Even more updates

What's New (2021)

December 31, 2020

Update to report "P-Adm/Trans/Dis"

We have added 2 new summaries to our "P-Adm/Trans/Dis" report. The original summer shows a combination of the discharge and inactive reasons. The new summaries will show the discharge reasons in one, and the inactive reasons in another summary (see Figure 12-21).

Figure 12-21. Additional summaries in "P-Adm/Trans/Dis" report.

Mobile update

We have updated our mobile apps to version 4.0.5. This will support the new checkboxes in the Templates, and you will now be able to interact with and save the checkboxes when using the mobile app (see Figure 12-22).

Figure 12-22. Mobile will support checkboxes in templates.

December 30, 2020

System Administrator user update

All users that have the "System Administrator" checkbox selected (see Figure 12-19), will now have the ability to access the "Audit Report" (see Figure 12- 20). This was previously only available when logged in on the sysadmin account.

Figure 12-19. "System Administrator" checkbox.
Figure 12-20. Audit report access.

December 28, 2020

A new field has been added to the "Facility" management screen labeled "Default ToB" (see Figure 12-18) This allows you to specify the default type of bill for UB04 claims from the claims manager.

Figure 12-18 . Default ToB field.

December 17, 2020

Calendar updates

When viewing the user search in the Calendar, you will notice some updates! First, the filtering will show the correct headers, showing whether the user is active or inactive (see Figure 12-15). Also, when you are viewing an inactive user on the calendar, if you create an appointment on that users calendar, they will be added as the provider.

Figure 12-15. Corrected filtering.

You will also notice that there is now a "User Group (Inactive)" section. This section will display your User Groups and it will let you know how many users in that group are inactive(see Figure 12-16). This number will also show how many active users are in the User Groups list (see Figure 12-17). Keep in mind, if you make updates to that user group, the inactive users are automatically removed.

Figure 12-16. User Groups (Inactive).
Figure 12-17. User Groups number of users.

December 16, 2020

Client chart update

You can now request to add the "Referral Type" to populate from the "Edit Client" screen, onto the client's chart (see Figure 12-12). To add this, send a request to team@bestnotes. com or call (866) 543-6646.

Figure 12-12. Referral type displayed on client chart.

Portal Application in the activity log

When viewing a portal application in the client's activity log, you will now see the name of the application (see Figure 12-13).

Figure 12-13. Portal application title.

New Special Field

We have added a new special field. This field will work in Templates, GroupNotes, and AutoNotes. This field will dispaly the appointment date, the start and end time, and the duration of the appointment. To utilize this special field, place it in the template that you wish to see it in. The special field is, {XAPPOINTMENTDETAILS} (see Figure 12-14).

Figure 12-14. Appointment Details special field.

December 9, 2020

Calendar bug addressed

On December 4th we discovered that an update that was deployed on October 21, 2020 adversely affected our recurring calendar appointments. A fix was deployed on December 7th.  Calendar appointments affected were those in a series where the appointment type was changed. If the appointment type was changed during this time period it did not update the ledger tab of the appointment to reflect the ledger code associated with the new/changed appointment type (see Figure 12-11). We have generated and reviewed a report to identify all calendar activities since October 21, 2020 and identified customers and specific appointment series that may have been affected. We are reaching out to them to review these potentially affected appointments to resolve any issues with existing appointments. If you have any questions, you can reach out to our support team for assistance.

Figure 12-11. Appointment type without updated ledger code.

December 8, 2020

Template/Note updates

We have added the ability for you to add checkboxes to your notes! You can add a checkbox to your template by navigating to the "Templates" located in "Settings" (see Figure 12-7). Once you have selected the template you would like to edit, place your cursor where you would like to checkbox to be placed. You will then select the "Checkbox" icon located in the toolbar on the top of the page (see Figure 12-8). Once you have made your edits, save the template. When you create a new note with this template, you will have the ability to select the checkbox that you have added (see Figure 12-9). This functionality will also work the same way in template style group notes (see Figure 12-10).

Figure 12-7. Access the Template builder.
Figure 12-8. Add checkboxes to your template.
Figure 12-9. Interacting with checkboxes in Notes.
Figure 12-10. Group note checkboxes.

