Patient chart: the complete guide
Master the patient chart — navigation, sections, and clinical workflows.
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The patient chart is your clinical workspace. It brings together demographics, medical history, notes, medications, and more in one place. This guide walks through the layout, each section, and how to move efficiently between them.
Chart layout
The chart has three parts: the header (patient name, age, MRN, alerts), the left sidebar (section navigation), and the main content area. The header sticks to the top as you scroll. The sidebar shows all sections; click to jump. Sections with unread items (new lab results, unsigned notes) show a blue dot.
Patient header
The header shows name, preferred name, pronouns, age, date of birth, MRN, and status (active, inactive, deceased). Badges show alerts: allergies, flags (high-risk, VIP), holds (account hold, collections). Click the patient name to edit demographics. Click alerts to see details. The header also shows the primary provider and care team.
Overview tab
The Overview is the landing page. It shows a summary: upcoming appointments, active medications, recent vitals, open tasks, and recent notes. Cards are collapsible. Use Overview to get oriented when you open a chart you haven't seen in a while. The "Jump to" menu at the top lets you jump to any section.
Chart sections
Sections include: Profile (demographics, contacts, insurance), Intake (form responses), Notes (clinical notes), Medications (active and historical), Med reconciliation, Allergies, Diagnoses (problem list), Immunizations, Documents, Messages, Appointments, Billing, Consents, Outside records, Treatment plan, Progress, Journal, Risk, Substance use, Holds, Settings. You can hide sections you don't use under Settings → Chart sections.
Moving between sections
Use the sidebar to jump between sections. Your scroll position is remembered per section — if you were halfway down Medications, you'll return there when you come back. Breadcrumbs at the top show where you are. Keyboard shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl + K opens the command palette; type a section name to jump.
Quick actions
The top-right has quick actions: New note, Send message, Add appointment, Upload document. These work from any section. The actions menu (⋯) has more: Print chart, Export records, Create task, Add hold. Actions are audited and appear in the patient's timeline.
Patient timeline
Every change is recorded in the timeline: notes signed, medications prescribed, appointments booked, messages sent, documents uploaded. The timeline is at the bottom of Overview and also accessible as a dedicated view. Filter by event type or date range. The timeline is immutable — you can add addenda but you cannot delete events.
Empty states
New patients have empty sections. Empty states show what goes there and how to add it. For example, an empty Medications section says "No active medications" with a button to "Add medication". Empty states are helpful for training — they teach the workflow.