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Enhanced Template Editor with Phin AI

Wesley Combs avatar
Written by Wesley Combs
Updated over a week ago

Enhanced Template Editor with Phin AI

Article Type: Feature Guide
​ Target Audience: All Ambient Scribe users
​ Last Updated: January 2026

Overview

The Enhanced Template Editor brings the power of Phin AI directly into your template creation workflow. With AI-assisted editing, real-time validation, and intelligent suggestions, creating professional clinical note templates has never been easier.

What is Phin AI?

Phin is Ambient Scribe's built-in AI assistant designed specifically for clinical documentation. In the template editor, Phin helps you:

  • Generate template sections based on your specialty

  • Improve existing instructions for clarity

  • Suggest best practices for clinical documentation

  • Validate template structure in real-time

  • Answer questions about template creation

Accessing the Enhanced Editor

For Personal Templates

  1. Go to Settings > Templates

  2. Click on any template, or create a new one

  3. The Enhanced Editor opens with the Phin panel on the right

For Organization Templates

  1. Go to Organization > Templates (admin access required)

  2. Click on any template or create new

  3. The same Enhanced Editor interface is available

Editor Layout

The Enhanced Template Editor features a split-screen layout:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Template Editor                                     [Save]  │
├─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┤
│                             │                               │
│   EDITING AREA              │   PHIN AI PANEL               │
│                             │                               │
│   [Instructions Tab]        │   [Chat]                      │
│   [Example Note Tab]        │   [Analysis]                  │
│   [Analysis Tab]            │   [Suggestions]               │
│                             │                               │
│   Your template content     │   AI assistance &             │
│   goes here...              │   real-time feedback          │
│                             │                               │
└─────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┘

Resizable Panels

  • Drag the divider between panels to resize

  • Collapse the Phin panel if you prefer full-width editing

  • Panel positions are remembered between sessions

Editing Tabs

Instructions Tab

This is where you define what your template should include:

Best Practices:
- Use clear section headers in brackets: [Chief Complaint]
- List key points under each section
- Be specific about what information to capture

Example Structure:

[Chief Complaint]
- Reason for visit
- Duration of symptoms
- Severity rating[History of Present Illness]
- Onset and progression
- Associated symptoms
- Aggravating/alleviating factors
- Previous treatments tried

Example Note Tab

Provide a sample output showing what a completed note should look like:

Why This Matters:
- Guides the AI on formatting expectations
- Shows appropriate level of detail
- Demonstrates writing style preferences

Tip: Use realistic but fictional patient data in examples.

Analysis Tab

View real-time analysis of your template:

  • Section coverage - Are all important areas addressed?

  • Clarity score - How clear are your instructions?

  • Completeness - Any missing recommended sections?

  • Potential issues - Warnings about ambiguous instructions

Using Phin AI Assistant

Starting a Conversation

  1. Click in the chat input at the bottom of the Phin panel

  2. Type your question or request

  3. Press Enter or click Send

What You Can Ask Phin

Template Generation:
- "Create a cardiology follow-up template"
- "Add a review of systems section"
- "Generate an example note for this template"

Improvement Suggestions:
- "How can I improve the HPI section?"
- "Make this template more comprehensive"
- "Simplify the instructions for assessment"

Best Practices:
- "What sections should a dermatology consult include?"
- "How detailed should my physical exam section be?"
- "What's the best way to format differential diagnosis?"

Troubleshooting:
- "Why are my notes missing the assessment section?"
- "How do I fix inconsistent formatting?"
- "The output doesn't match my example - what's wrong?"

