Setting up AI-Compatible OncoForms in OncoEMR
Estimated Time Required: ~10-15 minutes per AI-compatible template
How do note templates become AI-compatible in OncoEMR?
In the OncoForm editor, you will see a new visit note field Type called External. External types are the components that are compatible with DeepScribe.
We currently support writeback from DeepScribe to OncoEMR for 19 clinical note sections.
NOTE: All sections are currently written back as free text only; the integration is not able to write structured data into grids, radio buttons, or checkbox questions at this time.
We strongly recommend creating new, separate AI-compatible Visit Note templates in OncoEMR that providers should leverage whenever they use DeepScribe to conduct a patient encounter.
Important Tips Before You Get Started
AI-Enabled Template Naming: We also recommend naming these new templates in a way that clearly indicates that they are AI-compatible. For example, you can add an “AI” prefix to the beginning of your note title, like “(AI) MD Follow Up Visit”.
MIPS Requirements: Certain visit note sections are relevant for MIPS reporting and should therefore be maintained as structured data. This means that you should keep legacy fields as is when creating AI-compatible templates). Please review a full summary of MIPS considerations in the “OncoForm | MIPS Considerations” article.
Patient Consent: Your practice should determine how to capture patient consent for ambient AI. To capture it in the note directly, consider adding an attestation to your visit note templates. Refer to the “Attestation” section in the “Setup Guidance” table below for details.
Setup Guidance
When creating AI-compatible note templates, think about where in the documentation workflow AI can provide the most value to your clinicians. Before beginning template setup, we recommend familiarizing yourself with any specific documentation workflows at your practice.
Interactive Tutorials for Common Scenarios
We’ve curated recommendations for AI-enabled note template configuration based on what works well for most practices. When we recommend replacing legacy fields with new AI-compatible counterparts, or when we recommend adding the external field to supplement legacy fields, you can follow the steps in our interactive tutorials:
Scenario: Create an AI-compatible template based on an existing template, rather than starting from scratch.
Configuring External Fields
External Field Name | Configuration Recommendation |
Chief Complaint
| - Replace legacy Chief Complaint with External Chief Complaint field using the legacy data name.
- Select "Do not load info from a previous note" |
History of Present Illness | DeepScribe always generates an HPI for initial visits and an Interval History for follow-up visits.
- Replace legacy HPI with External History of Present Illness field.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Interval History
| Please follow the appropriate option based on your practice’s documentation workflow:
Option A: If your clinicians use an interval history field for follow up visits:
- Replace legacy Interval History with External Interval History.
Option B: If your clinicians use an HPI field in all visit types and do not use an interval history field for follow ups:
- We do not recommend adding the External Interval History field.
- Instead, the HPI and Interval History sections should be combined on the DeepScribe side (ask DeepScribe for assistance with this!)
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Allergies
| Allergies will be captured as free text only by DeepScribe; the integration is not able to write data into the Allergies grid at this time.
- Therefore, we recommend adding External Allergies free text field in addition to legacy Allergies grid or datafield.
- Tip: If you don’t think your providers will find the additional information useful, you can always exclude this External field. If you do include both the Allergies grid and External Allergies field, we recommend hiding the free text field on Printed & Signed Notes to avoid the appearance of “duplicate” information.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Medications
| Medications content will be captured as free text only; the integration is not able to write structured data into the Medications grid at this time.
- Therefore, we recommend adding the External Medications free text field in addition to your legacy Medications grid.
- Tip: If you don’t think your providers will find the additional information useful, you can always exclude this External field. If you do include both the Medications grid and the External Medications field, we recommend hiding the free text field on Printed & Signed Notes to avoid the appearance of “duplicate” information.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Past Medical History
| - Replace legacy Past Medical History question, including all associated checkbox and radio button options, with External Past Medical History free text field.
- If there are any specific questions your practice relies on capturing as structured data for downstream reporting, you should leave those checkbox/radio buttons as-is.
- Tip: Some practices add the External PMH field in addition to the legacy field while providers build trust in the AI-generated content, with the plan to remove the legacy checkbox/radio buttons at a later time.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Surgical History
| - Replace legacy Surgical History question, including all associated checkbox and radio button options, with External Surgical History free text field.
- If there are any specific questions your practice relies on capturing as structured data for downstream reporting, you should leave those checkbox/radio buttons as-is.
