This charting time saving tip was brought to you by The Nurse Practitioner Charting School.
Nurse practitioners can save so much time by creating templates in your electronic medical record (EMR)!
Most EMRs have a template function. A template creates the basic form of the note that you can then adjust for that specific patient. Creating templates will take some time upfront, but will save you so much time in the long run!
Charting time saving tip: Charting templates
1. Ask colleagues.
Odds are someone in your office is already using templates. Ask the provider if they can share a template and how to use it. Ask for help in creating your own template. Custom made templates can be fabricated with phrases you commonly use or routine instructions/education you constantly say.
Did you get sufficient training on your EMR? If not, ask for it. Or contact IT. Although these technology experts may not know what medical terms/phrases should be in a template, they can help you build one!
2. Research online.
The internet is full of tons of free info! Check out Google or Youtube for how to create a template using your EMR system. Search the EMR company’s website for “how to tutorials.” There are helpful resources on how to create a template in your EMR. Implementing templates are an amazing charting time saving tip!
3. Keep it simple.
Start with one template and identify what kind of information you are frequently saying or repeating. Make templates as custom as possible and always remember to adjust! Once you get a better idea for what information or phrases you want in a template, make more!
Create templates for the 5 most common types of visits you see in a typical clinic day! I currently have 6 templates I use: Annual wellness exam, acute visit, chronic visit, COVID-19 visit, sports physical, well child exam. Feel free to create more, but don’t spend your time making a template for every single diagnosis you see. Most often, other templates can be used with small adjustments.
Additional charting time saving tip!
When it comes to charting, The Nurse Practitioner Charting School is the one stop for all documentation resources created specifically for NPs!
- Check out The Nurse Practitioner Charting School’s blog page for helpful charting tips!
Also checkout the paid courses:
- Time Management and Charting Tips Course: Learn the tips and tools to chart accurately and efficiently so you can run on time during your workday, eliminate the overwhelm, leave work on time, and STOP charting at home!
- Billing and Coding Course: Outpatient Visits: Feel confident choosing the correct Evaluation and Management CPT® code for an outpatient patient visit, so you can avoid over coding (and under coding!) ensuring you receive proper insurance reimbursement!
- Legal Issues with Charting Course: Learn how to prevent a malpractice suit and put your mind at ease regarding legal issues of charting.
- Charting as a Nurse Practitioner Student Course: Going through nurse practitioner school is incredibly overwhelming. Don’t stress about the charting.
Utilize The NP Charting School’s Comprehensive List of Smart Phrases: Get access to over 100 smart/dot phrases to save time so you can STOP charting at home!
So if you are ready to utilize an additional charting time saving tip, check out The Nurse Practitioner Charting School!
For time management and charting tips, check out The Nurse Practitioner Charting School– The one stop for all documentation resources created specifically for nurse practitioners. Learn more at www.npchartingschool.com
**Full disclosure, this blog post may include affiliate links. I do receive a commission if any of the affiliate programs/services/supplies are purchased. This is at no extra cost to you but does allow me to continue to provide content as The Burned-out Nurse Practitioner! Thank you!
