In this guide, we will show you how to launch Smart Encounter and write letters quickly and easily.
Before you start using Smart Encounter, it's important to enable and configure it. If you haven't done so already, we recommend checking out our Smart Encounter Configuration Guide for Administrators to ensure you're getting the most out of Smart Encounter.
Launching the Smart Encounter Form
To launch the Smart Encounter Form, you'll need to navigate to the patient's chart for whom you want to write a letter. Once there, find the 'Forms' header on the left-hand side and hover your cursor over the '+' sign. This will display a list of enabled forms. Click on 'Smart Encounter' to launch the Smart Encounter form.
Using Smart Encounter
Smart Encounter can be used to write letter from scratch, however using templates and short codes will save you a lot of time!
When launching the Smart Encounter form, you’ll notice several features that can make your letter-writing experience easier and more efficient. Let’s take a closer look:
- Select Template – Using the ‘Select Template’ drop-down menu, you can replace the current content of the letter with a saved Template. All database tags will be replaced by the patient information if it is available in the patient chart.
- Select Header / Select Footer – If you are writing a letter from scratch, you can select a header and a footer for your letter. However, you will need to have configured this prior to writing.
- Document Name – When saving your Smart Encounter letter, the document name will be added to the form’s name on the eChart, making it easier to refer to later. The ‘Document Name’ will default to the name of the selected template; however, it can be updated as desired.
- Body – This is where you’ll write the content of your letter. You can use templates or short codes to quickly insert pre-set blocks of text, which can then be edited as needed until the letter is ready.
- Insert Patient Details – The buttons on the right-hand side allow you to insert details related to the patient, such as their name or address. The details will be inserted where your cursor currently is on the letter, saving you time and effort.
Note: as long as you have Saved your recent encounter note in the eChart there is a Recent note tag, this will populate the chart note entry:
- Attachments - This feature allows you to select any additional documents/results present in the patient eChart to be sent along with your smart encounter.
• Save – Clicking on the ‘Save’ button will save the content of the letter to the chart. A letter must be saved before the other buttons become active.
• Print – Clicking the ‘Print’ button generates a PDF from which you can easily print the letter.
• Fax – Clicking the ‘Fax’ button will fax the content of the letter to the selected recipients..
• Fax and Print – Clicking the ‘Fax and Print’ button will fax the content of the letter to the selected recipients and generate a PDF from which you can easily print the letter.
Fax Recipients – There are 3 ways to have a fax number populate.
- If you have created a template and selected to have the referring physician name, as long as they are present in your consultations list, this information will auto populate.
- Search for the provider if they are present in your Consultations list, type in their name and click to select their name, then select Add Fax number
- Type in the fax number and select Add Fax number
Using Headers and Footers
Creating and using headers or footer will allow you to add information to each page. It does not show up on the draft but you will see it upon printing or once you fax it. As an example, I added Patient name and DOB to the header I created.
Using Short Codes in Smart Encounter
Using Short Codes in Smart Encounter is a great way to save time when writing letters. These keywords can be typed directly into the text area to add pre-set blocks of text without having to include them in a template. To use a Short Code, type the Short Code name in the text area followed by a backslash ("\"). The keyword will then be transformed into your pre-set Short Code block of text.
You can see an example below with a Short Code called ‘SMART’. As soon as the “\” key is entered after the Short Code, the keyword ‘SMART’ is transformed into the SMART short code block of text!