> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.decodahealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Document Review & Sharing

> Review and sign off patient documents, share them to the patient portal, and text a document to the patient with a personal message.

Documents in a patient's **Forms & Documents** tab (labs, images, faxes, PDFs) can be reviewed and signed off by staff, shared to the patient's portal, and texted directly to the patient with a personal message.

<Info>
  The review and sharing tools are turned off by default. A clinic admin turns them on under **Settings → General → Documents** by enabling **Document review & sign-off**. When it is off, staff see only the document preview, and the **Documents** section does not appear in the patient portal.
</Info>

## Open and review a document

Open a patient's chart, go to the **Forms & Documents** tab, and click a document to open it. The document preview fills the window so it is easy to read. Below the preview you'll find the review tools (when document sign-off is turned on).

Reviewing requires the **Sign off documents** permission, which an admin grants to a role under **Settings → Roles**. Staff without it can still open and read documents, but the review buttons are hidden.

### Add a note

Type an internal note or addendum in the box below the preview and click **Save note**. This note is for staff only — the patient never sees it.

### Sign off

Click **Sign off** to record that you reviewed the document. The document shows a **Signed off** badge with your name and the date. Click the badge anywhere it appears to reopen the document. A document can be signed off once.

### Request sign-off from someone else

Click **Request sign-off** to create a task assigned to another provider or team asking them to review the document. When they sign the document off, the task is completed automatically.

## Share a document to the patient portal

Click **Share to portal** to make the document visible to the patient in their portal. The patient can then open it under the **Documents** section of their portal. Click **Remove from portal** to hide it again — the patient immediately loses access.

## Send a document by text

Click **Send via text** to text the document to the patient with a personal message.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Write a message">
    A window opens where you write a short message to the patient — for example, "Your lab results are ready, everything looks great."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send">
    Click **Send**. The patient receives a text with your message and a secure link to the document in their portal. Sending also shares the document to the portal automatically, since the patient needs portal access to open the link.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The patient must have a mobile number on file. If they have opted out of text messages, the send is blocked and the document is left unchanged.
</Note>

## What the patient sees

In the patient portal, the patient opens the **Documents** section, selects the document, and views it. If you sent the document by text, your message appears above it under **Message from your provider**. Only documents you have shared appear in the portal.