Stair: Welcome back to the Epic Guys in our Three Tips in 3 Minutes. Stu, one of the most powerful features in all of Epic is SmartPhrases.
If you talk to anyone who’s used Epic, they treat their personal dot phrases like gold, and there’s a good reason—they can be one of the most powerful tools for saving time and clicks in Epic.
Do you have a lot of phrases you’re currently using in your old EMR? Just copy and paste them into the SmartPhrase Manager in Epic to create your own version.
Stu: For today’s episode, we’re going to show you three ways to turbocharge your Epic documentation with SmartPhrases.
And remember, these can be used in hybrid form with other documentation tools, right alongside Dragon Dictation and ambient Suki notes. You have complete control.
And here’s a freebie before we start: add your SmartPhrase Manager to the top menu so you’ll have it right at your fingertips.
Stair: Tip #1: Use SmartPhrases for repetitive sentences, paragraphs, and note components.
If you’re saying the same thing in a note more than three times a week—like patient instructions, a risk-benefit statement, or common treatment options in your specialty—then stop typing. You need a SmartPhrase.
Go to My Tools and the SmartPhrase Manager. Click New User SmartPhrase and either type in your statement or copy and paste it from your old EMR. Name it with your initials or something easy to remember. Click Accept, and you have your new SmartPhrase.
Now you can add it to your note with a dot followed by your phrase. These can be embedded in note templates as well, so you don’t even have to type them in for certain scenarios.
Stu: Tip #2: Make your personalized note templates into SmartPhrases.
Go back to your SmartPhrase Manager and search for a UAB or Foundation note template. In Insert SmartText, you can see the Epic version of the note, and you can add or subtract other SmartLinks and SmartPhrases, like the patient’s last CT scan and your credentials.
Name your SmartPhrase, and now you’ll have your own personal note template.
Want to take it to the next level? In your Notes tab, click the three dots to go to My Notes Settings and create a new speed button for your SmartPhrase. Now you’ll have one-click access to your H&P.
Stair: Tip #3: Find and share SmartPhrases.
Did you know there are hundreds of SmartPhrases and SmartLinks out there for us to use?
Just click on the Butler or type .? in a note to pull them up and search for the ones that work for you. If you can think of it, it’s probably already there waiting for you.
And if you want to borrow a great note or SmartPhrase from an Epic champion in your department, just go back to the SmartPhrase Manager and search for them. Here you can bring in some or all of their SmartPhrases to use for yourself.
Remember, if you copy them to your SmartPhrases, they are yours and you can edit them as you want. If you add them, you cannot edit them and will see any future changes made by their owner.
Stu: SmartPhrases are a great way to eliminate pointless clicks. Start practicing and create some you can use. When you start seeing patients, you’ll be glad you did.
