplest place to start—because it creates a single, consistent intake doorway and captures the information you need up front. If you’d like help designing an attachment intake workflow, start with Streamline new patient intake with Ocean and reach out to your Ocean team for guidance.

References and further reading

• CMA: OurCare Survey 2025 (access to primary care)
• CIHI: Emergency department visits for primary care conditions
• Statistics Canada: Access to a regular health care provider (2023)
• Ontario: Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan (connect everyone by 2029)