> ## 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.
# Note Templates
> Create and manage reusable clinical note templates for consistent documentation across providers.
**Prerequisites:** You should have [Providers](/modules/settings/users) set up before configuring note templates, since templates can be restricted to specific providers.
Templates ensure every provider documents consistently. Instead of free-typing notes, providers fill in structured fields — which makes notes easier to review, search, and use for AI-powered features like Scribe.
Note templates define the structured forms that providers use to document clinical encounters. Each template contains a set of fields (questions) that guide providers through consistent documentation. Templates support multiple field types, vitals tracking, medication logging, image attachments, and patient health data auto-fill.
## Create a Note Template
Go to **Settings** and select **Note Templates**.
Click the **Create Note Template** button in the top right corner. This opens the template editor.
Type a name for your template in the **Template Name** field at the top of the editor (e.g., "Initial Consultation", "Follow-Up Visit", "Botox Treatment").
Use the left sidebar to add fields to your template. Click any field type to append it to the form. Available field categories:
* **Form Fields:** Short Text, Long Text, Number, Date, Yes/No, Single Choice, Multiple Choice.
* **Display & Signature:**
* **Signature** — a box where the provider draws a signature (for example, to sign off on the visit). It shows on the saved note and the printed copy.
* **Disclaimer / Display Text** — a block of fixed text that shows on the note (such as a consent statement or disclaimer). Providers don't fill it in; it just displays.
* **Statement** — a fixed bulleted list that shows on the note. Like a disclaimer, it's display-only.
* **Medications:** Structured medication dose tracking (dose, frequency, lot number).
* **Patient reported medications:** Brings the patient's reported medications into the note so the provider can review and update them.
* **Today's Items:** Lets the provider pick the services and products performed or sold during the visit. Anything chosen here appears in checkout's **Today's Items** for billing.
* **Vitals:** Weight and Height fields that save to patient records.
* **Measurements:** Individual fields from [Settings > Measurements](/modules/settings/measurements). Whatever the provider records flows into the patient's measurement history.
* **Measurement Groups:** A measurement group from settings — adds every field in the group as a section of the note.
* **Patient Health Data:** Fields that fill from the patient's health record. Includes both standard and custom health data fields.
* **Attachments:** Photo Upload (for images with annotation support) and Document Upload (for PDFs and documents).
* **Dental** (dental practices only): Dental Chart, Perio Chart, and Occlusion & TMJ fields. See [Dental Charting](/modules/notes/dental-charting).
Click on any field in the editor to expand its settings:
* **Name:** The label shown to providers when filling out the note.
* **Description:** Optional helper text displayed below the field name.
* **Required:** Turn on **Required** to make the field mandatory.
* **Field Type:** Choose the question type: Short Text, Long Text, Number, Date, Yes/No, Single Choice, or Multiple Choice.
* **Options:** For Single Choice and Multiple Choice fields, add the selectable options.
* **Disclaimer Content:** For a Disclaimer / Display Text field, type the text that should show on the note.
* **Statement Points:** For a Statement field, add each bullet point.
* **Signature Instructions:** For a Signature field, optionally add a short instruction (e.g., "Provider signature").
* **Placeholder Images:** For Photo Upload fields, add named placeholders that guide providers on what images to capture.
Drag fields using the grip handle on the left side of each field card to reorder them. The order determines how providers see the fields when creating a note.
Enter a value in the **Expiry Days** field to set how many days after creation a note based on this template expires. Leave blank for no expiry.
Under **Provider Access**, choose who can use this template:
* **Everyone:** All providers in your organization can use this template.
* **Specific Providers:** Select individual providers. You can filter by location and search by name.
Click **Save**. The template is immediately available for providers to use when creating clinical notes.
## Use the AI Assistant to Build Templates
The template editor includes an AI assistant that can add, modify, or remove fields from a plain-language description. Instead of picking fields from the sidebar one by one, you describe what you need and the assistant proposes the changes for you to review.