December 2, 2020

Mobile biometric unlock

You now have the ability to unlock BestNotes using your biometrics instead of the pin. In order to use this new feature, you current device must already have the biometrics capability. Once you are logged into BestNotes, from the menu on the left hand side select "Settings" (see Figure 12-1). From this page, select the checkbox next to "Enable biometrics" (see Figure 12-2). You will now be prompted to use your biometrics instead of your PIN when unlocking BestNotes (see Figure 12-3).

Figure 12-1. New settings area to turn on biometrics for BestNotes.
Figure 12-2. Enable biometrics.
Figure 12-3. Use biometrics to unlock device.

Mobile logout alert

When you log out of the mobile app from the main menu, you will receive a logout alert (see Figure 12-4).

Figure 12-4. Mobile logout alert.

Mobile Q-log note type options

When you create a Q-log note, you will now have the option to select from the same list that you have in the desktop application (see Figure 12-5).

Figure 12-5. Q-log note type list mobile vs desktop.

Mobile app signature view

When your clients sign documents on the mobile application, they will now be able to view the document at the time of signature (see Figure 12-6).

Figure 12-6. Mobile signature view.

November 17, 2020

Payer update

When viewing the payer information in the "Episode" tab, you will now see the "Co-pay" field listed (see Figure 11-9). You will also see the payer information when selecting the client in the "Attendees" tab of the appointment (see Figure 11-10). The information that will be displayed include the "Active Primary Payer" (see Figure 11-11), "No active payer" (see Figure 11-12), and "Cash only" (see Figure 11-13). Just as it does in the payers tab, the "Cash Only" option will override an active payer. This will also not display any secondary or tertiary payers. This will always display what is set in the "Episode" tab at that point in time.

Figure 11-9. "Co-pay" field visible in "Episode" tab.
Figure 11-10. Payer information displayed for client on calendar appointment.
Figure 11-11. Active primary payer.
Figure 11-12. No active payer.
Figure 11-13. Cash only.

New permission

A new permission has been added to BestNotes. This permission can be found in the "Calendar/Tasks" section (see Figure 11-11). The purpose for this permission is to allow you to restrict which users can "un-check-in" an appointment. When this permission is removed from a user, the "Un-check-in" button will no longer be visible (see Figure 11-12). Like all other permissions, the user that has had the permission removed will need to log out and log back in for the updated permission to take effect. All existing users will have this permission by default.

Figure 11-11. "Un-Check-In Appointments" permission.
Figure 11-12. "Un-Check-In" unavailable on calendar appointment without permission.

November 12, 2020

Saved Reports update

We have updated the look and feel of the "Saved Reports." This has been adjusted when viewing the list of "Saved Reports" (see Figure 11-7) and when adding a new report to the "Saved Reports" (see Figure 11-8).

Figure 11-7. "Saved Reports" list.
Figure 11-8. Adding new "Saved Report."

November 5, 2020

Authorization code search

We have improved the search capabilities when searching for an authorization code. You will now receive relevant results starting from the first two characters entered when searching (see Figure 11-3).

Figure 11-3. Searching authorization codes.

Telehealth mobile update

When you are using telehealth via the BestNotes mobile app, and you select "End Session", you will now receive a confirmation message stating, "Successfully ended telehealth session" (see Figure 11-4). To see this update, be sure you are on mobile version 4.0.2 (see Figure 11-5).

Figure 11-4. End session confirmation message.
Figure 11-5. Mobile version.

Mobile date display

The date format has been updated in the mobile app to display as MM/DD/YYYY for the "DOB", "DOA", and the "DOD" fields (see Figure 11-6).

Figure 11-6. Date format update.

November 4, 2020

Audit Report update

As of today, the audit report will track which users created and deleted an appointment (see Figure 11-1). This has been activated to show on the audit report for all companies.

Figure 11-1. Appointment creation and deletion in Audit Report.

Note management update

When managing your notes, you will be required to keep at least one note or note type active (see Figure 11-2).

Figure 11-2. At least one active note type required.

October 27, 2020

Adding signers to templates and notes

We have updated the way signatures are added to templates and notes to be the same as it is in med/clinical. This will minimize the number of steps needed to add a related contact to your template or note (see Figure 10-7). In addition to the ability to add related contacts as signers, when you are creating a note, you will have the ability to log that note to the related contacts as well (see Figure 10-8).

Figure 10-7. Adding related contact to template or note.
Figure 10-8. Logging related contact to note.

