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9 shortcuts for quick and easy EHR charting in Open ACU
Alexa | alexa@openacu.net
It’s crucial to document all patient interactions thoroughly and accurately, but let’s face it—charting is probably not your favorite thing about being an acupuncturist.
That’s why at Open ACU, we’ve designed our electronic health records (EHR) system to be easy and efficient—so you can spend more time caring for your patients, and less time on chart notes. Here are our 9 hacks for quick and easy charting in Open ACU:
- Decide on your preferred notes format. Some practitioners prefer one field for entering their notes, while others prefer a SOAP notes format. The choice is yours! You’ll designate your format on the EHR Preferences page.
- Save your Treatment Codes. Most acupuncturists have their favorite points they use again and again. Save your favorites in the Treatment Codes section of the EHR Preferences page. Then when it’s time to record what points you used in a treatment, just click on the corresponding Treatment Codes—it’s super fast!
- Save your Treatment Groups. If you have favorite acupuncture points, you probably have favorite acupuncture point combinations too. Save your favorite combinations in the Treatment Groups section of the EHR Preferences page, where you can also add new groups, edit groups, and delete groups. When recording your notes, just click on the group name to record all the points in a group on your chart.
- Easily view past notes. When entering your chart notes on the EHR Appointments or EHR By Block page, click on the magnifying glass next to a patient’s name to quickly view all their past treatment notes.
- Repeat treatments. Do you want to repeat a patient’s last treatment? Or one from three months ago? Use the Repeat This Treatment button to reenter past notes for today’s treatment. You can then add, delete or edit as needed.
- Start a new note from scratch. To start a new chart note, click the pencil icon next to the patient’s name, then type in your note and click your treatment codes and groups, or type in custom points. Click save and you’re done!
- Visualize progress with pain scales. You can use a pain scale (or any other type of scale) to chart your progress over time. You’ll name your scale on the EHR Preferences page, and click the stars on the scale when entering your notes to document.
- Don’t forget to approve and lock! Once you approve and lock a note, it can’t be edited. It’s best to approve and lock at the end of the day, when you’re certain you won’t need to edit any of your health records.
- Communicate key info with a Private Note. Do you have a patient who loves ear points? Or hates having their feed needles? Communicate quick reminders and key with a Private Note—it will show up on the EHR page right below their name.
Open ACU’s electronic health records (EHR) system was designed with the needs of acupuncturists in mind. It’s quick, efficient and accurate, and helps you spend more time with patients and less time on a computer screen. And it eliminates the need for paper charts! To see the full suite of EHR features, check out our EHR Help section.
To learn more about Open ACU or schedule a demo, please contact us! We’d love to show you around.
