Deleting Incorrect Progress Notes

You can delete progress notes incorrectly added during the current service and also delete historical progress notes that you added in previous services.

Only the progress notes for the current consultation can be changed. In order to change other progress notes you will have to first select the correct consultation.

When viewing or changing Progress Notes in Communicare, there are some restrictions for security reasons.

Progress note restrictions are based on the Communicare log on username:
  • Users who do not have any viewing rights cannot view, write or change any progress notes.
  • Users who do not have the viewing right attached to a progress note cannot see that progress note.
  • Progress notes can only be written if you log on to Communicare with a username that identifies the provider. Anyone can write or change a progress note on behalf of a provider who does not have a logon username.
    Tip:
    Specify a provider's username and any delegated providers in File > Reference Tables > Provider. If electronic claiming is enabled, only the Administrator or the provider can change these details.
  • If a provider has a delegated user, the delegated user can also write or change the progress notes for that provider.

To edit notes entered into the clinical record for an incorrect patient and then entered into the correct clinical record:
  1. Open the clinical record that contains the incorrect progress note.
  2. On the Progress Note tab, ensure that the progress note information is on the right hand side.
  3. Click the progress note once to select it and either right-click and selectDelete Text or Delete Item Delete Item or click Delete Delete Item in the toolbar.
  4. When all incorrect progress notes are deleted, click CloseClose to close the clinical record.
  5. Open the correct patient clinical record and document the progress notes that were deleted from the incorrect clinical record.
  6. Close the clinical record.

All progress notes display the username of the user who created or modified that progress note. Where a progress note was amended after the original service, it will display a prefix of <Amended> in the contact header in the progress note history. With detail level 5, any previous versions are displayed in the progress note history, and are shown in grey with a prefix of <Deleted> in the contact header.

Deleting historical progress notes

If you don't realise your mistake until later, you can delete progress notes from previous days in the incorrect patient file, if you were part of that past service. Previous contacts are displayed in the progress notes on the left hand side as an historical contact.
To delete a progress note incorrectly added to one patient's file and add it to another:
  1. Open the clinical record that contains the incorrect progress note.
  2. On the Progress Note tab, ensure that the progress note you need to delete is displayed on the left hand side.
  3. Select and drag the service detail containing that progress note to the right into the current contact window.
    1. In the Select a different service window, click Yes - Open Selected service instead of current service.
    2. In the Service exit window, click Ignore - No service has been provided.
  4. You can now edit the service. Click the progress note once to select it and either right-click and select Delete Text or Delete Item Delete Item or click Delete Delete Item in the toolbar.
  5. Enter a free text note for audit purposes.
  6. Close the clinical record.

Deleted progress notes and an amended progress note are displayed in the historical note list. To display the deleted progress notes, adjust the level of detail displayed to detail level 5. The deleted progress note is displayed in grey text with Deleted appended to the contact header.


Example deleted progress note contact header
You can now open the clinical record for the correct patient and add a note and the missing clinical items.