The Forms > Lists page in Practice by Numbers (PbN) allows you to configure how patient-reported data—like medications, diseases, allergies, and referrals—from online forms is managed, standardized, and synced into your Practice Management System (PMS).
This mapping is especially crucial for users of Open Dental and Dentrix, where structured medical alerts entered by patients can be automatically written back into the appropriate fields of the patient’s chart. It reduces the need for manual entry, minimizes clinical risk, and supports more efficient, accurate intake workflows.
Step-by-Step: How to Use the Lists Page
Step 1: Navigate to the Lists Page
Log into Practice by Numbers (PbN).
From the top navigation, click Forms.
In the left-hand sidebar, select Lists.
Step 2: Explore List Categories
You’ll see four primary tabs:
Medications
Diseases
Allergies
Referrals
Each tab allows you to manage and organize structured list items that patients will encounter in the Medical History form. These lists are tied to your PMS so that when a patient selects an item—and it’s mapped—PbN can push that information directly into the appropriate chart alert or referral field.
Important for Open Dental and Dentrix users: This syncing behavior allows your medical alerts to appear automatically in the patient’s record—ensuring clinical teams see medications, allergies, or diagnoses without needing to review the form manually.
Step 3: Use Auto Map
Click the Auto Map button at the top of any list.
PbN will scan your PMS for existing entries and automatically match list items based on name similarity.
You can manually adjust or override mappings afterward if needed.
Mapped entries will automatically write back into your PMS when a form is submitted.
Step 4: Add Custom Categories
Click +Category to add new groupings under Medications, Diseases, or Allergies.
Use this for practice-specific needs like holistic medications, specialty conditions, or non-traditional treatments.
Note: You cannot edit or delete default categories provided by PbN.
Step 5: Add and Map Individual Items
Click the + icon in any tab to add a new medication, condition, allergy, or referral source.
Once created, click on the item name to open the mapping panel.
Use the dropdown to select the appropriate corresponding PMS field.
Step 6: Manage Existing Items
Each list item includes an Actions column with icons for managing visibility, alerts, and mapping:
Icon | Action | Description |
🔔 | Enable PMS Alert | When selected by the patient, this triggers a medical alert in your PMS for that medication, disease, or allergy. |
👁 | Hide from Forms | Hides the item from patient-facing forms without deleting it. |
🗑 | Delete | Removes the item entirely (only if it's not a built-in/default item). |
✏️ | Edit | Opens the item for renaming or re-mapping to the correct PMS field. |
💡 Default items from PbN cannot be deleted, but they can be hidden or edited.
Step 7: Set Up Referral Source Tracking
In the Referrals tab:
Allow patients to select where they heard about your practice.
Enable “Other,” “Another Doctor,” or “Another Patient” options with write-in fields.
Use the arrow icons to reorder options or move PMS referral sources into the patient-visible list.
Step 8: Add Conditional Follow-Up Questions
For Medications, Diseases, and Allergies, you can define follow-up questions that appear when an item is selected:
Text fields (e.g., "Please list dosage")
Date fields (e.g., "When was this diagnosed?")
This helps you gather richer context during patient intake and improve documentation accuracy.
Settings Overview: Controlling Sync Behavior
At the top of the Medications tab, you’ll see three settings that control how PbN handles entries that are:
Global setting (applies to all PMSs)
Not already mapped
Not in your PMS
Or typed into the “Other” field
These settings are especially important for Open Dental and Dentrix practices, where syncing behavior is more tightly integrated.
Automatically create Medications, Diseases & Allergies in your PMS if they don't exist.
What it does: If a patient selects a mapped item from your PbN list and that item does not already exist in your PMS, PbN will automatically create it in the PMS.
Applies to:
Medications
Diseases
Allergies
Referrals (if mapped)
Does NOT apply to: Free-text "Other" entries. These will not be created in the PMS to avoid clutter and inconsistent naming.
Why use it:
Reduces manual data entry
Keeps PMS data aligned with patient-submitted information
Saves staff time during intake
When to disable:
If your office requires all new entries to be reviewed and approved manually
To preserve tighter control over what appears in your PMS
Allow patient to type text in "other" field to select medications from your PMS (Open Dental & Dentrix Only)
Applies to: Medications
Available in: Open Dental, Dentrix only
What it does: Enables a free-text “Other” field on the patient form. Patients can type a medication name, and PbN will attempt to match it against entries in your PMS.
Why use it:
Offers patients more flexibility
Captures medications that might not be pre-listed
Important to know:
If no match is found and auto-create is off, the entry will not sync to your PMS—unless the setting below is enabled.
Save any unmapped medications under "Other" medication (OpenDental and Dentrix only).
Applies to: Medications
Available in: Open Dental, Dentrix only
What it does: If a medication is typed or selected that:
Is not mapped
Doesn’t exist in your PMS
And auto-create is turned off…
…it will be saved as a note attached to a generic “Other” medication, which PbN will auto-create in your PMS.
Why use it:
Prevents loss of patient input
Avoids clutter from many one-off entries
Allows your team to manually review unrecognized items
When to disable:
If you do not want any unmapped entries sent to your PMS
To maintain strict control over medication dataSummary Table
Setting | Applies To | PMS Support | Functionality |
Automatically create Medications, Diseases & Allergies in your PMS if they don't exist | Medications, Diseases, Allergies, Referrals | All PMSs | Auto-creates mapped items in the PMS (excluding free-text) |
Allow patient to type text in "other" field to select medications from your PMS | Medications | Open Dental, Dentrix only | Matches free-text entries with PMS records |
Save any unmapped medications under "Other" medication | Medications | Open Dental, Dentrix only | Saves unrecognized entries as notes under a generic “Other” medication |
Why the Lists Page Is Essential—Especially for Open Dental and Dentrix Users
For Open Dental and Dentrix practices, the Lists page is key to streamlining your intake process. When configured correctly, it allows patient-reported medications, diseases, and allergies to:
Sync directly into the PMS
Trigger built-in clinical alerts
Eliminate the need for manual form review
This improves provider readiness, reduces risk, and ensures every patient’s chart is accurate before they even walk in the door.
Helpful Articles for PMS-Specific Setup
These articles provide additional guidance on how alerts and custom fields function in your specific PMS system.