Clinicians

Signing off

The five confirmations, what finalizing sets in motion, and exactly what becomes read-only.

8 min · Clinicians · lesson v1

Sign-off is a review screen, and it is honest about that: Review workspace. Nothing here is final or transmitted. Finalize controls unlock only after the required review confirmations below are checked.

What is in front of you

  1. Visit close-out review, with the patient, visit type, duration, transcript segment count and confirmed draft order count along the top.

    Then, in order: the note, the final SOAP note, the differential, the suggested orders, the draft coding, referral, and the prior-authorization checklist.

    Screenshot pending capture

The note card is titled The note (write it, or have the AI write it) while unsigned — this is where ✦ Write note with AI lives.

The Final note · SOAP card shows what will actually be stored: Stored on sign-off (read-only once signed) and transmitted to other clinicians as a SOAP note.

The five confirmations

  1. Required review confirmations — all five, verbatim:

    1. I reviewed and edited the draft note.
    2. I reviewed the differential (clinician-review-only).
    3. I reviewed every draft order; none are auto-transmitted.
    4. I reviewed the suggested coding and attest to the codes I accept.
    5. I am the licensed clinician of record for this encounter.

    Screenshot pending capture

Finalizing

Sign & finalize visit (auto-bill 837P) is disabled until all five are ticked. Afterwards it reads Visit finalized + billed.

If nothing is attested you get a blocking message: Please attest at least one code (check the boxes in Draft coding) before finalizing.

Sign-off then:

  • stores the note, read-only
  • captures charges from your attested codes and generates the 837P claim
  • moves the appointment to Ready for checkout — reason Visit signed off — ready for checkout — which is what puts the patient in the front desk's queue

The billing card afterwards shows ✓ Billed & submitted with the claim number, status, total, and a View 837P EDI preview expander.

What locks

  1. The note card becomes Note — signed & locked:

    This note is signed and locked (read-only). Review the final note below; you can print or export a copy. An administrator can reopen it for correction.

    A strip appears: ✓ Signed note stored (#abc12345) — read-only (locked). View, print, or export a copy. with Print and Export .txt — and, for administrators only, Unlock (admin).

    Screenshot pending capture

A non-administrator pressing unlock gets Only an administrator can unlock a signed note. When an admin does unlock it, the note returns to draft on the same row and must be re-signed; the prior signed version is retained.

Correcting a signed note

The console has no addendum control — corrections happen in the patient's chart, in the notes panel, where a signed note offers Amend and + Addendum.

  • + Addendum asks for text and appends it as ↳ addendum: …
  • Amend opens Amend signed note (creates a new version; original retained) and requires Reason for amendment (required) — e.g. corrected medication dose. You get Note amended — the original version is retained.
  • History shows Revision history (all versions retained), every version with its change type, reason and timestamp

Nothing is ever overwritten. A note carries AMENDED ×2 and its full history, which is what you want when somebody asks two years later what you knew and when.

What usually goes wrong

Ticking the five without reading them. They are attestations. If you did not review the orders, do not tick the box that says you did.

Signing before the note is right. Amending afterwards is possible and permanent — the original version is retained forever, along with your reason.

Forgetting the visit moves. Sign-off pushes the patient to the checkout queue. If you sign early, the desk will try to check out a patient still in the room.

Assuming an addendum replaces the note. It appends. The original text stays exactly as signed.

Check yourself

No score, no account — just make sure you can answer these before you move on.

  1. Why can't you just press Sign & finalize and get on with the afternoon?

    Show the answer

    Because it is disabled until all five confirmations are ticked — the hint says Finalize unlocks when all confirmations are checked. Each box is a statement you are making about a specific thing you reviewed. They are the record that a clinician, not the software, closed this visit.

  2. What does sign-off actually do besides lock the note?

    Show the answer

    It captures charges from the codes you attested, generates an X12 837P claim and submits it via the clearinghouse abstraction, stores the signed note read-only, and moves the appointment to Ready for checkout with the reason Visit signed off — ready for checkout.

  3. You signed and then spotted a wrong medication dose. What are your options?

    Show the answer

    In the chart's Notes panel a signed note can be Amended (a new version, original retained, with a required reason) or given a + Addendum. From the console, only an administrator can unlock a signed note — non-admins get Only an administrator can unlock a signed note.