October 22, 2020

Consent workflow update

When you are filling out a consent form for a client, you will now have the option to select "Patient not present" consent forms (see Figure 10-4). This selection will result in the window not locking the main BestNotes window (see Figure 10-5). This will also not prompt for the patient signatures when selecting "Save and Sign", and will then log the consent form to the activity log to be signed later or sent to the portal for signature (see Figure 10-6). This option is intended to be used when you are not physically meeting a client.

Figure 10-4. "Patient Not Present" consent forms.
Figure 10-5. Does not lock the main BestNotes window.
Figure 10-6. Logs consent form to activity log, can then be signed later or sent via the portal.

Contact sheet print update

When you are printing the contact sheet, if the client had any related contacts, some of the relationships were not displayed. This has been adjusted, and will now display all relationship types (see Figure 10-7).

Figure 10-7. Relationship types display on printed contact sheet.

Mobile app updates

We have released version 4.0.2! There were some android customers that were having issues inputting information into the BestNotes mobile app. There were some communication errors between the BestNotes mobile application and the Samsung and LG keyboards. These errors have been resolved, and you will no longer have any issues attempting to input information into the mobile application including entering your pin.

Both the android and the iOS applications have been updated to have the same phone number formatting that is in the desktop application.

We have also added the ability to filter for consents in the document filter.

October 12, 2020

Contact relationship updates

The related contact relationship list has been updated. When you define a contact relationship you will now have the ability to assign the relationship types of "Parole/Probation Officer", "Case Manager", and "Sponsor" (see Figure 10-1). You will now have hover text to display multiple relationship types (see Figure 10-2).

Figure 10-1. Updated relationships.
Figure 10-2. Hover text for relationship types.

Telehealth update

When you are using BestNotes Telehealth, the URL that is created for the appointment will now be shorter for all appointment created from today moving forward (see Figure 10-3).

Figure 10-3. Client email example.

October 9, 2020

Mobile app updates

The mobile app has released a new update to version 4.0.0 as of today. This release includes the following updates.

  • New look and feel!
  • More options in Contact Detail! You can now update the Alternate ID, Gender Identity, Preferred Pronouns, and more!
  • In the calendar:
    • Start and End BestNotes Telehealth sessions.
    • Clickable Meeting URL links.
  • In Documents/Files:
    • Upload more file formats to Documents.
    • Assign User Groups to files on upload.
  • Pin screen will redirect to the login page if user password is changed in the desktop application, or if a user is inactivated by an admin and attempts to unlock the mobile app with a successful PIN.

This is a small taste of additional updates that you can look forward to!

September 30, 2020

2021 ICD-10-CM updates

There are new ICD-10-CM coding updates that will be released into BestNotes on October, 1, 2020. These updated codes include a new code for vaping related disorders and COVID-19. To review the updates to the codes and for more resources, visit our 2021 Annual ICD-10-CM updates.

September 23, 2020

Telehealth report update

Now that there is an "End Session" button available on the calendar, when that button is used, the information for that appointment is immediately reflected in the Telehealth report. If you don't select the "End Session" button and the session ends on its own, this information will not be reflected in the report until the next day. For additional information, visit Telehealth report.

Portal logo

We have updated the BestNotes logo in the bottom left corner of the portal (see Figure 9-9).

Figure 9-9. Updated portal logo.

September 16, 2020

Telehealth updates

We have made some adjustments to how telehealth works. If a telehealth appointment has been canceled, this will disable the "Start Session" button (see Figure 9-6). If a telehealth appointment session has started, the cancel and reschedule options are disabled (see Figure 9-7). And finally, if you decide to unsubscribe from BestNotes Telehealth, on any existing telehealth appointments, the "Start Session" and "End Session" buttons will be visible, but will be disabled (see Figure 9-8). If you subscribe or unsubscribe from BestNotes Telehealth, you will need to log out and log back in for the update to take place.

Figure 9-6. Cancellation causes "Start Session" button to disable.
Figure 9-7. Once a session is started, all cancellation and reschedule buttons are disabled.
Figure 9-8. Once BestNotes telehealth is disabled, existing telehealth appointments "Start Session" and "End Session" buttons will be disabled.

September 11, 2020

Telehealth Usage Report update

The "Telehealth Usage Report" has been updated. This report will now show the duration of the appointment in hours, minutes, and seconds. This will now also include the "Participant Minutes" and "Session Cost" with the total cost being displayed at the top (see Figure 9-5). The charges are based on the active minutes a participant is connected, and there may be differences between the duration and the participant minutes.

