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Creating and Managing Organization Templates

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

Creating and Managing Organization Templates

Article Type: Admin Guide
​ Target Audience: Organization Admins
​ Last Updated: January 2026

Overview

Organization templates allow admins to create standardized note formats that all members can use, ensuring consistent documentation across your healthcare team.

What Are Organization Templates?

Organization templates are custom note formats that:

  • Are created and managed by organization admins

  • Automatically appear for all organization members

  • Ensure consistent documentation standards

  • Can be specialty-specific or general purpose

  • Supplement (don't replace) personal templates

Accessing Organization Templates

As an Admin

  1. Go to Organization > Templates

  2. View all organization templates

  3. Create, edit, or delete templates

As a Member

  1. Go to Settings > Note Template

  2. Organization templates appear in your list

  3. Select any organization template to use

  4. Cannot edit organization templates (use personal copy)

Creating a New Template

Step 1: Start Template Creation

  1. Navigate to Organization > Templates

  2. Click Create Template or New Template

  3. Choose to start from scratch or duplicate existing

Step 2: Define Template Basics

Enter the following information:

Field

Description

Template Name

Clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Primary Care SOAP Note")

Description

Brief explanation of when to use this template

Specialty

Medical specialty this template serves

Category

Note type (SOAP, H&P, Progress Note, etc.)

Step 3: Design Template Structure

Define the sections that will appear in generated notes:

Common Sections:
- Chief Complaint
- History of Present Illness (HPI)
- Review of Systems (ROS)
- Physical Examination
- Assessment
- Plan

Specialty-Specific Sections:
- Psychiatric: Mental Status Exam, Risk Assessment
- Cardiology: Cardiac History, EKG Findings
- Pediatrics: Growth/Development, Immunizations
- OB/GYN: OB History, Menstrual History

Step 4: Configure Section Details

For each section, specify:

  1. Section Name: What the section is called

  2. Instructions: What content should be captured

  3. Format: Paragraph, bullet points, or structured

  4. Required/Optional: Whether section is mandatory

Step 5: Preview and Test

  1. Preview how the template will look

  2. Test with a sample encounter if available

  3. Make adjustments based on output

Step 6: Save and Publish

  1. Click Save Template

  2. Template is immediately available to members

  3. Members can select it in their template list

Editing Templates

Making Changes

  1. Go to Organization > Templates

  2. Find the template to edit

  3. Click Edit

  4. Make your changes

  5. Click Save

Version Control

  • Changes take effect immediately

  • Previous versions are not automatically saved

  • Consider duplicating before major changes

  • Document significant changes

Impact on Members

  • Existing notes are not affected

  • Future notes use updated template

  • Members using template see changes immediately

Duplicating Templates

When to Duplicate

  • Creating specialty variants

  • Testing changes before applying

  • Building on existing structure

How to Duplicate

  1. Find the template to copy

  2. Click More > Duplicate

  3. Enter new name

  4. Edit as needed

  5. Save

Deleting Templates

Before Deleting

  • Deletion cannot be undone

  • Existing notes using this template remain intact

  • Members lose access to this template

How to Delete

  1. Find the template

  2. Click More > Delete

  3. Confirm deletion

  4. Template is removed

Template Best Practices

Design Principles

  1. Be Specific: Clear instructions produce better notes

  2. Stay Consistent: Use standard medical terminology

  3. Consider Workflow: Match how providers document

  4. Think Billing: Include elements needed for coding

Section Writing Tips

Good Section Instruction:

"Capture the patient's chief complaint in their own words, including duration and severity"

Better Section Instruction:

"Document the primary reason for visit in the patient's own words. Include: onset timing, duration, severity (1-10 scale if mentioned), associated symptoms, and what makes it better or worse"

Template Organization

  1. Name templates clearly (include specialty)

  2. Use consistent naming conventions

  3. Group related templates

  4. Archive outdated templates

Template Categories

By Note Type

  • SOAP Notes: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan

  • H&P: Comprehensive History & Physical

  • Progress Notes: Follow-up visit documentation

  • Procedure Notes: Documentation for procedures

  • Consult Notes: Specialist consultation format

By Specialty

  • Primary Care / Family Medicine

  • Internal Medicine

  • Pediatrics

  • Psychiatry / Behavioral Health

  • Cardiology

  • Orthopedics

  • And more...

Managing Multiple Templates

For Large Organizations

  1. Create naming conventions (e.g., "Cardio - SOAP Note")

  2. Document which departments use which templates

  3. Assign template "owners" for maintenance

  4. Review templates quarterly

Template Governance

  1. Designate template approvers

  2. Require review before publishing

  3. Collect provider feedback

  4. Update based on regulatory changes

Troubleshooting

Template Not Appearing for Members

  1. Verify template is saved (not draft)

  2. Check member is in organization

  3. Have member sign out and back in

  4. Confirm template isn't archived

Notes Not Matching Template

  1. Review section instructions for clarity

  2. Check if conversation included required info

  3. Adjust instructions to be more specific

  4. Test with different encounter types

Members Can't Find Template

  1. Verify template name is clear

  2. Check if member has too many templates

  3. Consider organizing by category

  4. Add clear description

Need Help?

For template design assistance, contact [email protected].

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