AI Model Selection

Choose which AI model Phin uses:

  1. Click the Model Selector dropdown

  2. Available options depend on your subscription tier:
    - Default - Balanced speed and quality
    - Advanced - Higher quality, slightly slower
    - Fast - Quick responses for simple edits

Real-Time Validation

As you edit, the template is automatically validated:

Validation Indicators

Icon

Meaning

✅ Green

Section is well-defined

⚠️ Yellow

Minor suggestions available

❌ Red

Issues that may affect output

Common Validation Messages

"Section header without content"
- Add bullet points or details under the section

"Vague instruction detected"
- Be more specific about what information to include

"Missing recommended section"
- Consider adding standard sections for your specialty

"Example note doesn't match instructions"
- Ensure your example demonstrates all instruction sections

Tag Insertion

Insert dynamic demographic tags that pull in patient information (when "Include Prechart Data" is enabled):

Available Tags

Click the { } button next to the Instructions label to open the tag panel:

Tag

Description

{name}

Patient's full name (e.g., "John Doe")

{firstName}

Patient's first name only

{lastName}

Patient's last name only

{age}

Patient's age in years (e.g., "39")

{dob}

Date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY format)

{sex}

Patient's biological sex (Male/Female)

{mrn}

Medical record number (if available)

Note: Tags are case-insensitive: {Name}, {NAME}, {name} all work the same.

Using Tags in Instructions

[Patient Demographics]
Patient {name}, a {age} year old {sex}, DOB: {dob}, presents for...

Saving and Testing

Save Options

  • Save - Save changes to existing template

  • Save As New - Create a copy with a new name

Testing Your Template

  1. Save your template

  2. Start a new encounter

  3. Select your template from the picker

  4. Complete a test encounter

  5. Review the generated note

  6. Return to edit if needed

EHR Template Naming Requirements

When creating templates for use with your EHR system, your template name must follow specific naming conventions. This ensures your notes save correctly to the right location in your EHR.

Template Naming by EHR System

For TouchWorks (TWEHR)

Your template name must include the encounter note type in curly braces:

Template Name {Exact Note Type}

Examples:
- Primary Care {Office Visit}
- Cardiology {PostOp Visit - CARD}
- General Surgery {FollowUp Visit - GS}

The text in {} must exactly match the note type configured in your TouchWorks system, including capitalization and spacing.

To find your note types:
1. Open TouchWorks
2. Go to Administration > Document Types
3. Find the Encounter Note Types section
4. Copy the exact note type names

For Veradigm (VEHR)

Include a Veradigm identifier in your template name:

Template Name [Veradigm]

Options:
- [Veradigm] Office Visit - Standard Veradigm parsing
- {Veradigm} Office Visit - Equivalent to above
- [H&P] Complete Physical - For History & Physical templates
- Office Visit - Default SOAP parsing (no marker needed)

Common Specialty Examples

Specialty

Template Name

Primary Care

Primary Care {Office Visit}

Cardiology

Cardiology {PostOp Visit - CARD}

General Surgery

General Surgery {FollowUp Visit - GS}

Orthopedics

Orthopedics {Office Visit - ORTHO}

Urology

Urology {New Patient - URO}

Important Notes

  • Verify with your administrator - Get the exact note type names from your EHR admin

  • Case sensitive - TouchWorks names must match exactly

  • Include all spacing - Don't skip spaces or hyphens in the note type

  • One template per note type - Each note type needs its own template

  • Test before using - Create a test encounter to verify it saves correctly

For complete information, see "EHR Template Naming Guide" article.

Tips for Success

Start Simple

Begin with a basic structure and add complexity gradually:
1. Define main sections first
2. Add detail points
3. Include example note
4. Refine with Phin's help

Use Phin Iteratively

  1. Create initial draft

  2. Ask Phin for improvements

  3. Review suggestions

  4. Apply what fits your style

  5. Repeat until satisfied

Learn from Examples

  • Browse marketplace templates for inspiration

  • Install templates in your specialty

  • Study their structure before creating your own

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Phin available on mobile?
A: The Enhanced Editor with Phin is available on web and desktop only. Mobile users can use templates but not edit them with AI assistance.

Q: Are my conversations with Phin private?
A: Yes, your template editing conversations are private and not used for training.

Q: Can Phin create an entire template for me?
A: Yes! Ask Phin to generate a complete template for your specialty, then customize it.

Q: Why doesn't Phin respond sometimes?
A: Check your internet connection. If issues persist, try refreshing the page.

Q: Can I undo Phin's suggestions?
A: Yes, use Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo any changes.

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