Clinic Operation．2026

Designing Operations for a Growing Clinic

Improved front desk and intake workflows for a growing acupuncture clinic, from bilingual forms to ICBC treatment tracking and internal documentation.

By working inside daily operations, I identified service gaps firsthand and designed practical solutions that reduced help requests, supported onboarding, and strengthened local trust.

Role

Sole Designer

Context

- 7 Practitioners
- 3 Receptionists

Deliverable

- Internal Documentation
- Intake Form
- Google Business Profile
- Promotional Materials
- Window Graph

Tool

- Jane App
-Canva

Impact

Over 40
5-star Google reviews
20%
Patients come from the web search
faster onboarding
Improved internal documentation
Exterior of a wellness clinic with glass windows listing services like massage therapy, Pilates, acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine, plus a neon sign for direct billing.

TL;DR

As a newly opened clinic grew, intake, insurance, and front desk workflows became harder to manage. Documentation was fragmented, ICBC cases were tracked manually, and English only forms created barriers for some patients.
Working inside the clinic as its first staff member, I improved bilingual intake, internal documentation, insurance tracking, and communication touchpoints.
These changes supported onboarding for two new receptionists, reduced help requests from older Chinese speaking patients by an estimated 50%, and helped grow the clinic’s Google presence to over 40 five star reviews.

Core Challenges

When I joined the clinic, many day to day workflows had been set up quickly just to keep operations moving. As the clinic grew, those manual and disconnected systems began creating friction for both staff and patients.
Patient Journey Map
Customer journey map for healthcare services with columns for Discover, Book, Intake, Visit, Pay & Claim, and Return, showing goals, touchpoints, and main friction points at each stage.
Looking across the full patient journey, from discovery and booking to intake, treatment, payment, and return visits, I identified two recurring issues:
  • ICBC cases lacked clear treatment tracking
  • English only forms created accessibility barriers for some patients
The challenge was not to redesign one screen. It was to improve a service operation that was evolving in real time.

Improving ICBC Treatment Tracking

One of the biggest front desk pain points was managing ICBC cases. Unlike regular appointments, ICBC treatments required staff to track approvals, session limits, extension periods, and claim details over time.
Flowchart showing ICBC service process with phases from inquiry, eligibility, assessment, treatment tracking to extension request, detailing patient actions, reception tasks, practitioner steps, backstage actions, and system integrations.
Jane App supported booking and charting, but not session tracking within the 12-week treatment window.

Before:

Notes section with input box for adding notes and three entries showing Acu 4/16 due date, Massage 2/12 end date with appointment details, and Claim information with adjuster details.

After:

Digital notes interface showing entries for Acu 4/16 on Mar 31, Massage 2/12 on Mar 22, and a claim number with MVA and adjuster details, each with appointment details for ICBC Acupuncture treatments.
To close that gap, I created a manual note system for session counts, due dates, and claim details.
I later added the latest visit date so this reduced the need to recount visits manually and made it easier for staff to check case progress against appointment history.

Making Intake More Accessible

As more older Chinese speaking patients began visiting the clinic, I noticed that many could not complete the English intake form independently. This created delays at the front desk and increased the need for staff assistance.
I redesigned the form to be bilingual so patients could complete it on their own in the clinic.

Before:

R.M.T. Intake Form questionnaire with checkboxes for cardiovascular, respiratory, infection-related conditions, and other health questions including diabetes, allergies, epilepsy, cancer, skin conditions, and arthritis.

After:

Intake form questionnaire step 3 of 4 with check boxes for cardiovascular, respiratory, infections, and other medical conditions including diabetes, allergies, epilepsy, cancer, skin conditions, and arthritis.
The language barrier also affected appointment reminders. Because Jane did not support bilingual email or SMS, some patients used their children’s contact information instead of their own.
Along with the ICBC tracking issue, this revealed broader product gaps in Jane and led me to explore a concept for integrated ICBC tracking, reminders, and local-aware communication support.

Supporting Growth Through Service Touchpoints

As the clinic grew, I also supported patient acquisition and retention across physical and digital touchpoints. With limited time and budget, I focused on efforts that could build trust quickly and improve local discovery.
Impact vs effort matrix showing marketing tasks: Google review collection and Google map profile updates as high impact, low effort; Social media as high impact, high effort; Leaflet as medium impact, medium effort; In clinic digital signage as low impact, low effort; Email marketing as low impact, high effort.
I prioritized Google review collection because it was free, low effort, and aligned with how new patients were already finding the clinic through local search.
Google review page of an acupuncture clinic with a 5-star rating from 44 reviews, showing photos of the clinic exterior, treatment room, and hallway, along with a positive customer review mentioning relief from lower back and knee pain after one session.
Who I usually asked
  • Had visited a few times
  • Seemed relaxed after treatment
  • Had a positive relationship with the practitioner
How I asked
  • Kept the request short and casual
  • Writing one or two honest sentences about their experience
  • Avoided scripts so the review would feel authentic
By asking returning patients in a simple and authentic way, I helped the clinic grow its Google presence to over 40 five star reviews.
I also added printed materials in the waiting area to make clinic information easier to read at a patient’s own pace, especially for those less likely to engage with digital signage.
Wall-mounted screen displaying a special promo for cosmetic acupuncture with shoulder and neck relaxation, 60 minutes for $130, with benefits listed including minimizing pores, brightening skin tone, reducing dark circles, and improving facial symmetry, decorated with floral patterns.
Stacks of promotional leaflets for health therapies including reflexology, pediatric seminar, cosmetic acupuncture, low-level laser therapy, moxibustion, and clinical Pilates on a dark surface.
Looking ahead, I saw an opportunity to use AI agents to draft social content from clinic promotions, seasonal themes, and workshop topics more efficiently.

Outcomes

2

Better onboarding for 2 new receptionists

Centralized documentation supported onboarding for two new receptionists without relying only on handwritten notes or verbal handoff.
50%

Fewer help requests

The bilingual intake form removed a common front-desk barrier. Based on observation, help requests from older Chinese-speaking patients dropped by an estimated 50%.
20%

New patients reporting web search

Google review collection became an early low-effort, high-impact growth lever. The clinic grew from 0 to over 40 five-star reviews, while around 20% of new patients reported web search as a discovery channel.

Key Takeaway

Designing from inside operations
Using the system every day helped me see the gap between what Jane supported and what the clinic actually needed.
Turning small frictions into product opportunities
Manual workarounds kept the clinic moving, but they also revealed larger workflow gaps across intake, reminders, language support, and staff handoff.
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