Navigating DrChrono (EMR) – Practical Guide for Daily Use

Overview

This guide walks you through how to navigate DrChrono efficiently in your day-to-day workflow.

DrChrono can feel overwhelming at first because there are many tabs and sections. However, in reality, you will only use a small, focused set of features regularly.

 

Starting Point: Logging In

Once you log in using your username and password, you will land directly on the calendar view.

This is where almost all of your workflow begins and ends.

Understanding the Calendar 

The calendar is designed to give you a clear view of your schedule and patients.

At the top of the screen, you will see:

• A list of providers
• A list of office locations

By selecting a provider and location, the calendar updates to show the relevant schedule.

For example, if you select a specific office and two providers, you will see only their appointments for that location.

Choosing the Right View

You have multiple ways to view the calendar:

• Weekly view (recommended) – best for overall workflow
• Daily view – useful if focusing on a single day
• Exam room view – shows rooms across providers, less commonly used

👉 In practice, weekly view works best and should be your default.

How to Access a Patient Chart 

Each scheduled appointment appears directly on the calendar. Clicking on an appointment is the fastest way to access patient’s chart. You can also search patients in Global search

Two Ways to Enter the Patient Clinical Notes 

When you click on a patient, you will notice two main options:

1. Clinical Note

• Takes you directly into documentation
• Use this when you are starting or completing a visit note

2. Full Patient Chart (Pencil Icon)

• Opens the complete chart
• Use this when you need to review details more deeply

👉 Think of it this way:

• Clinical note = working
• Full chart = reviewing

Understanding the Patient Chart

Once inside the full chart, you will see a navigation panel on the left side. There are many sections—but you only need to focus on a few key ones.

Demographics – The Foundation

This is the most important overview section.

It gives you a quick understanding of:

• Who the patient is
• Who is responsible for their care
• Key administrative details

Important items here include:

• Primary provider (who is responsible at MindWeal)
• Guardian information
• Primary care provider
• Pharmacy
• Insurance details
• Eligibility and authorizations (handled by front desk)
• Patient flags (very important)
• Current balance

👉 Always glance at this section before a visit—especially flags, which often indicate if the chart is ready or if anything needs attention.

Appointments – Visit History and Access Point

This section shows:

• Past visits
• Upcoming visits
• Current visit

You can also open notes from here.

• If a note is already signed → you can only view it
• If it is not signed → you can still edit it

👉 This is another way to access notes, but the calendar is still the primary workflow entry point.

Documents – Where Everything Gets Stored

This section includes:

• Uploaded documents
• Intake paperwork (from onboarding)
• Signed notes

👉 If you are looking for anything completed previously, it will likely be here.

Tasks – Communication from Staff or Team

If someone assigns you a task related to a patient:

• It appears in this section
• It also appears in your task inbox

👉 This is how internal coordination happens—make sure to check it regularly.

Problem List – Clinical Snapshot

This shows:

• Active diagnoses
• Problem history

You will update this while signing your note, not separately.

👉 Think of this as the patient’s clinical summary over time.

Medication Section – What the Patient Is Taking

This includes:

• Active medications
• Past prescriptions (logs)

Medication History (Surescripts)

You can also pull pharmacy data from external sources.

👉 This is especially helpful if:

• History is unclear
• You want to verify past prescriptions

Prescriptions (eRX)

This is where you send medications to the pharmacy.

• This process is important but covered in a separate workflow

Allergies

• List of patient allergies
• Usually already updated during intake

👉 You should still review it during clinical care.

Lab Orders

• Used to order labs
• Covered separately

Growth Chart

If height and weight are entered, this section shows:

• Growth trends over time

👉 Helpful for pediatric patients when monitoring development.

Communication – Full Record of Interactions

This section logs:

• Phone calls (entered by staff)
• Secure chat messages (automatic)

👉 This gives you a complete history of communication with the patient.

What You Can Ignore (For Now)

There are many sections that exist but are not needed for routine work.

You do not need to focus on:

• Clinical dashboard
• Immunizations
• Patient access
• Education resources
• Other unused tabs

👉 Avoid unnecessary navigation—this improves efficiency.