The Template Assistant tab appears automatically in the right sidebar when you open the template editor. Type your request in the chat input. You can also attach files — for example, a photo of a paper chart note you want to recreate as a structured template.
Type a description of the fields you need. The assistant understands the template's current fields, so you can reference them by name. You can ask it to add new fields, modify existing ones, remove fields, **move questions between sections**, or rename the template — for example, "move the weight field into the Vitals section."
The assistant streams its proposed changes into the editor. Once complete, each change is color-coded:
* **Green** — new fields being added
* **Red** — existing fields being removed
* **Yellow** — existing fields being modified
A review bar appears at the top of the editor showing the total number of proposed changes.
Use the checkboxes next to each proposed change to select which ones to keep. You can also use **Select All** or **Deselect All** in the review bar. Click **Accept** to apply your selections, or **Reject All** to discard everything.
The assistant suggests fields that update the patient chart when appropriate — for example, if you ask for "patient weight," it uses the Weight field. It also recognizes patient health data fields like allergies, medications, and family history.
The assistant remembers your conversation, so you can refine your request across multiple messages. Each new request starts a fresh review cycle.
**Example prompts:**
* "Build a template for a Botox consultation with treatment areas, units per area, and before/after photo uploads"
* "Add weight and height fields at the top, then a long text field for chief complaint"
* "Replace the free-text allergy field with the mapped allergies field that links to the patient chart"
* "Add a multiple choice field for pain level with options 1 through 10"
## Group Fields into Sections
Sections group related fields under a heading and let you arrange them side by side. They're useful for longer templates — for example, separating "Vitals", "Chief Complaint", and "Treatment Plan" into distinct blocks instead of one long list.
In the template editor, click **Add Section** at the bottom of the field list. A new section block appears.
Click the section header and type a name (e.g., "Vitals", "Treatment Plan"). The name is shown to providers when they fill out the note.
Use the **1 / 2 / 3** picker in the section header to set how many columns the fields should be arranged in. New sections default to 2 columns.
Click **Add Question** inside the section, or drag existing fields into it using the grip handle. Reorder fields within a section the same way.
Click the chevron in the section header to collapse a section while editing. Click the trash icon to delete a section — its fields move out of the section and remain in the template.
Photo Upload, Document Upload, Medications, and Body Map fields always span the full width of a section, even in a 2- or 3-column layout. All other field types follow the column layout you choose.
When a provider opens a note built from a sectioned template, each section appears as a collapsible block with the column layout you configured. See [AI Scribe](/modules/notes/ai-scribe) for how sections behave during note review.
## Add Measurements to a Template
Use **Measurements** when the note should collect one custom measurement field. Use **Measurement Groups** when the note should collect a full set of related fields, such as vitals, body composition, or lab values.
Adding a measurement group creates a section named after the group and adds each editable field in that group. Calculated fields are not added because Decoda fills them in after the needed values exist.
When a provider saves a note, values entered in measurement fields are saved to the patient's **Measurements** section and linked to that note. In AI Scribe notes, review AI-filled measurement values before clicking **Save**.
## Edit a Template
From the **Note Templates** page, click on a template name to open the editor. You can modify any field, reorder questions, add new fields, or remove existing ones. Click **Save** when finished.
Each field in the editor shows a preview of how it will appear to providers. You can:
* Click any field to enter edit mode and modify its settings.
* Click **Done** on an expanded field to collapse it.
* Click the trash icon to delete a field.
## Patient View
The **Patient View** setting controls which parts of a note from this template are shared with patients — both in the patient portal and as the starting selection when a provider prints a note.
On the **Note Templates** page, open the **Patient View** option for the template.
Enable **Visible to patient** so signed-off notes from this template appear in the patient's portal.
Check or uncheck each field. Only the checked fields are shared; you can also reorder them and choose whether to include the note summary.
Save your changes. This selection becomes the default for both the patient portal and the print **Select what to include** window (see [Sign-Off and Printing](/modules/notes/sign-off-and-versioning#print-and-export)).
## Manage the Template Table
The template list page provides several ways to organize and manage your templates.
