Charting Documents are visit-based records created from templates. They open in a side pane and allow you to document care while viewing other areas of Instinct.
Charting Documents support:
Full-screen editing
Side-by-side chart viewing
Snippets and file blocks
Drawing blocks
Document completion and signing
Note: The template dropdown shows your most frequently used charting templates at the top. Template order is personalized per user and updates automatically based on usage.
Document statuses
Charting Documents move through the following statuses:
In Progress – Default status when a document is created. The document remains fully editable.
Completed – The document is finished and ready for signature (if enabled).
Signed – The document has been signed and finalized.
Documents can stay In Progress as long as needed before being completed. All charting content autosaves automatically.
Provider assignment
When starting to work on a Charting Document, if the treatment sheet has a doctor assigned, the doctor will automatically be assigned to this new document. If the treatment sheet does not have a doctor assigned, the doctor field will be blank and will need to be selected before it can be completed.
Full screen chart editor
Use full screen mode to focus on charting without distractions.
Click the Move to Full Screen icon at the top right of the panel.
Exit Full Screen Mode
You can go back to the 1/4 panel display by clicking Move to Panel.
Click save and close, it will save the document and exit out of full screen mode, taking you back to the patient’s Chart screen.
Pinning charts
When you open a document, it is pinned by default. This keeps the panel visible while you move through different areas of Instinct, so you can continue entering information without needing to reopen the document.
Pinned panels allow you to:
Navigate between sections without losing your place
Continue charting while reviewing other patient or visit details
Reduce interruptions during documentation
Pinned panel safety warnings
To help prevent charting in the wrong patient record, Instinct displays clear visual warnings at the top of pinned panels (Chart, Comm Log, and RX).
Grey Warning Banner
A grey warning appears when:
You are viewing Patient A’s pinned panel
You navigate away from Patient A’s chart to other areas of Instinct
This indicates the panel is still open but you are no longer in the patient’s chart.
Yellow Warning Banner
A yellow warning appears when:
You are viewing Patient A’s pinned panel
You open Patient B’s chart
This highlights a potential patient mismatch and helps prevent accidental documentation in the wrong record.
Opening 2 charts side-by-side
Clicking an additional document on the Charts screen will display two 1/4 panels side by side, however you can only pin 1 document at a time. The arrow icon can also be used to easily switch which document is pinned to the right hand side.
If you have multiple panels open, and click Move to Full Screen on one of them, the second panel will pin itself to the right hand side for easy multitasking.
Adding snippets
Snippets allow quick insertion of default text, canned responses, or patient variables into any notes field. Admins can set up Snippets to standardize documentation and save time.
How to Add a Snippet
Click inside any note box.
The Snippets icon appears below the text box, alongside formatting options (Bold, Italics, Underline, Lists).
You can also open Snippets by:
Pressing CTRL+S while in the text box
Typing
{{(two curly brackets)
In addition to custom built Snippets, you also have the option to insert a patient’s vitals from their current treatment sheet, including:
Vitals snapshot: intake (inserts the patient’s intake vitals for the current visit)
Vitals snapshot: SOAP (inserts the patient’s most recent 5 entries of weight, TPR, and ins/outs for the current visit)
Vitals snapshot: latest (inserts the patient’s latest vitals for the current visit)
Vitals snapshot: all (inserts all the patient’s vitals for the current visit)
Treatments snapshot: all (inserts the patient’s treatment list for the current visit)
And many more!
Standard variables that are available for use include the following:
{{patient_name}} – Replaced by the patient’s first name
{{patient_full_name}} – Replaced by the patient’s full name
{{patient_pims_id}} – Replaced by the patient’s pims ID
{{patient_age}} – Replaced by the patient’s age
{{patient_sex}} – Replaced by the patient’s sex
{{patient_breed}} – Replaced by the patient’s breed
{{patient_species}} – Replaced by the patient’s species
{{primary_contact_full_name}} – Replaced by the accounts’ primary contact’s full name.
