> ## 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.

# Templates Introduction- Template options in the EHR

> Learn how to manage the templates available for prescriptions, lab orders, letters/referrals, physical exams, review of systems and visit notes

## What are templates?

Templates are a preset set of text for specific fields in specific forms in the EHR.

## Why are templates useful?

Templates help reduce repetitive documentation and encourage consistent workflows across providers and staff by clearly laying out the documentation needed to complete certain actions. This allows for a more efficient and streamlined workflow amongst your practice.

## What template options are available in the EHR?

Elation offers templating for the following areas of the EHR. You can also find a list of available templates by clicking on the **Templates** button at the top of any patient's chart.

* visit notes (overall)
* physical examination (PE) section of visit notes
* review of systems (ROS) section of visit notes
* lab orders
* prescription forms
* letters & referrals form

## Visit Note Templates

Visit Note Templates to reduce repetitive documentation during and after a patient encounter. Templates also encourage consistent workflows across providers and staff by clearly laying out the steps and questions to be addressed for certain visits. Learn more about Visit Note Templates in the
[Visit Note Templates Guide](/articles/elation-visit-note-templates)
.

## PE (Physical Exam) & Review of Systems (ROS) Templates

PE (Physical Exam) Templates are pre-created texts of the evaluations of a patient's physical appearance divided by their anatomy. ROS (Review of Systems) Templates are pre-created texts of the evaluations of a patients' various organ systems. Learn more about these templates in the
[Visit Note Documentation Guide- Physical Exam (PE) & Review of Systems (ROS) Templates](/articles/physical-exam-pe-and-review-of-systems-ros-templates)
article.

## Lab Order Sets

Lab Order Sets combine commonly ordered tests and the associated diagnoses into  template for you to use with Lab Order Forms. Learn more about Lab Order Sets in this
[Lab Order Form guide](/articles/ordering-lab-tests-enhanced#order_sets)
.

## Prescription (Rx) Templates

Prescription (Rx) Templates allow you to easily save medications and specifications (Sig, Qty, RF #) frequently used by your practice to use and reuse at a later time. Rx Templates are available for use in all prescription forms (including the Controlled Substance Form) and will always appear at the very top of the medication search drop down menu. Learn more about Prescription Templates in the
[Prescription (Rx) Templates Guide](/articles/create-and-use-custom-rx-templates)
.

## Letter & Referral Templates

*Letters*
and
*Referral*
templates are similar to templates you see in your email where you can store a preset subject and body of a message to send to different recipients. Common use cases for
*Letters*
and
*Referral*
templates are:

* doctor's note for absence from work
* medical clearance for physical activity for school
* request for copies of medical records
* referral to certain specialists for certain health conditions
* referral to certain specialists or facilities for evaluations
* request for copies of evaluations from specialists

### Creating a new template

There are 2 ways to add a new
*Letters*
or
*Referral*
template

1. From the **Settings** >> **Templates** page
2. Go to **Settings** >> **Templates**
3. Click the **+ Add Letter & Referral Template** button
4. Fill out the name and other required fields
5. Click **Save**
6. From the **Letter** or **Referral** form
7. Open a *Letter* or *Referral* from a patient's chart
8. Fill in the **Subject** and **Body** of the form with your desired text
9. Click **Save as Template**

### Editing an existing template

1. Go to **Settings** >> **Templates** and scroll to the **Letter & Referral Templates** section of the page
2. Click on the pencil button next to the name of the template that you wish to edit
3. Edit any of the fields as desired
4. Click **Save** to save your changes

### Removing an existing template

1. Go to **Settings** >> **Templates** and scroll to the **Letter & Referral Templates** section of the page
2. Click on the trashcan button next to the name of the template that you wish to delete
3. Click **Yes** to confirm you want to delete the template

### Using a template

You have two options for applying
*Letter*
or
*Referral*
templates to a
*Letter*
or
*Referral*
form:

1. (Letter to Provider Only) From the **Templates** >> **Letter & Referral Templates** option at the top of the patient chart
2. Open a patient's chart
3. Click **Templates** >> **Letter & Referral Templates**
4. Click the template you want to use with your **Letter**
5. A new *Letter to Provider* will open up with the template applied
6. From the **Letter** or **Referral** form
7. Open a *Letter* or *Referral* from a patient's chart
8. Click on the **Templates** dropdown
9. Select the template you want to use with your **Letter** or **Referral**
10. The selected template will be applied to your **Letter** or **Referral**

<Tip>
  You can apply multiple templates to a *Letter* or *Referral* .
</Tip>

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

### Can I use my own templates with Elation?

If you have your own text templates you would like to use alongside Elation, we recommend utilizing one of our templating partners. For a list of our templating partners,
[click here](/articles/using-templating-softwares-with-elation)
.

If your templates can be applied to one of Elation's template features above, we recommend using Elation's template feature as our template feature will be most compatible with our forms.

### Can I set it so that only providers or admins can create or edit templates?

You can set the **Templates**, **Prescriptions** and **Lab Orders** settings pages to be **Admin Only** so that only Admin level users can add, edit or remove templates from these settings pages.

<Note>
  This does not prevent non-Admin level users from creating templates from the Prescription Form, Lab Order Form, Letter Form, Referral Form or Visit Notes.
</Note>

## Related Articles

* [Visit Note Templates Guide](/articles/elation-visit-note-templates)
* [Visit Note Documentation Guide- Physical Exam (PE) & Review of Systems (ROS) Templates](/articles/physical-exam-pe-and-review-of-systems-ros-templates)
* [Order Forms Guide- Ordering lab tests with the Lab Order Form](/articles/ordering-lab-tests-enhanced)
* [Prescription (Rx) Templates Guide](/articles/create-and-use-custom-rx-templates)
* [Templates Guide- Using templating softwares with Elation](/articles/using-templating-softwares-with-elation)
* [Templates Guide- Using Dragon Dictation to dictate in Elation](/articles/using-dragon-dictation-to-dictate-notes)