> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.elationhealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Visit Note Documentation Guide- Care Plans

> This article describes the Care Plan visit note category and the Care Plan section of the visit note.

## What is a Care Plan?

The Care Plan is a patient-centered planning tool that focuses on your patient’s specific needs, goals, and preferences. It represents a **snapshot** of care at a single point in time to be easily shared with other providers and teams to ensure continuity of care.

Each [Visit Note Format](/articles/Visit-Note-Documentation-Guide-Visit-Note-Formats) has a **Care Plan** section except for the **Simple Note**. You can also create a [Visit Note Category](/articles/visit-note-categories) specifically for care plans if care plans are frequently needed for a patient.

Care Plans usually consist of:

* any treatment prescribed to a patient
* any testing orders that you would like a patient to complete
* any recommendations for care after the visit

## Creating a **Care Plan** visit note category

<Note>
  **For Admins Only:** To edit visit note categories, you must have administrator (Admin) level privileges. If you do not see the **Report & Visit Note Categories** option in your Settings page, then you are not an Admin. To become an Admin, you must ask an existing Admin level user in your practice (most likely a primary provider level account holder) to grant you privileges via this [Manage Accounts](https://app.elationemr.com/settings/allaccounts/) settings page.​
</Note>

If you wish you categorize specific patient encounters as **Care Plan** visits in your patient’s chart, add a **Care Plan** visit note category to your Practice Settings. 

1. Click **Settings** >> **Report & Visit Note Categories**
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the **+ Add Visit Note Category** button
3. Type **Care Plan** in the text field
4. Update the toggle for **Count for MIPS?** as needed
5. Click **Save**.

This visit note category will also allow you to export Care Plans via [C-CDA (CCDA) exports](/articles/Supported-Elation-CCDA-types).

## Building a Care Plan within a visit note

Any records within the **Plan** section of your visit note will be part of the care plan whether it is

* assessments or directions that you typed for the patient to follow
* [referrals](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction) to another provider
* [medications](/articles/Prescriptions-Forms-Guide-ePrescribing-and-ordering-meds) you prescribed
* [tests](/articles/Order-Forms-Introduction-Ordering-medical-tests-for-your-patients) you ordered for the patient to complete
* [vaccinations](/articles/Vaccination-Form-Guide) administered

## Creating a new "Care Plan" visit note

To create a new visit note with the \*\*Care Plan \*\* category:

1. Click the **Visit Note** button at the top of the patient’s chart
2. At the top of the new visit note, change the visit note category dropdown to **Care Plan**
3. Populate [care plan details](#inside_visit_note) in the visit note.
4. Click **Sign Visit Note** to complete the **Care Plan** visit note.

To view **Care Plans** that you have documented for your patient, type the keyword “Care Plan” into the Chronological Record’s search bar.

## Creating a new Care Plan from an existing visit note

When you are updating a patient’s Care Plan, Elation allows you to copy forward an existing Care Plan or signed Visit Note from the patient’s chart to minimize duplicative work.

1. Find the signed **Care Plan** in your patient's Chronological Record. You can also type the keyword “Care Plan” into the Chronological Record’s search bar.
2. Click on the **Actions** >> **Export to Note** on the **Care Plan** you found
3. The contents of existing **Care Plan** will copy forward into a new visit note.​
4. At the top of the new visit note, change the visit note category dropdown to **Care Plan** as needed
5. Populate [care plan details](#inside_visit_note) in the visit note.
6. Click **Sign Visit Note** to complete the **Care Plan** visit note.

## Sharing Care Plans

Care Plans can be shared:

* automatically with your patients through [Elation Patient Passport](/articles/elation-patient-passport-an-introduction) once a patient has registered for a Passport account and you sign any visit notes with **Care Plan** details
* with other collaborating providers or healthcare professionals by attaching the **Care Plan** to a [Letter or Referral](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction) and sending the **Care Plan** to them
* by generating a [C-CDA (CCDA) export](/articles/Supported-Elation-CCDA-types) of a **Care Plan** and sharing it securely with someone else

## Related Articles

* [Visit Note Documentation Guide- Visit Note Formats](/articles/Visit-Note-Documentation-Guide-Visit-Note-Formats)
* [Visit Note Categories Guide](/articles/visit-note-categories)
* [Elation Patient Passport Guide](/articles/elation-patient-passport-an-introduction)
* [Letters & Referrals Introduction- Sharing clinical data outside of Elation](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction)
* [Patient Chart Guide- Sharing clinical care summaries with collaborating providers using C-CDA (CCDA) format](/articles/Supported-Elation-CCDA-types)
* [User Accounts Guide- Managing Elation accounts for providers and staff](/articles/managing-user-accounts)
* [Prescription Form Guide- ePrescribing & Ordering Medications](/articles/Prescriptions-Forms-Guide-ePrescribing-and-ordering-meds)
* [Order Forms Introduction- Ordering medical tests for your patients](/articles/Order-Forms-Introduction-Ordering-medical-tests-for-your-patients)
* [Vaccination Documentation Guide](/articles/Vaccination-Form-Guide)