Update a consultation

Learn how to update consultations in any status.

Consultation notes and vital signs can be modified regardless of the consultation status (draft, unpaid, paid, partly paid), unless the notes have been locked by a user.

All other consultation sections (Provider, Description, Problems, and Consultation Product Lines) can be edited from the consultation when it is in draft status, whether the consultation notes are locked or unlocked.

IMPORTANT: Once you close the invoice (click Ready to Pay), and the consultation status is unpaid, paid, or partly paid, the consultation will be permanently closed at 23:59:59 PM the day of the last invoice close date. This is to maintain historic reporting accuracy and patient medical record integrity.

Once a consultation is permanently closed:

  • Consultation notes and vital signs can be manually locked by any user; and unlocked, updated, and locked again by users with the Unlock Notes permission, as needed.
    Note: Consultation notes and vital signs do not automatically close or lock.
  • The Open Consultation button will not display at the bottom of the Consultation page. 
  • To modify or remove a consultation, users with appropriate permissions can:
    • Void a consultation when the entire consultation needs to be hidden or reversed from the patient record.
    • Correct a consultation invoice up to 45 days from the Permanently Closed date at the bottom of the Consultation page.

Permissions:

Edit Consultations - to update consultation notes and product lines, and to lock consultation notes.
Correct Consultations – to update consultation provider and line-item provider(s) on closed invoices.
Unlock Notes - to unlock previously locked consultations.

See the following articles for more information:

Click a topic to jump to that section in this article:
Update a draft consultation
Update an unpaid consultation
Update a partly paid or paid consultation
Additional information about reminders and callback task

Update a draft consultation

Permissions required: Edit Consultations

You can edit or update consultation product lines on a draft consultation at any time. A draft consultation is one that has not yet been closed or paid.

  1. Search for and select the patient.
  2. Click the Consults tab.
  3. Locate the consultation you want to edit. Then click the consultation ID to open the draft consultation for editing.
    Note: You will receive a notification if one or more users are accessing the same consultation at the same time. For more information about making changes to a consultation at the same time as other users, see FAQs: Consultations and procedures.
  4. Ensure the correct provider is selected in the Provider drop-down list and update the information, as needed.
    Note: When you update the consultation provider, you will be asked whether you want to update any consultation lines associated to the previous provider to the new one. 
    • Click Yes to apply the new provider.
    • Click No to keep the previous provider.
      NC_new_provider_sweet_alert.png
  5. Review and update the consultation notes, products, and additional details for the visit, as needed. See Start a consultation and record the patient visit, Steps 5-16. 

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Update an unpaid consultation

Permissions required: Edit Consultations

Before you begin:

  • An unpaid consultation's notes and vital signs can be edited if the notes are not locked.
  • Only consultations that are not permanently closed can be reopened. If you need to modify a permanently closed consultation, see Void or correct a permanently closed consultation.
  • Vitals, consultation provider, and line-item providers can be edited without reopening the consultation.
    • Vitals can also be updated from the Vitals tab in the patient record. See Enter patient vital signs for more information.
    • Consultation provider and line-item providers can be updated by users with the Correct Consultations permission.
  1. Search for and select the patient.
  2. Click the Consults tab.
  3. Locate the consultation you want to edit. Then click the consultation ID to open the draft consultation for editing.
    Note: You will receive a notification if one or more users are accessing the same consultation at the same time. For more information about making changes to a consultation at the same time as other users, see Overview: Understanding multi-user consultation editing.
  4. Review and update the visit description or add problems, as needed.
  5. If the notes are unlocked, click Edit Notes to modify the notes. If the notes are locked, see Lock consultation notes.  
  6. If you need to add, update, or delete products, click Open Consultations, if available.
  7. When the patient is ready to be checked out, see Discharge the patient.

Note: When the invoice is closed (marked ready to pay), patient reminders are created, updated, or deleted; and callback tasks are created and assigned to the line item provider.

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Update a partly paid or paid consultation

Before you begin:

  • A partly paid or paid consultation's notes and vital signs can be edited if the notes are not locked. 
  • Only consultations that are not permanently closed can be reopened. If you need to modify a permanently closed consultation, see Void or correct a permanently closed consultation.
  • Vitals, consultation provider, and line item providers can be edited without reopening the consultation.
    • Vitals can also be updated from the Vitals tab in the patient record. See Enter patient vital signs for more information.
    • Consultation provider and line item providers can be updated by users with the Correct Consultations permission without reopening the invoice..

Permissions required: Users must have Edit Consultations and Deactivate Records permission in order to delete payments.

  1. Delete the payment.
  2. Click the Patients tab, and then click the patient’s name.
  3. Click the Consults tab.
  4. Locate the consultation you want to edit. Then click the consultation ID to open the unpaid consultation for editing.
    Note: You will receive a notification if one or more users are accessing the same consultation at the same time. For more information about making changes to a consultation at the same time as other users, see Overview: Understanding multi-user consultation editing.
  5. Review and update the visit description or add problems, as needed.
  6. If the notes are unlocked, click Edit Notes to modify the notes. If the notes are locked, see Lock consultation notes .  
  7. If you need to add, update, or delete products, click Open Consultation.
  8. Click Ready to Pay to close the consultation when it is complete.
  9. Click Pay to reenter the payment.

Note: When the invoice is closed (marked ready to pay), patient reminders are created, updated, or deleted; and callback tasks are created and assigned to the line item provider.

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Additional information about reminders and callback tasks

If you reopen an invoice before the consultation is permanently closed, the following actions will update reminders and callback tasks created by special action when the invoice is closed again as follows:

  • Update a line item date: any patient reminders’ and callback tasks’ due dates will be updated.
  • Update a line item provider: any callback tasks will remain assigned to the line-item provider or provider selected in the product’s special action the first time the invoice was closed.

If you delete a product, any reminders and callback tasks will still be in effect. You should manually update reminders on the Reminders tab in the patient record and callback tasks on the patient Comm Log > Callbacks tab, as needed.

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