Archived patients in charts and visits

Archived patients stay visible in Ona, but their chart and visit pages switch to a read-only state. That can look like a broken button or a missing action, but it usually means the record is being treated as history rather than active clinical work.

This patient's chart is read-only

After you open the patient from the patients list, a read-only state usually means the patient is archived.

Why it happens

When a patient is archived, Ona locks the patient's chart so you can still review the record without changing it. This is expected behavior, not a charting error.

How to fix it

1. In the left sidebar, click Patients, then click the patient's name.
2. Review the chart in read-only mode if you only need to check the record.
3. If the patient should be active again, see Archiving, restoring and exporting patient data.

This visit is read-only

After you open a visit from the patient's visits list or the main visits list, read-only can mean the patient is archived, the visit itself is archived, or both.

Why it happens

Visit pages follow the archived state too. If the patient tied to the visit is archived, the visit becomes read-only even if you opened it from the visit side. A visit can also be read-only when that visit itself has been archived.

Use Add summary (1) to open the visit's Summary area, and Add a note (2) to add a note from the visit page.

How to fix it

1. In the left sidebar, click Visits, then click the visit.
2. If the visit should stay as history, keep reviewing it in read-only mode.
3. If you need to chart or update the visit again, check whether the patient, the visit, or both were archived before assuming the page is broken.

I can't use selection checkboxes or batch actions on an archived patient's chart

On the patient's visits list or the main visits list, selection controls can stay visible but disabled.

Why it happens

Archived charts are view-only. Because selection and batch actions change records, those controls stay unavailable while the patient is archived.

How to fix it

1. In the left sidebar, click Patients, then click the patient's name.
2. This is working as designed.
3. If those chart actions should be available, the archived state is the first thing to check.

I can still open, view, export, or download items, but I can't change them

On archived patient charts and visits, some actions remain available because the record is still meant to be readable.

Why it happens

Archiving does not hide the record. It turns the chart and visit into read-only history. Existing view, export, and download actions can still be available, while actions that would change data are blocked.

How to fix it

1. In the left sidebar, click Patients, then click the patient's name, or click Visits and open the visit.
2. Use those read-only actions when you need to review or share history.
3. If something needs to be changed again, check whether the patient or visit was archived.

Billing, claims, tasks, or faxes still work even though the chart is locked

Outside the patient chart and visit pages, other workspaces can still stay active when a patient is archived.

Why it happens

The archived lock applies to the patient's chart, the visit page, and related panels opened from them. It does not turn the whole patient's presence in Ona off. Organization-wide workspaces such as billing, claims, tasks, and faxes can still keep working.

How to fix it

1. In the left sidebar, click Patients, then click the patient's name, or click Visits and open the visit.
2. Use the chart or visit in read-only mode if you are reviewing historical clinical information.
3. If you expected to resume charting, the archived state is the first thing to check.