Admin Portal | Enabling Second Signer Permission for Users

Purpose

• Review of Second Signer feature and how to grant the permission to individual users

Audience

• Practice Admins

Overview

A new company and user permission for “Second Signing” has been added to the DocNow system. When this permission is enabled, after the note has been signed a button shall be displayed at the top of the patient note with the text “Signature Request”. When a provider clicks “Request Signer” a drop down is displayed containing all Provider associated with that provider.

Function of Second Signer Feature

A second signer function serves several key purposes, primarily related to compliance, verification, and patient safety. Here are the main reasons an EHR might require a second signer:

1. Compliance & Legal Requirements

• • • Certain documents, such as prescriptions, orders, or medical notes, may require co-signature to meet regulatory requirements.
    • Resident physicians, interns, or nurse practitioners may need a supervising physician to review and sign off on documentation.

2. Quality Assurance & Accuracy

• • • Ensures that critical medical documentation (e.g., treatment plans, progress notes, or diagnostic reports) is reviewed for accuracy and completeness before finalization.
    • Reduces errors in documentation that could impact patient care.

3. Supervisory Oversight

• • • Required in collaborative care models, where different providers share responsibility for patient care.

Steps to Enable for a User

1. Company Settings: The “Allow Second Signing for Note” permission must be enabled by a DocNow SuperUser. Reach out to your onboarding or customer success manager. 
2. User Settings: Once enabled, a permission for “Allow Second Signing for Note” is enabled by default for each user type. This user permission can be enabled or disabled for each user. 

Notifications

• • • A notification shall be sent to the 2nd signer that a new note exists for signing.
    • A notification shall be sent to the 2nd signer again if the note has not been signed by the 2nd signer and it has been 25 days since the signature request.
    • A notification shall be sent to the 2nd signer again if it has been 30 days since the signature request without completing the 2nd signature. For example if the request was put in on 1/1/25 then a notification should be sent at 12:01am on 1/30/25 that the request has expired.

Additional Resources

Link to DocNow Guide - Admins Section

Link to article: Provider Portal | Second Signer Workflow

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