* **Search:** Use the search bar to filter templates by name or ID.
* **Sort:** Click the **Name** or **Created Date** column headers to sort ascending or descending.
* **Pagination:** Navigate through pages using the pagination controls at the bottom.
* **Row Actions:** Click the three-dot menu on any template row to access quick actions: Edit, Duplicate, Edit Provider Access, or Delete.
## Duplicate a Template
To create a copy of an existing template:
1. On the **Note Templates** page, find the template you want to duplicate.
2. Click the three-dot menu on the template row.
3. Select **Duplicate**.
The system creates a new template named "\[Original Name] (Copy)" with the same fields, provider access, and expiry settings, and opens it in the editor so you can start making changes right away.
## Configure Provider Access
Provider access controls which providers can see and use a template when creating notes.
Click the three-dot menu on a template row and select **Edit Provider Access**, or click the access cell directly in the table.
* **Everyone:** All providers in your organization can use this template.
* **Specific Providers:** Manually select which providers have access.
When using Specific Providers mode:
* Providers are grouped by location for easy selection.
* Check individual providers or use the location checkbox to select all providers at a location.
* Use the search bar to find providers by name.
* Use the **All** and **None** quick-select buttons.
Click **Save** to apply the access changes.
## Bulk Delete Templates
To delete multiple templates at once:
1. Select templates by checking the boxes in the left column of the table.
2. A bulk actions bar appears at the bottom of the page showing the number of selected templates.
3. Click **Delete** on the bulk actions bar.
4. Confirm when prompted. This action cannot be undone.
## Manage Image Tags
Image tags are used to categorize and label photo attachments on clinical notes. They appear below the template table on the Note Templates page. Once created, tags can be applied to individual photos within a note or gallery, or assigned to multiple photos at once using bulk actions.
### Create a Tag
Scroll down below the template table to the **Image Tags** section.
Click the **Create Tag** button.
* **Name:** A descriptive label for the tag (e.g., "Before", "After", "Left Side").
* **Color:** Select a color using the color picker. This color appears as a visual badge on tagged images.
Click **Create Tag**. The tag is immediately available for use on note attachments.
### Edit or Delete a Tag
* Click on a tag row in the Image Tags table to open the editor. Change the name or color and click **Save Changes**.
* To delete a tag, click the three-dot menu on the tag row and select **Delete**. Confirm the deletion. This removes the tag from all images it was applied to.
## Advanced Configuration
If your organization previously used legacy free-text note templates, a migration banner appears at the top of the Note Templates page. Legacy templates can be converted to the new structured form format for better organization, reporting, and AI integration. Click the migration link in the banner for details on the conversion process.
Vitals, Measurements, Measurement Groups, Patient Health Data, and Medication fields update the patient chart when a provider saves the note. Each linked field can only be added once. Once added, it appears grayed out in the sidebar.
Fields from the Patient Health Data category auto-populate with the patient's existing health record values when a provider creates a new note. This saves time and ensures accuracy for recurring data like allergies, conditions, and custom health fields.
The Photo Upload field supports named placeholders that serve as guides for providers. For example, a "Facial Treatment" template might include placeholders named "Front View", "Left Profile", and "Right Profile". Providers see these placeholders and can upload images directly into each slot. Placeholder images can also be pre-uploaded as reference guides.
Providers can favorite templates for quick access. Favorited templates appear at the top of the template selection list when creating a new note. This is managed at the individual provider level and does not affect other users.
Note template management is gated by role-based permissions:
* **View Note Templates** -- Required to view the Note Templates page and see template details.
* **Manage Note Templates** -- Required to create, edit, duplicate, and delete note templates, as well as manage image tags.
* **Manage Note Template Access** -- Required to configure which providers can use a template (the Provider Access settings). Without this permission, the provider access controls are hidden.
Admin users have full access to all note template settings by default.
When set, notes created from the template will have an expiry date calculated as the note creation date plus the configured number of days. Expired notes are flagged in the system. Leave this field blank if notes should not expire.