Goal: Start a chart document that completes the first time, no missing fields, no wrong name on the record.
Why this matters
The chart document is the medical record. Start it right: the correct template, the provider set, the required fields in, and it completes in one pass. Miss one and you are back in it later, chasing an unsigned doc or a charge on the wrong name. Two minutes of care up front saves the rework.
Not sure what to review before a visit? Start with Review a Patient's History Before a Visit
Prefer to click through it first? Take the tour, then come back for the steps.
Step 1: Open a new chart document
In the patient chart, select the Chart tab.
Click New Document.
Search for or pick the template that fits the encounter.
The document opens as a panel on the right and attaches to the current visit automatically.
Tip: Your most-used templates sit at the top, and the order is personal to you. Templates are practice-specific and are set in the admin section. The panel also stays pinned as you move between tabs, so you can chart and navigate without losing your place.
Step 2: Confirm the provider
The provider field sets who is listed as the author of the record. Instinct EMR fills it from whoever is assigned on the treatment sheet.
Doctor assigned on the treatment sheet? They are set as the provider automatically.
No doctor assigned? The field is blank. Set the correct provider before you complete the document.
Heads up: A document cannot be marked Complete until a provider is assigned. And invoice charges follow the doctor on the treatment sheet, not the document.
Step 3: Fill the required fields
Required fields carry an asterisk and have to be filled before you can mark the document done. Your admin sets them in the template.
Everything autosaves as you go, so you can close the panel and reopen it later without losing anything.
Tip: Snippets drop in default text, canned responses, or patient variables in any notes field. You can also pull the patient's current vitals straight into the document with a vitals snapshot snippet. Open the Snippets menu inside a text box.
Know what the status means
The status answers one thing you need fast: can I still edit this, or is it locked?
In Progress: started, not finished. Fully editable.
Completed: required fields in and a provider assigned. Ready for a client signature if the template needs one. After this, edits happen only by addendum.
Signed: the client has signed. Locked. Addendum only.
Student and Draft mode: Completed Draft means a draft-mode user has submitted the document and it is waiting for approval before it moves to Completed.
Tip: An In Progress or unsigned chart shows up on the Incomplete Charts Report in the Analytics section, so open charts are visible, not just to you. Completing yours keeps you off the list. Running the report needs an analytics permission on the role, so a manager usually pulls it.
👉 Now you try
Setup: In Instinct, open your practice patient.
Do: Start a new document from the assigned template, confirm you are listed as the provider (set it if blank), complete the required fields, and mark the document Complete.
Check: Confirm the document is attached to the visit and its status has changed to Completed.
Done right: A Completed document with the provider assigned. If it won’t complete, check the provider field—that’s the usual reason