Figure 9-5. Additions to "Telehealth Usage Report."

September 2, 2020

BestNotes Status page

BestNotes has created a "Status" page (see Figure 9-1). The purpose of this page is to provide you with information regarding any downtime that may occur. You can subscribe to this page to receive email alerts of downtime in specific areas of BestNotes by navigating to the bottom of the page and selecting "Subscribe" (see Figure 9-2). You can also view this page at any time by going to our Status page, selecting the link on our login page (see Figure 9-3), or selecting the icon in the header of BestNotes (see Figure 9-4).

Figure 9-1. BestNotes status page.
Figure 9-2. Subscribing to the status page.
Figure 9-3. Status page on login screen.
Figure 9-4. Status page icon within BestNotes.

August 25, 2020

Manage users visibility

When you have the permission to manage users, if you didn't have the appropriate access tag to view other users, you could not see that users account. You can now see all created users for your location, but you can only edit the users you have the appropriate access tags for (see Figure 8-2).

Figure 8-2. Manage users visibility.

August 18, 2020

Consent updates

We have updated our consents. The release of information radio button will default to "to exchange information with" instead of "to release information to"  (see Figure 8-1).

Figure 8-1. Release of information radio button.

July 27, 2020

Templates update

When making edits to a template, if you select the red "X" button to close the window without first selecting the "Save" button, you will receive a warning (see Figure 7-1). This warning will appear if there are any edits, AutoNotes used, or text copied and pasted into the template, and you have not selected "Save" prior to selecting the red "X."

Figure 7-1. Pop-up warning when closing template without saving.

July 17, 2020

Labs update

All lab results will now attempt to link the results to the correct client. These results will match based on an exact match for the following identifying fields:

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Date of Birth
  • Sex (Male/Female)

If there are two clients in your system that have the same information in these fields, the autolink feature will not work, and the results will need to be linked manually.

June 25, 2020

Custom Medications

We have made some updates to the look and feel of our "Custom Medications" and the "Meds" tab. We have updated a few of the icons and the color scheme. To learn more about "Custom Medications" visit Custom Medications setup or Using Custom Medications.

Calendar notifications

We have made an update to the functionality of our calendar appointment notifications. If a user other than the provider checks-in an appointment, the provider will receive a tray notification (bottom right of the screen) that will disappear on its own after 10 seconds. If the provider checks-in an appointment, the provider will not receive any notification.

May 13, 2020

Site ID

As of today, any user that logs in as the system administrator, or any user that is assigned the "System Administrator" checkbox (see Figure 5-1), will find the "Site ID" on the "My Account" page in their BestNotes (see Figure 5-2).

Figure 5-1. "System Administrator" checkbox.

Figure 5-2. "Site ID" location on "My Account" page.

April 7, 2020

Audit Report Update

We have added the ability to report files that are downloaded from the items in the client's "Files" tab and any "Media/Document" items in the activity log. To begin recording this action, log in to BestNotes as "sysadmin", and navigate to the "Audit Configuration" (see Figure 4-3) in "Settings". Scroll down to the "Clinical Note" section, and select the checkbox for "Download" (see Figure 4-4).

Figure 4-3. Audit Configuration.

Figure 4-4. Select "Download" under "Clinical Note".

April 1, 2020

Diagnostic tool update

When pulling a diagnosis forward into a treatment plan (see Figure 4-1), you will now see the "Diagnostic Criteria" listed below the diagnosis (see Figure 4-2).

Figure 4-1. Pull diagnosis forward.

Figure 4-2. "Diagnostic Criteria" now listed.

March 31, 2020

User Audit report update

To assist companies in the transition to the new BestNotes application, we have made some adjustments to our "User Audit" report that is available for the system administrators. You will now have the ability to filter this report based on the platform that your staff are using (see Figure 3-12). By selecting the checkbox next to "Show Updated Desktop Application View" and select "Go", you will be able to see how many users have transitioned to the new BestNotes application (see Figure 3-13). On the individual level you will have the ability to see which users are still using the outdated application, which platform they are using, and which IP address to help define location (see Figure 3-14).

Figure 3-12. Platform filtering.

Figure 3-13 . Number of staff that have updated compared to the total.

Figure 3-14 Individuals that have updated.

