Understanding the visit Summary

The visit Summary appears near the top of a visit chart. In the left sidebar, click Visits, then click the visit. The Summary section appears before the enabled clinical sections for that visit, such as Vitals, diagnoses, observations, allergies, medications, supplements, recommendations, procedures and notes.

What is the visit Summary?

Open a visit (in the left sidebar, click Visits, then click the visit) and select Summary in the visit sections. The visit Summary is a short briefing section for the visit. It gives the care team one place to review or add key context before or during the encounter.

The Summary is part of the visit record. When content is available, Ona displays it as formatted text. If the visit does not have summary text yet, the section shows an empty state.

The Summary is separate from the structured charting sections. Items such as vitals, diagnoses, observations, allergies, medications, supplements, recommendations, procedures and notes remain in their own sections when those sections are enabled for your organization.

When should I use the visit Summary?

Open a visit (in the left sidebar, click Visits, then click the visit) and select Summary in the visit sections. Use the Summary when you want a quick read before opening the rest of the chart. It sits near the top of the visit so the main context is visible first.

You can also use it during a visit if the displayed summary needs a manual correction. Click Edit to change an existing summary, or Add summary when the summary is empty. Save concise briefing text that belongs in that section.

If you need to work through the visit itself, use the visit charting sections and notes workflow. See Creating and running a visit, Recording visits with Ambient Scribe and Reviewing and signing an AI-drafted note.

How does the visit Summary work?

Open a visit (in the left sidebar, click Visits, then click the visit) and select Summary in the visit sections. Ona loads the Summary from the visit record. If there is summary text, it appears in the section. If there is no summary text, the section stays empty until content is added or created for the visit.

When the summary is being regenerated, summary actions are unavailable until that work finishes. If you are not editing, Template and Edit or Add summary are disabled. If you are editing, Template, Cancel and Save are disabled.

When you save an edit, the updated text replaces the previous summary in the section.

How do summary templates work for a visit?

Open a visit (in the left sidebar, click Visits, then click the visit) and select Summary in the visit sections. The Template menu sets the note style used for that visit’s briefing. Choose a template when this visit needs a different style. Choose None to clear the visit-specific template selection.

If an organization default applies, the Template button may show that template name even when no visit-specific template has been selected. Selecting another template saves it for this visit.

Owners and admins see Edit templates in the Template menu. Clinicians and staff can choose from available templates here, but they do not see Edit templates.

See Building note templates for template setup.

What are the limits of the visit Summary?

Open a visit (in the left sidebar, click Visits, then click the visit) and select Summary in the visit sections. You cannot edit the summary while Ona is saving the summary or regenerating it. The summary action buttons are disabled until that work finishes.

If no note templates exist, the Template menu has no templates to choose from.

The Summary does not replace the visit note. It is a briefing section on the visit chart. Use the visit notes workflow when you need a clinical note to review and sign.

Common questions

Where do I find the visit Summary?

In the left sidebar, click Visits, then click the visit. The briefing appears as Summary near the top of the visit chart.

Can I edit the Summary?

Yes. Open a visit (in the left sidebar, click Visits, then click the visit) and select Summary in the visit sections. Click Edit when summary text exists, or Add summary when it is empty. Click Save to store the change or Cancel to leave it unchanged.

Why are the Summary buttons disabled?

The buttons are disabled while Ona is saving the summary or regenerating it. Wait for that work to finish, then try again.

Can clinicians edit summary templates?

Clinicians can choose an available Template for the visit summary. The Edit templates link is shown only to owners and admins.

Is the Summary the same as the signed note?

No. Summary is a briefing section on the visit chart. Use the visit notes workflow for the clinical note that is reviewed and signed.