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Patient Census Troubleshooting
Answers to common questions about what you cannot do in Patient Census and why. Controls, buttons, and available actions vary by user role, facility membership, census ownership, facility configuration, and which DocNow modules are active at your organization. If you cannot identify the cause of an issue from the information here, contact your DocNow administrator.
Note creation and clinical access
3Why can't I create a note?
The note button appears only when several conditions are met: you must have a user role that allows documentation, you must be listed as a member of the facility where the census is located, and the patient must have an active visit at that facility. For team censuses, team members who are facility members can document; those who are not members at that location will not see the button. If the button is missing and you expect to see it, confirm that your account is an active member of the correct facility in your organization's settings and that your role includes note-creation permissions. If the issue persists after confirming those items, contact your DocNow administrator.
Why can't I access wound documentation?
The wound button appears on patient rows when the wound module is enabled at your facility and your user role includes access to that workflow. If the button is missing, your facility may not have the wound module activated, or your role may not include access. Contact your DocNow administrator to confirm which modules are enabled and whether your role has access.
Why can't I access billing or charge capture?
The billing button appears when the charge capture module is enabled at your facility and your role includes billing access. If the button is missing, confirm with your DocNow administrator that charge capture is active at your facility and that your role includes billing permissions.
Census and patient management
3Why can't I delete the census?
Deletion is blocked when clinical activity is associated with the census — for example, when a patient has been marked Seen, has a note in any state, or has a charge recorded. The message shown when you attempt deletion describes what is blocking it. Review the blocking message carefully and correct only information that was entered in error. Do not change an accurate visit status, delete valid clinical documentation, or remove legitimate billing records solely to allow census deletion. If the census must be removed but contains valid clinical activity, contact your DocNow administrator or DocNow Support.
Why can't I remove a patient from the census?
A patient may be blocked from removal when they have a note, a submitted charge, or wound documentation started during this census. Removing a patient with active clinical work would disconnect that documentation from the census. If removal is blocked, review the patient row for any documentation or billing items that need to be addressed first. If you believe the block is an error, contact your DocNow administrator.
Why can't I find a census?
If a census is not visible in your list, check the following: confirm you are not limiting results with the facility filter; check that the date range filter is not excluding the census date; verify the status filter is not set to a value that hides the census you are looking for. Personal censuses created by another provider are not visible to you unless they are team censuses. If you believe a census was deleted in error, contact your DocNow administrator.
Census completion and review
4Why is my census incomplete?
A census is considered complete when every patient has a recorded visit status, required notes are signed, and applicable charges are submitted. To find what is outstanding: filter to Not Seen or Unknown to find patients whose visit was not recorded; filter to No Note or Draft to find patients whose documentation has not been started or signed; filter to Not Submitted to find patients with outstanding charges. Work through each filter in turn until the roster shows no remaining items.
Why do I see missing notes?
The census list shows Missing Notes when one or more patients in that census have no note or have only a draft note. Open the census and apply the Documentation Status filter set to No Note, then Draft, to identify which patients still need documentation. Create or complete the note for each patient, and sign it before the round is considered closed.
Why do I see missing charges?
The census list shows Missing Charges when one or more patients have a charge in an unsubmitted state. Open the census and apply the Documentation Status filter set to Not Submitted to find the patients with outstanding billing. Open charge capture from the patient row and submit the charge. If the billing button is not visible for a patient, confirm with your DocNow administrator that charge capture is enabled at your facility.
How do I know when my census is done?
The census status in the census list updates automatically based on the visit, note, and billing state of all patients. A census shows Done when all patients have a recorded visit status and no outstanding notes or charges remain. Use the census status filter on the list page to confirm your round has reached a complete state.
Screen and access variations
4Why does my screen look different from my colleague's?
Several factors affect what you see. Your user role determines which action buttons appear. The modules enabled at your facility control whether wound and billing buttons are present. Column visibility and sort order are saved per user — each provider configures their own layout. The default row action is also per-user. If a colleague sees a button or column you do not, it may reflect their role, their personal settings, or a module enabled for them at a facility where it is not enabled for you. Your DocNow administrator can help identify which setting is responsible.
Why are some columns, buttons, or filters missing?
Controls can be absent for several reasons: your user role may not include access to that feature; the facility may not have the corresponding module enabled; an active filter may be hiding results; or you may be in a view that does not support that action. If a specific control is missing, try clearing all active filters first — some controls only appear when certain filters are not applied. If the control remains missing after clearing filters, consult your DocNow administrator.
Why did my filters remain applied when I returned to the census?
Filters are preserved while you navigate between patients and when you refresh the page. This is intentional — it lets you work through a filtered list without re-applying the filter each time you open a chart. To see all patients again, clear the active filters using the filter controls above the patient roster.
Why does clicking a patient row open a different area than I expected?
The default row action is a per-user setting that controls whether clicking a patient opens the note picker, patient chart, wound module, or billing. If the row action is not what you expect, go to Settings and update the Default Row Action preference. You can also configure a different default per census for rounds where the workflow differs.
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