How to Backdate a SOAP Note

How to Backdate a SOAP Note

It’s important to note that while you can adjust the date of the SOAP note to reflect the date of service, you cannot backdate the date if you have already reviewed and signed the note. You can change the date of the SOAP note entry to reflect the actual date of the visit in two ways:

A. Watch Video Tutorial



B. Read Step-by-Step Instructions

1) If you're using zHealth Appointment Scheduling Tool

1. Book an appointment for the patient for whom you want to create the SOAP note for a past date.

a. Select the past date and month from the Calendar on the top left side of the screen.
b. Pick the exact time slot when the patient visited your practice.
c. Enter the first or last name of the patient in the patient lookup pop-up window. Click Enter.
d. Select the desired patient from the auto-populated results.
e. Another pop-up window will open. Select the Appointment Option.
Click Confirm.

Click on the small 'Gear' icon at the end of the patient name.



2. Click 'Check-In' to check in the patient. You will be redirected to the home dashboard. The check-in process will automatically create a note for the present day appointment.



3. Now click on the patient. You will be redirected to the Patient Chart. Below the Summary tab, click on the "Edit" button in front of the note created for the past date. You will be redirected to the SOAP Note tab. Add your Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan to the past date note.




2) If you're not using zHealth Scheduling Tool or you don't want to use the check-in feature in the Scheduling Tool:


1. Enter the first or last name of the patient on the top navigation Search box. Click Enter. 

Click on the desired patient name to edit information. The Patient’s Chart will open. By default, you will be at the Summary tab of the Patient Chart.




3. Click the "New Note" button on the top, located in front of the patient's name.



4. A pop-up window opens with the following message: 

"There might be no visits for this patient or the visit might be linked to a note already. Do you still want to create the note? It will create an appointment for today by default. Important note: The system will create a new note with today's visit date by default. You can still change the Visit Date which will automatically delete the System Created Appointment for today. It will again try to link the note to the old visit date. If the system cannot find an open appointment on that visit date then it will create System Generated Appointment again."

Read the message carefully and click
 "Yes" if you want to create a new note.



5. Inside the Subjective screen, there is a date picker as shown here.

Click inside the date box and choose a different date that you want the note to be for.

That will make the note date change to a past date you selected.







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