If you've already been using a different practice management system and have all your patient details store in that system (or if you've simply been using good old Excel to keep track of patients), reentering them all one at a time, into Cliniko, would be a bit of a pain!
This is why we've built a handy import tool, so that you can load all of your patients into Cliniko at once—no manual entry needed!
There will be a few steps to follow with this one!
Exporting your patient data from another system (if you're using one)
Export patient data from another practice management system
First things first, you'll need to have a copy of all your patients. The way to acquire this will differ across practice management systems, and there's no "one size fits all" way to grab all your patients, regardless of what system you're using.
We've created some guides to help show you how to export patients from certain programs, but please keep in mind that the process will be unique to the system you're currently using, and you made need to get in touch directly with the folks who run those programs for further assistance! Just be sure to ask how to export a CSV file of patient details from that system, and they should be able to help. 🙂
If you do not have the option to export your patient data or need to create a CSV file of patient details from scratch, check out our sample spreadsheet below.
Cleaning up the spreadsheet
Once you have that file of your patient data, you'll want to make sure the spreadsheet is "clean"! Sometimes, different programs will export data in different formats, or there might be some data you don't need in your spreadsheet.
Below is an example of a "clean" CSV spreadsheet file:
Things like first name, last name, date of birth, email address, etc. are all in separate columns—that's the beauty of a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file!
If you're not sure if your spreadsheet is the right format, check out our sample patient import below or feel free to chat with us (click the "chat bubble" in the lower right-hand corner of this page) and we can help out!
Sample patient import spreadsheet
Whether you're exporting from another practice system or manually transferring your existing patient data, we also have a sample import file to make your life easier!
After downloading the sample patient import file, feel free to edit and populate the rows beneath each header with your existing patient information. The column headers correspond to Cliniko's specific data fields, simplifying the matching and mapping process.
The only required columns/fields when importing patients are first and last name. There might be some data you don't need in your spreadsheet so feel free to leave that column empty.
Regardless of the edits you make to the CSV file make sure to save your changes. The next step is to import your patient details spreadsheet you've now created.
Importing patient details into Cliniko
Once you have your spreadsheet, and it's all ready to go, now is the time to import into Cliniko!
Be sure you know where the spreadsheet is on your computer—such as your desktop or documents folder. This will help to make it easier to find when importing!
Head to Settings, and then Data imports:
Under Choose an import type, select Patients, and click the Import button:
On the next page, click the Choose file button and select your CSV file from wherever it's stored on your computer. Then click the Match information button:
You'll be brought to a page where you will now "match" information from your spreadsheet to Cliniko:
What does "matching information" mean?
Your CSV file will have certain fields—first name, last name, address, etc. These fields can be imported into Cliniko and "matched" to the same areas! Cliniko will do its best to recognise what's already in your spreadsheet and it will try to match fields accordingly (i.e. First Name to First Name , Surname into Last Name , DOB to Date of Birth, etc.).
Sometimes, though, it won't quite understand what you have in your spreadsheet, and may not match it correctly, or import it at all. This is why it's important to spend some time on this part of the import process, making sure that fields are being matched appropriately!
If you click the menus under Import into, you'll be presented with a list of all the available fields you can import something into:
What if your spreadsheet has fields that don't have a "match" to Cliniko?
If your spreadsheet has data that doesn't have a "spot" in Cliniko (so doesn't match up with one of the available fields we provide), you can do one of the following:
Select Do not import;
Select the closest matching field;
Import it into the Notes field.
For example, you might have a column called "Private Health Provider". Cliniko doesn't have an official spot to include the name of someone's private health provider, but if you "match" that to the "Notes" field, it will still be included with the information you import, so you can see it on the patient's page at any time! You can import as many fields into "Notes" as you need to—there is no limit, and Cliniko will display everything in the Notes section on the patient's profile.
When you're all done matching, click the Import and finish button:
You'll then see that your data is importing; you can leave the page and come back later, or wait! It shouldn't take very long.
Once it's imported, you'll see the details of the import:
Now your patients are imported! 🎉🎈🎊 Everyone will now be visible in the Patients page:
Now that you've imported your patients, you can get started with the really fun stuff, like booking appointments, writing treatment notes and letters, and more!