- Tip: Some practices add the External Surgical History field in addition to the legacy field while providers build trust in the AI-generated content, with the plan to remove the legacy checkbox/radio buttons at a later time.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
OBGYN History | - Replace legacy OBGYN History question, including all associated checkbox and radio button options, with External OBGYN History free text field.
- If there are any specific questions your practice relies on capturing as structured data for downstream reporting, you should leave those checkbox/radio buttons as-is.
- Tip: Some practices add the External OBGYN History field in addition to the legacy field while providers build trust in the AI-generated content, with the plan to remove the legacy checkbox/radio buttons at a later time.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Social History | - Replace legacy Social History question, including all associated checkbox and radio button options, with External Social History free text field.
- If there are any specific questions your practice relies on capturing as structured data for downstream reporting, you should leave those checkbox/radio buttons as-is.
- Tip: Some practices add the Social History field in addition to the legacy field while providers build trust in the AI-generated content, with the plan to remove the legacy checkbox/radio buttons at a later time.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Family History | - Replace legacy Family History question, including all associated checkbox and radio button options, with External Family History free text field.
- If there are any specific questions your practice relies on capturing as structured data for downstream reporting, you should leave those checkbox/radio buttons as-is.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Review of Systems
| - Replace legacy Review of Systems question, including all associated checkbox and radio button options, with External ROS free text field.
- Tip: DeepScribe can build a custom ROS format to include whatever systems each clinician or specialty at your practice prefers to capture, and it can write back directly to the OncoEMR External ROS field.
- Select "Do not load info from a previous note" |
Physical Exam
| - Replace legacy Physical Exam question, including all associated checkbox and radio button options, with the External Physical Exam free text field.
- Tip: DeepScribe can build a custom PE format to include whatever systems each clinician or specialty at your practice prefers to capture, and it can write back directly to the OncoEMR External PE field.
- Select "Do not load info from a previous note" |
Radiology Findings
| If your note templates currently include the Radiology Documents Grid:
- Add External Radiology Findings field in addition to the grid.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Lab Findings | If your note templates currently include the Lab Results Grid:
- Add External Lab Findings field in addition to the grid.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Pathology Findings | If your note templates currently include Pathology Documents Grid:
- Add External Lab Findings field in addition to the grid.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Assessment
| Please follow the appropriate option based on your practice’s documentation workflow:
Option A: If your practice currently uses a free text box to capture Assessment/Impression:
- Replace legacy Assessment question with External Assessment field.
Option B: If your practice currently uses a set of checkbox/radio button questions to capture Assessment/Impression, or if you combine Assessment and Plan as a single section:
- Reach out to DeepScribe for their guidance on configuration.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Plan
| Please follow the appropriate option based on your practice’s documentation workflow:
Option A: If your practice currently uses a free text box to capture Plan:
- Replace legacy Plan question with External Plan field.
Option B: If your practice currently uses a set of checkbox/radio button questions to capture Plan, or if you combine Assessment and Plan as a single section:
- Reach out to DeepScribe for their guidance on configuration.
- Reflect your current settings for "Do not load info from a previous note." |
Attestation | - Add this new field below the Plan section of each of your AI-enabled OncoEMR visit note templates. (When you are configuring this field, navigate to the “Basic” tab, open the External Field dropdown menu, and select the Attestation option.)
- If added, a standard attestation blurb will appear at the end of every DeepScribe-generated note that reads “Portions of this note were generated with an ambient AI scribe.”
- You can remove the field at any time, or ask DeepScribe for assistance with adjusting the default text.
- Select "Do not load info from a previous note" |
NEW: Oncologic History and Radiation Treatment History sections are now supported!
Check After You Setup
Review our Template Setup Checklist here to help double check your work!
Key Definitions
External: An AI-enabled visit note component type. The value specified in the External Field dropdown is used to map AI-generated content from DeepScribe to the corresponding OncoEMR Visit Note section.
Legacy: Visit note fields that are not AI-enabled.
Dataname: The key that identifies a visit note field. This key allows visit note fields to “talk to each other” across different visit note templates for carry forward.
Carry Forward: The capability to pull text verbatim from note template to another note template.
Contextual Awareness: DeepScribe pulls in past MD visit notes to intelligently weave prior and current visit details into a cohesive narrative.