> ## 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.

# Note Assist Guide - When Note Assist isn't available on a visit note

> Why Note Assist is unavailable on some visit notes and what to use instead.

Note Assist works with almost every visit note. This article explains the exceptions, why they exist, and what to use instead.

## Which visit note formats work with Note Assist

Note Assist works with every visit note format except the **Simple Note**. That includes the SOAP Note, all three Complete H\&P Note layouts, and the Pre-Op Note.

Formats do differ in how carefully Note Assist preserves content you typed yourself during the encounter, which is a separate question from whether it records at all. For that, see [Note Assist Guide - Preparing to use Note Assist](https://help.elationhealth.com/articles/Note-Assist-Guide-Preparation.md).

## Why Note Assist is unavailable on a Simple Note

Note Assist writes generated content into the individual fields of a visit note, such as HPI, Exam, and Assessment. The Simple Note is a single blank text box, so it has none of those separate fields, and it has no Assessment or Care Plan section at all. That leaves Note Assist nowhere to put its output, so recording is unavailable rather than partially working.

On a Simple Note, the option to start recording is greyed out and a message explains that the format is not supported.

## Other notes Note Assist cannot record

These are not about format. Note Assist is unavailable on any of them, whatever format the note uses.

**Note amendments.** Note Assist does not record amendments to a note that has already been signed. Recording is unavailable once you enter amendment mode.

**Non-visit notes.** Note Assist records visit notes only, so it is unavailable on Phone Notes, Email Notes, and other non-visit note types.

**Signed and view-only notes.** Note Assist needs an editable note. If a note is open in view-only mode, close and reopen it to edit before recording.

## If you are a staff level user

Note Assist is available to staff level users only when your practice has enabled it for them. If your practice has not, Note Assist does not appear on any visit note, whatever the format. Ask your practice administrator whether staff access is enabled, and see [Note Assist Guide- Scribing visit notes as a Staff Level User (Beta)](https://help.elationhealth.com/articles/Note-Assist-Guide-Staff-Level-Users.md).

## What to use instead

To record an encounter that started in a Simple Note, create a new visit note in any other format and record there. Note Assist offers a shortcut to create a supported note directly from the unsupported-format message.

Content you have already typed does not transfer automatically between notes, so copy anything you want to keep before you switch.

To change the format your practice uses by default, see [Visit Note Documentation Guide - Visit Note Formats](https://help.elationhealth.com/articles/Visit-Note-Documentation-Guide-Visit-Note-Formats.md).

## Related Articles

* [Note Assist Introduction (Add-On)](https://help.elationhealth.com/articles/Note-Assist-Guide.md)
* [Note Assist Guide - Preparing to use Note Assist](https://help.elationhealth.com/articles/Note-Assist-Guide-Preparation.md)
* [Note Assist Guide - Using Note Assist for encounters](https://help.elationhealth.com/articles/Note-Assist-Guide-Using-Note-Assist.md)
* [Note Assist Guide - Frequently Asked Questions](https://help.elationhealth.com/articles/Note-Assist-Guide-FAQ.md)
* [Visit Note Documentation Guide - Visit Note Formats](https://help.elationhealth.com/articles/Visit-Note-Documentation-Guide-Visit-Note-Formats.md)