Chart file blocks
Chart File Blocks allows you to upload and organize images, or insert Plumb’s Handouts directly into the Chart document.
Adding Files or Handouts
Select Upload File (supported file types) or Attach Handout (Plumb’s Handout) in an existing File Block.
If no File Block exists, click Drag/Click to Upload Files at the bottom of the Chart to create a new block.
Managing file blocks
The File Block’s position can then be rearranged in the Chart via drag and drop.
3-dot menu options:
Replace File – Upload a different file
Remove File – Return the File Block to empty
Delete Block – Remove the File Block entirely (only if not required)
Required File Blocks: If the File Block is marked as Required within the Chart Admin (indicated by an asterisk*), the option to Delete the File Block is not available.
Note:
Uploaded images integrate within your Chart.
PDFs (Plumb’s Handouts or others) attach as separate pages at the end of the Chart.
Collaborative charting is not currently supported for File Blocks.
Utilizing drawing block templates
Drawing Blocks allow you to annotate images or create freehand drawings directly within a Charting Document. Templates display the uploaded image (or blank canvas) along with editing tools for easy customization.
Key for Editing Tools:
Pencil Tool: For drawing on the Background Image or blank canvas in the Drawing Block
Options for the thickness of the Pencil Tool are: 10px, 8px, 6px, 4px, and 2px
Default setting is 2px
Available colors are: Red, Blue, Green, Orange, and Black
Default setting is Black
Undo Tool: Allows for deleting of the last mark made in the Drawing Block
This tool button can be selected multiple times to undo previous marks
If the document panel is closed and reopened later, the undo tool will still delete the last mark made in the Drawing Block.
Delete All Tool: Allows for deleting all marks made in the Drawing Block
This action cannot be undone
Any Chart document that contains Drawing Block sections will be visible when the record is printed or created as a PDF as shown below.
Sharing documents/files via shareville (optional)
Shareville is a portal that lets referring veterinarians review patient documents on demand. It also sends automatic email notifications when a patient has Checked-In or Checked-Out of Instinct.
Admin users can configure Chart templates to be available in Shareville using the dropdown options in Chart Admin:
Available means this document won’t send to the rVet portal automatically, but users will be able to turn on sharing once this document is completed for a patient.
Automatically On means that this document will automatically go to the rVet portal when completed, though this can still be turned off at the patient and document level.
Never Allow means there will be no option to share this document in the portal for any patient.
Tip: Use “Available” if you want flexibility for selective sharing, and “Automatically On” for documents that should always be sent to the rVet portal.
Managing shareville sharing
You can also click the Shareville button at the top of the main Charts screen to manually resend the initial ‘Check In’ email if a referring veterinarian was not selected at the time of Check-In.
See at a glance if a chart is shared on the Shareville portal with the rVet sharing column.
Shared items will display a ✔️icon
Documents that have not been shared will display with a 🚫 icon
Important Notes
Documents marked as Never Allow will disable the rVet sharing toggle.
Shareville settings can be adjusted per document and per patient as needed.
To learn more about Shareville, refer to:
[Shareville User Guide for Instinct Hospitals]
[rVet Shareville Guide for Referring Veterinarians]
Completing/signing Documents
A chart document can be marked as Completed once:
All required fields are filled out
A doctor is assigned to the document
To complete the document:
Review the chart for accuracy.
(Optional) Use the dropdown to the left of the Complete button to adjust the completion time.
Click Complete.
Completed documents that require a client signature are available to sign via the ‘Sign’ button at the bottom of the document pane located at the right side of the screen.
Once signed, the document will display:
Client name
Client signature
Date and time of signature
Approval confirmation checkbox
User witness (the logged-in user at time of signing)
Once a document has been signed, you may only leave an addendum and cannot void or edit the document.
If needed, document templates can also require multiple client signatures. This is set up in the Chart Admin.
Note: Wondering how to legally capture client consent and signatures? Check out our blog post about it!