March 30, 2020

Appointment Ledger tab update

We have made some adjustments to the functionality of the ledger tab in an appointment. In order to manipulate the ledger tab in an appointment, you must have the "Ledger Entry from Log" (see Figure 3-8). You will now have the ability to select the addons that you want to apply to that appointment by selecting the checkbox (see Figure 3-9). All addon options will still be visible after it has been saved. Once the appointment has been checked out, there will be a register entry in the client's chart for the associated code, and an additional entry for each addon. You will then also have the ability to add additional addons from the "Register" tab by selecting the plus icon next to the code (see Figure 3-10). This action will create another entry on the "Register" tab.

Figure 3-8. "Ledger Entry from Log" permission.

Figure 3-9. Select addons.

Figure 3-10. Add additional addons from Register tab.

March 26, 2020

Telehealth Link update

An update has been made to our meeting link. This has been renamed to "Telehealth Link" (see Figure 3-4). Once a link has been added, you will have the ability to send the meeting link and details to the contacts that are included on the appointment (see Figure 3-5). Client's will be able to select the link from their email to join the meeting (see Figure 3-6). Once the link has been sent, the icon will change, and you can select the icon to view who the link was sent to, and what date and time it was sent (see Figure 3-7). This link can only be sent once per appointment, if you need to send out a new or updated notification, you will need to create a new appointment to replace the existing appointment. If you don't see the updated link, log out of BestNotes and log back in.

Figure 3-4. Updated meeting link.
Figure 3-5. Link added and email ready to be sent.
Figure 3-6. Email to client.

Figure 3-7. Email has been sent.

March 24, 2020

Application Update

For any users that have not upgraded to our most recent application, you will begin to see a notification in the top right corner of your BestNotes (see Figure 3-3). This will let you know that you still need to update, and will give you a link with instructions regarding how to do so. If you have any questions, contact  BestNotes Support or call 1-866-543-6646.

Figure 3-3. Notification.

March 11, 2020

Med/Clincal Snapshot

If a snapshot has been created for an assessment or treatment plan document in the med/clinical, you will now see an icon next to the name of the document (see Figure 3-1). Selecting this icon will show you the most recent snapshot of that document (see Figure 3-2).

Figure 3-1. Snapshot icon in Med/Clinical.

Figure 3-2. Most recent snapshot.

February 26, 2020

Preferred Pronouns Available

BestNotes has added a field on the Edit Client screen that will allow you to select the client's preferred pronoun set (see Figure 2-1). Making a selection in this area, such as "They, Them Their, Theirs, Themself" (see Figure 2-2) will translate in all pronoun special fields that are in your documentation (see Figure 2-3).


Figure 2-1. Preferred Pronouns in Edit Client screen.
Figure 2-2. Select Pronoun set.
Figure 2-3. Pronouns display through special fields in a template.

February 24, 2020

Updated BestNotes Application

BestNotes has created an update to our current application that is now available!


Benefits include:

  • Faster loading time
  • Improved visual experience
  • New Security features that make BestNotes even safer
  • Free for BestNotes customers
  • Quick download and install
  • Before downloading the updated desktop application, be sure you know your Site ID and select the operating system you use:

Act Now! This updated desktop application needs to be replaced prior to March 31st, 2020 to avoid any service disruption!

January 30, 2020

Med/Clinical Update

Updated BestNotes Application Only

When using assessments and treatment plans, if you need to add a signer, you can now search for the signer (see Figure 1-3).

Figure 1-3. Search for signer.

January 13, 2020

Updated BestNotes Application

BestNotes has created a new and improved version of our current application that is now available! 


Benefits include:

  • Faster loading time
  • Improved visual experience
  • New Security features that make BestNotes even safer
  • Free for BestNotes customers
  • Quick download and install
  • To begin using this improved version of BestNotes, be sure you know your Site ID and select the operating system you use:

Act Now! This new version of BestNotes will be replacing the current version soon!

January 7, 2020

System Administrator Login

When logging in as the System Administrator, the secondary authentication must now have the System Administrator checkbox selected on their user account (see Figure 1-2). Any user with this checkbox active, that also has the master password for the System Administrator account can log in as the system administrator.

Figure 1-2. System Administrator Checkbox.

January 6, 2020

User Settings Adjustment

When managing individual Calendar Settings from the User Details window, the appointment type labels were not displaying correctly, and was causing alignment issues. This has been updated to have proper spacing between the appointment type labels, and now displays as expected (see Figure 1-1).

Figure 1-1. Appointment type labels and alignment.


To see what we were up to in 2019 visit:


What's New (2019)


Back to top of page