If you're coming from an older version of CoolFocus, the biggest Care change is this: there is no separate intake holding record. Client paperwork is still called “intake” in everyday speech, but CoolFocus no longer uses a middle holding record that had to be submitted before a client, case, or visit existed.
Looking for an unsubmitted intake form? There is no old-style intake form list or “waiting to submit” queue. Open the appointment for that client. Sent forms and consents show on the appointment panel as intake items (sent, completed, or still outstanding). Details below.
What the intake form used to be
In the previous version, an intake form was a middle step — a holding place that mixed client details, case details, and visit details. Staff (or a data-entry person) completed it, someone reviewed it, and only when it was submitted did the client, case, and visit records get created. That design came from the paper era, when centers batch-entered stacks of charts.
It also caused real problems: you couldn't send a form to a returning client the same way, and information could live in several disconnected places.
Staff entry and client paperwork
Creating a client or a case uses the standard Create Client or Create Case form, the same kind of form used for other records in CoolFocus. It does not create a separate intake holding record. Fill in the client's details and save to land directly on the new client's record. Creating a case lets you pick the client on that same form. Starting a visit for a client with no case can still open a case step first, when your permissions allow case creation. When a client already has cases, choose the case for this concern or create a new one.
Client forms and consents are the paperwork clients fill in through a link or portal. They can be sent and reviewed independently of this staff entry flow.
What replaces it
CoolFocus skips the middle step. Information flows directly to the records it belongs to:
Forms are what clients complete when you ask them for information. Mapped answers go straight to the client, case, or visit — no intake form in between. See Forms vs. Charts.
Standard care fields live in Visit Record sections, such as Client Advocacy (the counseling section), Pregnancy Test and Ultrasound. Documents holds additional chart documents, client forms, consents and assessments.
The client record is created the moment an appointment is booked, so you always have one real record to work from — see From Booking to Visit.
People still say “intake form” for the client paperwork you send before a visit. That is normal. In CoolFocus those are client forms and consents linked to the appointment (and your appointment type), not a separate intake object.
How do I find a form that hasn't been submitted yet?
Use the appointment, not an old intake form screen.
1. Open Scheduler and open the client's appointment (calendar or list).
2. On the appointment panel, look at the intake / forms & consents items for that visit.
3. You will see what was sent, what the client has completed, and what is still outstanding.
What you can do from there:
Completed — open the answers right on the appointment (you do not need to Start Visit just to read them). See Viewing submitted intake forms from an appointment.
Sent but not completed — resend from the appointment, or help the client open the link (text, email, or QR/tablet on site).
Not sent yet — send from the appointment, send several at once from Scheduler → List, or use Send Forms & Consents from the client or case when that fits better.
Helpful how-tos:
There is no separate “unsubmitted intake forms” list like the old intake workflow. If the appointment is not on the schedule yet, book or find the appointment first — that is where intake status lives.
Why this is better
You can send forms to anyone, anytime — including returning clients coming back for a third appointment or an ultrasound.
One clean, consolidated record from first contact, which matters for history and records requests.
Less to learn and maintain — fewer moving parts, and a paperless, client-friendly flow.
What this means for you day to day
You no longer wait until an old-style intake form is submitted before a client record exists. Work from the appointment and the visit:
1. Appointment is booked → client record already exists.
2. Send forms and consents (or use appointment-type defaults).
3. Review completed answers on the appointment before the client arrives.
4. When the client is present, Start Visit on the Visit Board (or appointment). That creates/links the case and visit and applies form answers as mapped.
Full path: From Booking to Visit.
Medication/Drug Usage and Abuse Info are available again on the case's Case Info section. The Physical Symptoms choice is also on the case. Pain, pain rating, bleeding/spotting and prenatal care remain separate clinical fields; do not assume every symptom field moved.
Your form and consent templates are still the ones your center already has (CoolFocus does not make you rebuild every form from scratch just because navigation changed). Re-check which forms and consents are tied to each appointment type under Scheduler settings so the right paperwork goes out for each service.